Former student works for top chef

A former student of the College is making a name for herself in TV chef Gordon Ramsay's empire, working at some of London's top restaurants, after impressing in one of them during a period of work experience.

Kelly Pook was offered a position as commis chef at The Connaught, where she had previously been twice on placement during an NVQ chef catering course, under the guidance of Ramsay protégé Angela Hartnett.

During her second stint at the venue, Kelly was offered the chance to work there full-time once she completed her course and then, when The Connaught closed for refurbishment earlier this year, she moved to the Boxwood Café, which specialises in seasonal produce.

Now Kelly has been on the move again when last week she took up a post at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Hospital Road.

Kelly said: "Working for this sort of restaurant can be hard work, as it is long hours and everything has to be perfect - there is no compromise on quality and you have to get the job done, but it is also a lot of fun and I've really developed my skills.

"I'm definitely putting into practice what I learned on my course, as the College teaches the basics really well, so you know how things should be done. Also, from speaking to other people, I know the produce we cooked with at College was excellent quality and comparable to that which I am using now.

"I’m hoping after a couple of years at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay I will get the chance to work at one of his restaurants in the USA.

"Working for him is a great experience - obviously he's very busy with his TV work but we still see him a lot. I wouldn’t have expected him to know who I was, but he came into the kitchen the other day and started talking to me about how everything was going, which was amazing."

Kelly came to the College in 2003 as a mature student, having previously taken a degree in English before deciding she wanted to become a chef.

Angela Hartnett recently told Food and Travel magazine: "I've found a real star in Kelly - when you come across someone this exceptional, you need to hold on to them.

"I go on pure talent, and Kelly has oodles of it. She's always desperate to learn more, which is a quality you need if you want to stand out from the crowd."