In celebration of National Apprenticeship week, a special dinner took place on Wednesday 8 February at The Kennels, Goodwood's central clubhouse for the estate's members. Five young apprentices designed and executed a fabulous 3-course dinner under the watchful eye of The Kennels Head Chef, Dan Turner.
Hayden Diltoer (22), Sion Gillespie (20), Sam Spooner (19), Josh Bolton (18) and Brandon Burley (18) took inspiration from the seasonal produce available with many of the ingredients sourced from Goodwood's own Home Farm.
The West Sussex estate is in a unique position to offer un-rivalled experiences including behind the scenes access to their world-famous events and exclusive masterclasses run by the talented Head Chefs that work across the estate. As a key employer in the region, Goodwood works closely with a number of educational and training establishments to offer placements across the busy estate, including HIT Hospitality Academy, Chichester College, Portsmouth College, Keits, Yuzu Training and CT Skills. In 2022 the estate had 17 apprentices working across a number of areas including; greenkeeping, vehicle maintenance, finance, events, maintenance and hospitality. Goodwood are looking to increase that figure to 22 by the end of this year.
National Apprenticeship Week aims to raise awareness of the many benefits apprenticeships can offer both individuals and employers. Goodwood's Entertaining and Hospitality Managing Director, Andrew Coggings commented;
"With such a busy and diverse estate, we have so much to offer young people looking to start a career or retrain, whether that's in the world of hospitality, events, finance or greenkeeping.
This evening has been a terrific example of what you can achieve with the right support and mentoring. It’s been great working with HIT Hospitality Training and Chichester College on the development of these young, talented chefs and I look forward to seeing how far they take these skills in future."
Goodwood's Culinary Academy has been designed to inspire, nurture and motivate young people into the hospitality industry. Trainees will spend time at Goodwood’s in-house butchery, dairy processing and cheese-making facilities, working with organic produce sourced from Goodwood Home Farm. The two-year programme will equip the young apprentices with in-depth, on the job training in all aspects of food preparation, food production, safety and basic costings, whilst gaining industry-recognised qualifications and professional kitchen experience. Upon qualification, graduates are offered a position within one of the restaurants across the estate
ENDS
