Sze Ching Cheung

Review of CHEF ACADEMY OF LONDON

Many of the flaws previously mentioned by others s...

Many of the flaws previously mentioned by others still exist. The initial training is riddled with organisational problems: our chef trainer confused octopus and squid; we had several days of seafood and fabricated loads of chicken, but didn t once touch beef; pastry day was a disaster, with almost everything being burnt... However, the two weeks did adequately set me up with the basics, especially in terms of knife skills.

By far the most valuable part of the courses offered is the time spent in the partner restaurant(s). That is where the learning really happens, within a bustling working environment. There is a curriculum , but it is essentially an x-month long internship, working alongside and learning from some of the top chefs in London. Choose your partner restaurant wisely: it will form the bulk of your experience...

I am giving them 4-stars because Chef Academy serves its purpose well: to introduce aspiring chefs to the restaurant industry through its many connections. I am now working at the partner restaurant where I trained, thanks to Chef Academy. If only they could improve those initial weeks, although I have heard that they have undergone some organisational restructuring since I left in April...

PS: Don t buy their didactic kit: it s not worth the money. Spend some time investigating and buy the tools you personally prefer.