Teen chef offered top apprenticeship
A Wigan teenager has so impressed a top chef with this his enthusiasm, he has been rewarded with a prestigious apprenticeship.
Schoolboy Jonathan Marsh has spent every Saturday working in the kitchens of the famous Manchester restaurant, Brasserie Blanc, despite being too young to be paid.
But his talent and determination paid off when world-renowned chef Raymond Blanc met Jonathan at the eaterie earlier this year.
Jonathan was invited to Blanc's Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxford, and has been offered an apprenticeship, where he will learn from experts.
The 17-year-old student, who is studying cookery, is counting the days until next September when he starts his apprenticeship.
Jonathan, from Tyldesley, said: "When I was 16, Raymond Blanc came up for a visit to the restaurant. I was so star-struck and nervous it was difficult to speak.
"He saw me in the kitchen and invited me down to Le Manoir for a couple of days, which turned out to be a trial. At the end of two days I was offered an apprenticeship.
"Le Manoir is one of the best restaurants in the world and it's known for producing young chefs."
Jonathan said he was inspired to become a chef after watching Blanc, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay on television. He said: "I decided I wanted to be a chef when I was about 13. I think it was because I liked artwork and drawing and had been in the kitchen baking cakes and I liked it.
"When we went to Brasserie Blanc in Manchester for a meal we asked how I would get a job in a restaurant and the general manager said I could have a job.
"I worked for free at first because I just wanted to see if I would like it and if it was for me. I really enjoyed it. I loved the environment and the adrenalin rush – the feeling that people were eating my food."
After leaving Fred Longworth High School, Jonathan studied for an NVQ in food and drink at South Trafford College. And this year he has followed that with a further course in professional cookery.
Jonathan, who now works part-time at Michael Caines @ Abode in Piccadilly, said: "I learned the basic knife skills and all about the ingredients, and that has really helped me at college," he said.
Jayne Castle, general manager at Brasserie Blanc, said: "Jonathan is a happy young man who just wants to learn, a very admirable quality."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
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