22.06.07
First group of Fifteen Cornwall graduates spread their wings

It's been an astonishing twelve months since Fifteen Cornwall welcomed its first intake of apprentices and opened its restaurant doors in Watergate Bay on 18th May last year.

Now one year on, the Jamie Oliver inspired programme is celebrating the graduation of its first 12 apprentices, who have completed an incredible professional and personal journey to put their lives before Fifteen Cornwall behind them and graduate as trained chefs with a world of new opportunities open to them.

Reflecting on Fifteen Cornwall's first graduation Henry Ashworth, chair of the Cornwall Foundation of Promise says: "The first group of graduates are extraordinary ambassadors for both Fifteen Cornwall and social enterprise. They have achieved more than anyone dreamed possible and the knowledge we've gained from guiding their progress will help us to support many more young people in Cornwall in the future."

Describing in his own words the difference that Fifteen Cornwall has made to his life, graduate Josh Hawthorne (17) from St Ives said: "I left school at 14 with no qualifications and there wasn't much to look forward to in my future. Then I heard about Fifteen Cornwall and my Youth Offending Officer helped me to apply. All I was really hoping for was to get some qualifications but Fifteen Cornwall has given me so much more than that. Like everyone else on the Fifteen Cornwall course I've had obstacles to overcome – my dyslexia made getting my NVQ1 qualification a real challenge, but the Foundation helped me every step of the way. I definitely want to continue cheffing; I've got big plans and one day I hope to own my own restaurant."

Ami Phillips (25) from Penzance said: "I'd been a full time mum for five years, but when my son started school I lost all sense of direction. Fifteen has changed my life in so many ways, I can't even begin to explain. I'm excited about the future – being a chef is an amazing career, there's always something new to learn and keep you challenged. My long term goal is to work to improve kids' nutrition – with childhood obesity levels so high it's something I'm passionate about."

Phil Strachan (22) from Falmouth said: "Before Fifteen I was unemployed and sleeping on a friend's sofa because I couldn't afford my own place to live. Now I've completed the Fifteen Cornwall course, my friends and family are amazed at the changes in me. The biggest change this course has made in me is calming me down. I've discovered that I'm actually a hard worker. This is a really hard profession with long hours, but it's definitely balanced out by the fact that the rewards are so great. Every day is a new challenge and it's great to now have a passion for something."

Head Chef Neil Haydock, who has worked closely with the graduates, adds: "I feel honoured to have played a part in helping such a wonderful group of young people to change the path their lives were taking and use a passion for food to start a new career that is full of potential. In Cornwall we're so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful producers of top quality ingredients and I hope that the philosophy of local sourcing will remain with students in their careers ahead."

The Fifteen Cornwall story started in autumn 2005 when the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, the charity that supports the apprentice chefs, received more than 300 applications from young people in Cornwall who wanted to be a part of the exciting new training programme.

After a tough selection process the final selection of 21 aspiring chefs were chosen from Cornwall's most deprived wards and started their 12 week intensive training at Cornwall College in January 2006 to learn the necessary food preparation and hygiene foundation skills to start in the brand new Fifteen Cornwall kitchen in May 2006.

The past year working in the restaurant has certainly been hard work for the apprentice chefs. In addition to their college work to attain NVQ level 2 qualifications, the restaurant has opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, even on Christmas Day, cooking Italian inspired cuisine with a Cornish twist for approximately 80,000 guests in its first year and bringing a substantial boost to the local tourism economy, estimated to be in the region of £10 million in the first year by local business leaders.

But the Fifteen Cornwall training experience is much more than learning how to cook; it set out to provide its young recruits with the inspiration to use their new found passion for food to turn their lives around and that very process of changing lives has additional benefits to the local economy. DfES data (see footnote 1) suggests that each young person between the ages of 16-18, not in education, training and employment will cost an average of £52,000 in additional public finance costs over their lifetime (based on 2001 prices). Additionally, young local people who are not in training or employment cost more to the community (DfES data suggests as much as £45,000) through lost production and are more at risk of low incomes, poor mental and physical health and increased criminality in later life so the benefits to the community and economy are many.

