In 2022, an innovative programme appeared on my radar seeking a new, positive way forward to the chef crisis.

Since the Covid pandemic, what was already a chronic chef shortage and a perennial crisis management issue for the hospitality industry, developed into a serious talent crunch. With life returning to a pre-Covid version of normal, demand for dining out, weekend escapes and celebrations went into overdrive. At the same time, an exodus of people from the hospitality industry in general and the cheffing profession specifically, lay the bedrock for a systemic perfect storm.

With not enough young people looking to go into catering and culinary graduate programmes and migration back on the agenda for those who felt opportunities at home were limiting, a new way to practically reverse the issues needed to be found.

Into the foray came Karen Healy, a seasoned hospitality professional in the learning and development sphere, she had stepped into the world of self-employment establishing Meraki.ie, a hospitality consultancy working with 4 Star and above hotels. She is also a keen foodie – a lover of food and socialising, and could see that where her professional and personal interests intertwined was an opportunity to step into the chef crisis malaise and make a difference.

Back in May, 2022, Karen sent me an email outlining her vision for the West Cork Chef Academy. As I found her own words so inspiring, I’m including them in full here:

“The West Cork Chef Academy was a notion. A practical solution to a well-established challenge; chef shortages. Add in a rural location and it was a real recipe for frustration and concern.

Having visited Rick Stein’s restaurant in Cornwall a few summers before and read about the Chef programmes run there, I had a lightbulb moment. There were remarkable similarities between Cornwall and West Cork. Food provenance and passion for local artisan food was part of the fabric of life in both places.

As I sat in the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery in September 2021 between lockdowns, I floated the idea with Neil Grant, the General Manager. He instantly got onboard, his passion and enthusiasm for the local area and its food producers was infectious. That same day we phoned Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery to ask if she would come onboard and she didn’t think twice; ‘absolutely’ was sung down the phone ‘count me in.’

One of the takeaways from the pandemic for me was how people had collaborated and we really wanted that to be a part of the experience. We contacted local hotels who had been actively involved in promoting the industry and asked if they wanted to be part of a pilot. Fernhill House, Clonakility, Inchadoney Resort, Liss Ard Estate, Skibbeeren, Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff, Waterfront Hotel, Baltimore, Emmet Hotel, Clonakility, and Blue Haven Hotel, Kinsale all saw the value of ‘growing our own’ chefs and where delighted to be onboard.

We knew we wanted these young chefs to complete a programme that would leave them inspired. We wanted to include visits to local food suppliers, to show the effort and passion these people put into the produce they in turn would be cooking and preparing for customers. Each hotel proposed amazing food experiences for these young chefs from fish smokeries to sea kayaking for seaweed and 7 course tasting menus and everything in between.

We also wanted them to gain a qualification. I approached John Byron at the CETB who was extremely supportive and identified a Level 2 entry level City and Guilds Programme. They provided Chefs whites, safety shoes, HACCP and Manual Handling training as well and supporting the advertising campaign with the Southern Star to attract chef candidates. We then were faced with the challenge of getting these young chefs once a week from West Cork to Cork City for weekly training in the CETB Kitchens at Model Farm Road. The West Cork network is alive and well; Neil from the Celtic Ross contacted Damien in West Cork Connect to ask if he would offer reduced rates. Damien went one better and offered the chefs complimentary travel for the duration of the programme.

The course launched on 4^th April and will run for 6 months. Each delegate will get additional mentoring back at the home hotel of their choice. They work 4 days a week, with college one day a week and are paid full time by their hotel.

They say it takes a village. The West Cork Chef Academy is a testament to hoteliers working together to create something really special.”

