05.12.05
£1 million investment in Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay

Fifteen Cornwall is being created at the Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay near Newquay. It will follow the format of the original Fifteen restaurant in London. Every year 20 Cornish students aged between 16 and 24 who have previously been unemployed and come from disadvantaged backgrounds will have the opportunity to train and work in the restaurant, supported by professional chefs and college training. All the profits from the restaurant will go to the Cornwall Foundation of Promise to support the training of the Fifteen Cornwall trainees.

The South West RDA and Objective One have today announced a £1 million capital investment as part of a £1.11 million package to convert the top floor of the Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay into Fifteen Cornwall in preparation for its official opening in May next year. The investment will create a dining experience on a par with some of the world's top restaurants that will further enhance Cornwall's reputation for culinary excellence.

Stephen Bohane, the RDA's head of operations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "Fifteen Cornwall is a hugely exciting development that will create a high quality training restaurant to help young disadvantaged people in Cornwall pursue a new career. It will promote Cornwall's food and drink sector and boost the tourism economy, both of which are priority areas for RDA investment."

Carleen Kelemen, Objective One Partnership director, said: "Objective One welcomes this project as another first for Cornwall. It will make a great contribution in supporting the development of young people and highlighting the opportunities available in the tourism catering sector, which plays such a crucial role in our economy."

Will Ashworth, managing director of The Hotel & Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay, said: "This investment will allow Fifteen to recreate the model that has been so successful in London right here on the beach in Cornwall so that we can train the young chefs of the future."

The investment package announced today includes £545,430 from Objective One, £482,400 from the South West RDA, subject to final contracts being signed. Additional funding has come from Restormel Borough Council, Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council and the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, which will operate the restaurant.

Annette Egerton, executive member for regeneration at Restormel Borough Council, said: "Restormel have played a pivotal role from the outset in attracting Fifteen to Cornwall and the investment package announced today is part of our commitment to bring the project to fruition. The project will help young people not just in Restormel but throughout the county and will further help to raise Cornwall's profile as a destination renowned for fantastic food and overall a super place to visit."

The Extreme Academy's top floor will be fully remodelled from early January and is scheduled to open in May 2006 as Fifteen Cornwall. It will include an enlarged restaurant and kitchen area, private dining room, multi-purpose training room, new stairways, a brand new interior and will create 62 new jobs.
Jamie Oliver and his team will create a menu that will focus on the best of Cornwall's seasonal local produce. The project is committed to reducing food miles and promoting local and regional supply chains.

For more information please contact Jason Clark of Deborah Clark & Associates Ltd on 01872 276276.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Fifteen Cornwall through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Editor's notes:

Fifteen Cornwall will be the third Fifteen restaurant. The others, London (opened 2002) and Amsterdam (2004), have between them graduated nearly 50 young chefs, part of a strategy to grow Fifteen into a global social enterprise brand.

As with the original restaurant, Fifteen Cornwall will allocate all profits to the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, which in turn will spend these funds on the training of disadvantaged young people in the county.

Each Autumn a new intake of 20 trainees will be taken on by Fifteen Cornwall to start their training at Cornwall College and work at the restaurant in Watergate Bay. Their training will include 12 weeks of full-time education, four weeks of work placement with college monitoring and assessment, and 50 weeks of work-based training at Fifteen Cornwall, supported by professional chefs to offer one-to-one training and support.

The deadline for applications was Wednesday of last week and they will be assessed in the coming weeks.

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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