Chef Academy

About the programme 

Our apprenticeships involve a combination of on-site learning and assessment with e-learning and assignments. Apprentices can also expect frequent on-site visits by our industry-experienced chef trainers and dedicated tutor. The dedicated tutor will provide support via a mixture of on-site visits, phone calls and zoom meetings.

What students will do as an apprentice chef:

• Learn and develop new skills within the kitchen
• Develop food knowledge by taking part in tastings with the head chef
• Prepare food to the company’s high standards, learning about the responsibilities required to ensure that quality and consistency is achieved
• Look after stock – security, rotation and stock levels
• Prepare for and attend practical learning sessions
• Keep a diary to record the development of knowledge and skills
• Work as part of a team and developing interpersonal skills

In addition to the chef academy training schedule, students will be invited to attend additional programmes to enhance their training journey which include:

• Kitchen management - Covering all aspects of managing people, administration, and the kitchen environment.
• Nutrition training - How to create dishes to meet your customers’ special needs, allergies and dietary requirements.
• Fresh product procurement - Apprentices will work with fresh local produce during their workshops and skills taught will be used back in their workplace.
• Enter competitions - We encourage our chef apprentices to enter culinary competitions and we also run our own Brend Chef Academy Competition.
• Chef demonstrations - Take part in demonstrations at food fairs and festivals.
• Culinary masterclasses - Expert trainers will demonstrate how to prepare and cook complex dishes and dishes required in ‘fine dining’ kitchens. They will also teach you about refining flavours and enhancing your knife skills.