Students will top up training at award-winning restaurant

Deborah and Dan with catering students and staff at East Riding College.

AN award-winning restaurant will welcome a new intake of catering students into its kitchens and front-of-house after striking up a partnership at a business supper club.

Students taking up the catering courses from September at East Riding College will get the chance to top up their tuition on the campus by visiting 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar at Wellington Street West, Hull Marina.

John Doris, Vice Principal Finance and Resources at the College, said the hope is that more employers in the region’s hospitality sector will follow the example of 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar.

The opportunity arose when organisers of the Monday Night Supper Club, a group which has been holding informal networking dinners in the Hull area for the last three years, broke with tradition by taking a party to a Thursday night opening at the College.

The group’s guests included around 20 people from the regional business community including representatives from Cobus Communications Group and RSM UK. Deborah Spicer, Director at 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar, and Dan Poole, her Head Chef, were also invited to take a close-up view of the students at work.

Deborah said: “It made a very nice change to have someone else cooking and serving for us! It was also a great opportunity for us to support young people coming into the industry and for us to see first-hand what they can do.

“The quality of the food and the service was first class. We had a wonderful evening and had no hesitation in inviting the College to send some of their students to work with us.”

John added: “The College has the highest quality modern facilities and excellent teachers to train our region’s chefs of the future. We train our students in the full range of services required in the industry and It is always a pleasure to see them providing such wonderful meals and excellent service under the supervision of our staff.

“We have a display board showing where all our ex-students have gone on to in their careers, and this includes some of the finest restaurants in Hull and the East Riding as well as London, the Middle East and Australia. We are grateful to Deborah and Dan at 1884 Wine & Tapas Bar for giving us the opportunity to add to that list.”