Member Article

Apprentices cooking up a storm at Lincolnshire restaurant...

THREE would-be chefs have shown their commitment and passion has paid off, after gaining apprenticeships at an award-winning restaurant.

And the hope is that threesome will also secure permanent employment when their training at the Hope and Anchor, South Ferriby, is complete.

The highly acclaimed restaurant with rooms, has been singled out for its superb cuisine created by head chef and owner, Slawomir Mikolajczyk, who trained with some of the biggest names in the world of cookery.

And now he is giving an opportunity to the next generation of would-be chefs, who are gaining valuable experience and training.

Sixteen-year-old Demeetri Nikolaidis joined the team four months ago, leaving home to pursue a career in food.

“My family has fish and chip shops so I’ve always been involved in food and came to the Hope and Anchor on work experience,” he said.

“I really enjoyed it so when I heard they were taking on another apprentice I asked if it could be me.”

Even leaving home at a young age to live in a staff house wasn’t a problem, with Demeetri determined to secure his future.

“It’s a fantastic place to work and I’ve learned so much,” he said.

Demeetri has joined fellow apprentices, Tom TJ Scrivener (20) and 17-year-old Connor Barley, who are also training at the Hope and Anchor.

Tom originally planned to go to university to study film but decided instead to follow his love of food.

“I am much better at doing something really practical, so this is perfect for me and I absolutely love being a chef and learning new things,” he said. “It’s been an amazing opportunity.”

His words are echoed by Connor, who has been at the Hope and Anchor for eight months, initially starting as a pot washer.

“I loved watching everything that was going on in the kitchen so when the chance came for an apprenticeship, I jumped at it,” said Connor, who currently works on the garnish section.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do a little bit of everything and it’s confirmed that this really is the career for me.”

Slawomir believes it is important to nurture the next generation of talent. “The industry has a real shortage of chefs so it’s vital that we do what we can to encourage young people into the industry,” he said.

“We’re very proud of everything they’ve achieved in a relatively short space of time and we’re delighted they are part of our team.”

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