Chloe Perrin is 16 years old and is just 9 months into a 14 month food production and cooking apprenticeship at the prestigious Peak Edge Hotel at Stonedge in Derbyshire. She has already made a big impact and is planning a bright future based on what she has learnt so far.
Chloe’s passion for food was sparked by baking with her grandma when she was little and she now has designs on being her own boss one day. With support from her food tech teacher at school she discovered that apprenticeships were the right way for her to get the experience and skills she needs to make her career dreams a reality.
She told us “I have always wanted to be a chef and really enjoyed cookery at school. I knew the next steps for me had to be something practical where I could learn the trade. People from college came to school to tell us about apprenticeships and my food tech teacher showed me examples of the type of apprenticeship I could do that would give me the skills I needed.”
On a day to day basis Chloe is involved in all areas of the kitchen but mainly gets involved prepping food for service. She has enjoyed working in the pastry section preparing bread for lunch and pastries for dessert and afternoon teas the most.
She thinks this experience and working in a professional kitchen at the same time as learning will help her to be her own boss and run her own kitchen. She has even joked with the head chef that he will be working for her one day.
Chloe offers advice for those thinking about the next steps after school: “I would recommend apprenticeships and say don’t be scared about choosing something other than school or college. There’s loads of support and advice to help you find something that suits you and I have learnt so much more by being in a work environment.”