I got in touch with Karen, and sat down with her later in the year to learn more about her fascinating career and the West Cork Chef Academy for my monthly Women on Wednesday column for The Echo, WoW! Bites, all about women in Cork’s food industry. You can read that article HERE: https://www.echolive.ie/wow/arid-40977098.html

One of the things I personally find inspiring about this programme is that is offers an opportunity to people who thought that maybe the opportunity to find a pathway into a cheffing career had passed them by. There is often talk about this being a young person’s game, but in many ways, just as those who go into cheffing straight from college realise a few years later they’d prefer to change career, so it is the same for people who go into other professions or lines of work who realise they’d prefer the heat and excitement of a professional kitchen.

It happened to me: my life was mapped out for becoming some hot shot lawyer, but that didn’t go to plan. After a couple of decades wandering the professional wilderness wondering what I should be doing, I finally found my way into food writing and the realisation that this was always my true passion and calling in life.

In October, I was invited along for a celebratory breakfast at The Celtic Ross Hotel, one of the participating hotels in the Academy programme, to watch the first ever cohort of graduates receive their City & Guild’s qualification in front of people they could now call their peers – as well as mentors.

I asked all six students if they would be interested in completing a quick Q&A on their experience and what their plans are for the next chapter of their careers. This can be a daunting proposition – it’s hard to talk about yourself – but three of the six did come back to me, and I’m delighted to share these micro stories with you now.

JANE DUANE

Jane Duane, 39, is from Cork. She completed her Academy programme at the beautiful Liss Ard Estate, Skibbereen, under the then Executive Head Chef, Alex Petit.

What were you doing before you signed up to WCCA:

Event Manager at a food and wine destination in Australia. 

Why did you decide to sign up to the West Cork Chef Academy:

I was exploring my career path within the tourism and hospitality sector and I came across West Cork Chef Academy posted by Liss Ard Estate, Skibbereen. It sounded like an excellent opportunity to learn a part of the business that I have not worked in and to learn from chefs that I respected. I love to cook and I’m interested in working with local produce and producers. The onsite visits to some of West Corks producers included on the course was very exciting to me.  It was a privilege to meet and to learn from Sally Barnes and the other producers and hoteliers.

What were the biggest challenges during the 6 month programme?

As it is a condensed course there was lots of paper work to get through. Getting to Bishopstown on time on a Monday morning was sometimes challenging!

What was/were your biggest achievements?

Successfully completing the course. Making new friends and colleagues and gaining confidence.

What did you like about the experience of working with a mentor?

The opportunity to learn from an excellent chef who is passionate about West Cork, the place, the people and the produce and at a venue grounded in nature is what compelled me to do this course. Being supported through it and encouraged through the process was invaluable.

Was it important to you that there was a qualification at the end of the programme and a path for further training/education and/or job opportunities? Why?

Yes. There is a lot of content in this course and the effort warrants recognition. The cookery skills are a strong basis to work in any kitchen and the level of understanding and respect that you gain of local produce and growers can be brought into any dish, or to any job, to advocate for West Cork.

What comes next? (e.g. new job- tell me about that? Commis Chef apprenticeship- why did you decide to carry on training)

Continuing to work in the kitchen and using the quieter time for further training in education and potentially a Masters in Irish Food Culture at U.C.C.

Where would you like your experience of completing the West Cork Chef Academy to take you?

I would love to work in the food tourism/ hospitality/wellness/development and education sectors in West Cork and I will continue to try to carve that out.

Would you encourage others to sign up and do the programme? Why?

Absolutely. The course is accessible to all ages and abilities and is genuinely good for the soul. Learning skills on the course and applying them on the job is efficient and valuable growth. I am very grateful for having done this course and I would recommend it to anyone.

ANNA MIRONOVA

Anna Mironova, 33, is originally from Latvia but has been living in West Cork for the past 10 years. Anna completed her Academy programme at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery. The hotel is well known for its commitment to local food and food producers and has been an active part in developing innovative food tourism in the area. Anna’s mentor was Laurentiu Samoila, an experienced Executive Head Chef who came to work at the hotel in summer 2022.

Why did you decide to sign up to the West Cork Chef Academy:

Before West Cork Chef Academy, I had just started worked at the Celtic Ross Hotel. It was a completely new job for me, before that I was working in the Ceramix factory in Ballydehob making heating elements.

