Chichester College invests £3m in kitchens for catering students

By Emma Eversham

- Last updated on GMT

Steven Edwards leads students at Chichester College in canape creation in their new state-of-the-art kitchens
Steven Edwards leads students at Chichester College in canape creation in their new state-of-the-art kitchens

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They are often criticised for not equipping students with the right skills to work in the industry, but one catering college is helping to put its students 'at the cutting edge' by investing £3m in new kitchens and a training restaurant. 

Chichester College has spent more than eight months installing the new kitchens, which include 11 touchscreen oven systems with USB technology, and creating new student-run restaurant and bistro Café 19 and 64 Restaurant & Bar. 

Chichester College principal Shelagh Legrave said the new facilities, partly funded by a Coast to Capital LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) grant, would help the college better meet the needs of employers. 

“This is now a sophisticated training facility housing some of the latest industry equipment, putting the college and our students at the cutting edge of the culinary sector," she said.

“The work we have undertaken is vital to ensuring we continue to produce students who can meet the highest catering industry requirements.” 

The new kitchens were officially unveiled by Masterchef: The Professionals champion Steven Edwards last week.

Edwards, who currently runs his own catering company - etch food and is creative consultant for the i360 in Brighton, said: “The new kitchens are amazing - it's really up to scratch and on trend with what's happening in the industry.

"The whole food and drinks industry is going though such a transition at the moment and it's updating constantly, so it's hard for colleges to keep up and to get the funding they need to do that. But seeing what's happening at Chichester College is really exciting, and I was honoured to be asked to be a part of it."

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