From the original group of 21 apprentice chefs, 12 will graduate from the programme this year and an additional five will get NVQ level 2 qualifications. One student from the first intake deferred a year due to issues in his personal life and all students that have left the programme, for whatever reason, are welcome to reapply in the future. To put Fifteen Cornwall's year one graduation figures into context, Fifteen London graduated eight out of 16 in 2003, its first year of operation.

Throughout the Fifteen Cornwall training programme sourcing trips form an important part of getting the young chefs excited about cooking. Visiting many of the restaurant's Cornish suppliers has provided the opportunity for the group to understand the entire process of getting the amazing fresh ingredients from field to fork. From a guided tour of Newlyn Fish Market and a fish filleting lesson with Matthew Stevens & Son in St Ives, to a sausage making master class and burger making challenge at a local pork producer's near Truro, the apprentice chefs have been immersed in every aspect of producing fantastic food.

Learning to master Italian cuisine has even taken the apprentices as far a field as Puglia, Italy where they saw how olive oil is produced and visited the homes of local families to get to the roots of the culture and cooking as well as the ultimate test - preparing an Italian wedding reception!

Every step of the way the apprentice chefs have been supported by a dedicated Support and Welfare Officer and a Training and Development Chef to help them overcome problems, both personal and professional, and give them the best chance of making a success of their opportunity.

As the apprentices have grown in confidence and ability over the past year they have been given a taste of the responsibility that they may experience later in their careers as professional chefs. An apprentice take-over week and special student nights in the restaurant have given the apprentices the chance to show everyone what they're capable of by taking over all departments in the kitchen, under the leadership of Fifteen Cornwall's Executive Chef Neil Haydock.

The apprentices hung up their aprons for the last time in the Fifteen Cornwall kitchen on the 18th May 2007 – the restaurant's first birthday. Their last month with the programme has seen the apprentices take their skills to restaurants from Padstow, Cornwall to Melbourne, Australia for their final restaurant placements before their graduation ceremony at the Eden Project on 22nd June, where they were presented with their Fifteen graduation certificates by Jamie Oliver in front of an audience filled with proud family, friends and supporters of the inspirational initiative.

As the restaurant says farewell to its unforgettable first class of graduates the cycle of offering fresh opportunity alongside a top quality dining experience starts afresh with an equally enthusiastic second intake of apprentices which start in the Fifteen Cornwall kitchen next week.

To see the new apprentices cooking up a storm make a reservation at Fifteen Cornwall at www.fifteencornwall.co.uk or call 01637 861000.

For further information contact Laura Tregonning at Deborah Clark & Associates Ltd on 01872 276276 or email laura@dca-pr.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Fifteen Cornwall through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and through the Jobcentre Plus co-financing programme with the European Social Fund (ESF).

Editor's notes:

1. Source: DfES - Estimating the cost of being "not in education, employment or training" at ages 16-18. Christine Godfrey et al (June 2002). Social Policy Research Unit, University of York and University of Hull.

Fifteen Cornwall opened on 18th May 2006 with an innovative menu of the best seasonal and local produce, a relaxed atmosphere, talented chefs and an incredible view over a beautiful two-mile beach.

The restaurant is dedicated to the same inspirational social enterprise goals as set out by Jamie Oliver and his team at Fifteen London. The restaurant is giving 18 trainee chefs the once in a lifetime opportunity to turn their lives around during its first intake of students.

All profits from Fifteen Cornwall go to the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, whose purpose is the creation of fantastic career opportunities for disadvantaged local young people, helping them every step of the way to achieve their potential. The restaurant also provides a valuable boost to Cornwall's tourism industry and makes use of the abundance of high quality local food producers in the region.

The project has received more than £1 million in investment from Objective One and the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), with additional support from Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Cornwall College, Cornwall County Council, Restormel Borough Council, St Austell Brewery, HSBC Bank, Barclays Bank and The Hotel and Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay.

For Fifteen Cornwall reservations and menu information visit www.fifteencornwall.co.uk or call 01637 861000 (lines open between 9.30am and 8.30pm seven days a week).

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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