What were the biggest challenges during the 6 month programme?

When I decided to change my job, I found a vacancy at the Celtic Ross Hotel. During the interview Neil Grant told me about the West Cork Chef Academy. I thought: “Why not? If I change my life, I could do it!”

What was/were your biggest achievements?

During the 6 months, for me the biggest challenge was the theory exams because of language – English is not my first language! But during the course, I passed all my assessments from the very first one!

What did you like about the experience of working with a mentor?

The Celtic Ross Hotel is a very busy hotel, so at times working with the mentor was difficult because he didn’t have much time for it.

Was it important to you that there was a qualification at the end of the programme and a path for further training/education and/or job opportunities? Why?

It was important, but not as much as the experienced I gained from completing the course. But, because now I have this qualification, I decided to go for the [Commis Chef] Apprenticeship.

What comes next? (e.g. new job- tell me about that? Commis Chef apprenticeship- why did you decide to carry on training)

I decided to do the [Commis] Chef apprenticeship because I want to go into cheffing now and get even more experience.

Where would you like your experience of completing the West Cork Chef Academy to take you?

I want to complete the new course over the next two years, and after that, we will see.

Would you encourage others to sign up and do the programme? Why?

I would because, if you don’t try you wouldn’t know if it is interesting to you.

JOSEPH LANKESTER

Joseph, 25, has been living in Cork since he was 9 years old after moving from England with his family. He completed his Academy programme at the Waterfront Hotel in beautiful Baltimore, so Joseph certainly struck gold when it came to being immersed in an inspiring foodie environment. Baltimore is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, Dede at The Customs House, and the village has always maintained an exceptional reputation for the best of local and seasonal food – not least at The Waterfront Hotel…

Who was your mentor and which hotel were you assigned to?

Sean O’Sullivan, Waterfront Hotel Baltimore.

What were you doing before you signed up to the West Cork Chef Academy?

I would work summers in the Waterfront, before signing up to the academy in and I was working in Oak Fire Pizza, Clonakilty.

Why did you decide to sign up to the West Cork Chef Academy?

I enjoyed cooking at my hotel and wanted to stay a chef, but, if I wanted to travel somewhere else it’d be useful to have a piece of paper saying “This man can cook to reasonable standard that won’t kill people!”

What were the biggest challenges during the 6-month programme?

Definitely the paperwork. I’m not the most studious person. I procrastinate. It was all very last minute. But I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one, and Yeohan was behind all of us with a stick and a certificate on a fishing rod for the last few weeks.

Was it important to you that there was a qualification at the end of the programme and a path for further training/education and/or job opportunities? Why?

I have been declined job offers after interviews because of lack of training, nothing special at least. I have been offered jobs despite lack of training. It’s not essential but it certainly speeds up your goals.

What comes next?

Earn an Irish citizenship. Then travel, cheffing as I go. Planning to travel after becoming a citizen might affect the citizenship so… Shhh! Don’t tell the government. I’ve been learning French for 1½ years so France is first on the list.

Would you encourage others to sign up and do the programme? Why?

I would and I have because it’s different. We learned all sorts of interesting things on the excursions. Being six months it’s perfect for an unstudious person like me. If you’re not sure you could handle a two year course it’s a great tester too for the commis chef apprenticeship.

This programme is so inspiring, as are the people who take a chance on themselves to go for something they’ve always been interested in. Our lives operate in seasons and we are free to choose to change what we do, how we do it, where and for whom. For the six graduates of the programme, they are doing this for themselves and that is an incredibly empowering thing for them, as well as positively and proactively engaging in an innovative approach to make inroads into the profession.

Karen recently wrote to me to say that the programme will run again in April 2023, although this time it will run county wide. If you are interested in finding out more about the programme, follow West Cork Chef Academy on Instagram or email Karen Healy on karenhealy@outlook.ie for information on how to apply.