Hospitality and Catering Courses
Are you the next Jamie Oliver? Do you want to manage your own restaurant? Hospitality and catering courses offer the immediate thrill of being able to see your work enjoyed by others, and the chance to gain a unique set of skills that will serve you in both your personal and professional life. Every student will have the opportunity to get work experience in top hotels and restaurants, which could even lead to paid employment.
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Rouge Restaurant
Perfect your skills within commercial, state-of-the-art facilities, producing and serving food in our College restaurant, Rouge. Rouge was the regional winner of the 2009 Archant Food & Drink Awards, in the Best Modern European category. You can view the Rouge Restaurant pages by clicking here.
Chef's Academy
Encompasses the NVQ Level 2 & 3 in Professional Cookery.
Take your hospitality and catering skills to the next level with Redbridge College's elite Chef's Academy programme. You will be trained by professional chefs, with years of commercial experience who will challenge and inspire you to achieve advanced culinary and front-of-house skills. You will take a lead role in organising events and preparing food for paying customers in both a café and restaurant setting.
There will be opportunities to work alongside guest chefs and get work experience in top venues in London, which could lead to paid employment.
Learn how to:
- Prepare and cook complex dishes such as shellfish, meat, poultry, game, canapés and patisserie items
- Plan and coordinate your own themed evening event
- Advertise and promote your event
- Create recipes and plan menus
- Enter competitions and attend trade shows
- Work in specialist areas, such as patisserie and larder kitchen
Entry requirements: Relevant level 1 qualification (such as our Level 1 NVQ in Hospitality) or equivalent experience.
What next?
You can continue studying at Redbridge College, or progress into employment as a chef, food or drinks service professional in bars, restaurants and hotels. Alternatively you can choose from a wide range of hospitality management degree courses at university.
Potential Careers
- Cruise ship steward: £600-£1,100 per month
- Head chef: £25,000-£50,000 per year
- Restaurant manager: £25,000-£40,000 per year
- Sous chef: £16,000-£22,000 per year
Nick Vadis - Patron of Hospitality & Catering Department
Nick started his career with the Royal Navy training in culinary arts at both the Royal Naval Supply School and the Army School of Catering.
After spending many years working at home and abroad he took on a teaching role at the Tri- Service school of craft training at Aldershot, whilst training new recruits in Culinary arts he undertook a course of study for his BA Hons.Degree in Education, graduating with a 2/1 Honours Degree.
Further postings abroad in Europe and the USA saw him return to take on the job of the Head of Cookery Training for the New Royal Naval Cookery School and introduce NVQs into all Culinary Craft Training.
As a Vice president and past National Chairman of the Craft Guild Of Chefs he sees the development and promotion of keys skills Critical to the hospitality industry, He believes that the Guild can and will play a pivotal role in putting the message across and become a real voice for the industry through training, development, competitions and the promotion of key skills initiatives. In 2010 Nick was awarded an honouree professor ship at the University of West London for his contribution to the catering industry.
"I am very proud to be have been asked to become a Patron of the college and look forward to building long lasting ties with the college and help students embark on their career journey through the Compass group estate."
What our students say:
"I started at Redbridge College in 2009 on a basic skills course which includes taster sessions in each curriculum area, one of which was Hospitality & Catering. I quickly developed a strong interest in cooking and decided to enrol on the part-time Junior Chef’s Academy for 14-16 year olds at the same time as my main programme, just so I could learn how to make a few dishes for my dad. He was very impressed with how much I learnt in 10 weeks and I really enjoyed the course, so after I finished my basic skills course I decided to enrol on to the level 1 NVQ in Hospitality.
"The tutors on this course are really friendly, they encourage and support me through all my decisions. I see all the staff and students as a big family, we all get along so well and encourage each other. I really enjoy the Hospitality side of my course where I learn different ways to set and lay a table. I would love to continue studying Hospitality and Catering and have considered a career in the army as a chef.
"I would definitely recommend this course to everyone who has a desire to be a chef, waitress or restaurant manager. The facilities are excellent and will inspire you to reach the top irrespective of your previous abilities or qualifications. You will be able to improve your Maths and English skills while you learn and they are integrated into the course to help you put the skills into practise."
Abbygail Gill, Level 1 NVQ in Hospitality
“I don't think I'd have ever got into cooking if I hadn't ended up at Redbridge College. The lecturers are brilliant. On completion of my course, I plan to work at a local restaurant and hopefully continue to do as well as I have here."
Alex Smith, NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery
