Fifteen Cornwall Graduation 2007
We had the graduation for the first cohort of trainees last night at the Eden Project. The whole thing was set up in the temperate dome and it made a stunning setting being amongst all the Mediterranean plants. Olives, grapes and citrus fruit made it almost possible to run a Fifteen menu right there in the dome!
A team of restaurant staff (including myself) turned up to set up the bar (wine & beer) which we had done pretty swiftly after swiping a stack of plant pots to put the beer in.
It was an easy night with about 250 guests consisting of suppliers, graduating trainees + families, staff, trustees etc. We gave out all of the beer and most of the wine, got the numbers pretty much spot on.
There was a speech session conducted by a few people including the big man himself and then a series of short films introducing each of the graduating trainees. I thought the whole thing was very well done and it did a really good job of illustrating the enormity of the work done in the last year to get the trainees from unemployment to talented enthusiastic chefs - who are now going off to work in kitchens as far afield as New York.
The whole thing has changed my overall perspective on the restaurant slightly, sometimes it’s easy to forget amongst all the trivial stuff that it is a training environment and it’s doing a lot of good for the kids of Cornwall.
Beer and plant pots!! Two of my favourite combinations.. it is all great though isnt it, have always said how brilliant that man is especially after the school dinners overhaul. Looking forward to Jamie at home, cant wait to see him growing stuff.