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Amy Wilkinson – case study
NESTLÉ TOQUE D’OR – SERVING UP A STAR
2008
For many catering students, the reality of working in the professional kitchen can often feel a million miles away from the safe confines of the classroom - but not necessarily for those committed enough to compete in the Nestlé Toque d'Or student catering competition.
Hosted by Nestlé Professional, the competition gives catering and hospitality students the ultimate challenge of managing a professional restaurant, providing experience, business acumen and invaluable industry contacts along the way.
Five years on from winning the coveted title alongside her team mates from Sheffield College, Amy Wilkinson is junior manageress at the One Michelin Star restaurant, Fischer's at Baslow Hall in Derbyshire. Competing against some of the UK's hottest talent, Amy gained invaluable insight into the world of hospitality working as a front-of-house manager in the prestigious competition.
Regarded as a springboard into the hospitality industry, Toque d'Or has proven to be a milestone in Amy's career, preparing her not only for the heat of the professional kitchen but for the pressures of working on a busy restaurant floor:
"I've always been more interested in the foodservice side of hospitality and Toque d'Or allowed me to transfer my practical experience from classroom to kitchen for the first time. The competition was a fantastic learning curve because it encompasses every aspect of catering that you can imagine - from business planning to managing staff effectively, which is something I now have to do in my every day job.
A lesson in business planning
"As a junior manageress, one of my responsibilities is to come up with ideas and ways in which to attract new business and communicate key messages. This is fundamental to Toque d'Or when teams are challenged to create an interesting dining concept to catch the attention of the judges menu. Behind the scenes, we were also faced with the challenge of preparing health and safety documents and planning how we would train staff and allocate their roles effectively and this experience has been invaluable to my current role."
"Maintaining good personal contact with customers and staff is another vital aspect of my job and one which Toque d'Or really helped me to develop. As a front of house manager in the competition, I was responsible for overseeing the whole operation to ensure that delivery, service and presentation ran smoothly. From serving customers to managing and training employees, the pressure was really on and with only five waiters and over a hundred people to serve, it was a huge responsibility. But that's the great thing about Toque d'Or – it allows you to flourish in your role and grow in confidence along the way."
A stepping stone to success
Since her team victory at the Grand Finals, Amy's career has grown from strength to strength. Upon graduating university with a First Class degree in Hospitality Business Management with Culinary Arts and Wine, she worked as a waitress at the four-star Sheffield Park Hotel before progressing to the role of manager by her fourth year.
Now heading up the team at the award winning Fischer's, Amy hopes the competition will prove equally as beneficial to this year's competitors, as Nestlé Toque d'Or returns for its 20th incredible year.
Top tips for Toque
The search is on again for Britain's most talented college catering team and as the Grand Final approaches to find the 2008 champions only the strongest will survive says Amy:
"The leap from classroom to kitchen can be very daunting for students, but the key to success is good team work and communication. So much of this industry involves strong group work. Toque d'Or puts students in good stead because it makes them more aware of the scale of this industry and just how much it entails, it's a real eye opener – and a lot of fun along the way."
"I'll never forget the study tour to Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina as part of our prize. We had the chance to meet other catering students and make our own ice sculptures. We were in a freezer for eight hours carving out swans with a chain saw – it's not every day you get to do that and in that respect, the competition has always provided a great talking point in job interviews. Potential employers are always interested to hear about my experiences and looking back, it was such an achievement for someone so young – I was only seventeen!" |
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