North Hertfordshire College is pleased to announce that our Hospitality & Catering department has been awarded £75,000 funding from the Savoy Educational Trust!
The funding will be used to refurbish the Hart Kitchens restaurant facilities to both better reflect industry standards and create an area that is inspirational and aspirational for students. Once the refurbishment is complete, Hart Kitchens will be able to run further themed evenings and exclusive dining experiences for our local community to visit the relaxed and comfortable environment. This will also help our students to upskill and feel confident when they enter the industry after their studies at NHC, having had the opportunity to explore a variety of different cuisines and serving styles in the new environment.
That’s not all – the refurbishment will also support the local area through the extra knowledge students develop in the updated training kitchen. Many of North Hertfordshire College’s Hospitality & Catering students enter employment with local businesses once they finish their studies, and their new skills and confidence will allow them to thrive when starting their careers.
Famous faces from across the Hospitality & Catering sector helped support the application process for the new funding. Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL DBA, chef proprietor of Café Spice Namasté, commented in his supporting document: “In my mind, the College has improved in its training and delivery in leaps and bounds. For this alone, there is a need to upgrade its facilities such that students can work in a real modern environment and get the right training that is fit for purpose and allows students to compete with the good and the great in the UK.”
Hart Kitchens is just one of the ways our Hospitality & Catering students build their practical experience in catering at scale and serving customers in different environments. We’ve also recently opened the Hart Deli for our students, where our students prepare and serve global street-food style options. Not only does the Deli open new opportunities to our students, but it also means Hart Kitchens can become solely focused on a sit-down dining experience.
Kit Davies, Principal of North Hertfordshire College, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding for the refurbishment of the Hart kitchens. The Catering and Hospitality team work so hard to develop the skills, understanding and aspirations of our students which has continually put them at the forefront of training and competitions within the local and national arena. With this additional funding we are able to build on their skills and talents within these fantastic new facilities and we cannot wait to see the breadth of opportunities this provides for our future catering and hospitality superstars.”
Angela Maher, Chief Executive of the Savoy Educational Trust, commented: “The main aim of the Savoy Educational Trust is the advancement and development of education and learning within the hospitality industry. The practical side of learning from an early age is a fundamental contributor to the success of future hospitality professionals, so being able to support North Hertfordshire College with this training kitchen project is something we and the Board of Trustees felt would be hugely beneficial.
“The renovation of facilities is key to ensure education does not fall behind the rapidly changing trends and technologies in the industry, so we’re delighted to help make this happen.”
We’re grateful to the Savoy Educational Trust for supporting our upcoming chefs and hospitality professionals and look forward to showcasing the refurbishment.
For further updates about the refurbishment project, please follow Hart Kitchens on Twitter and Instagram.