Going is good for catering students at top Cheshire horse racing event

THE going was good for Coleg Cambria students who teamed up with a top catering company to serve 10,000 guests at a popular race meeting

The Catering and Hospitality learners, based at Yale in Wrexham and Deeside, supported catering and event creatives, Horseradish, over three sell-out days at Chester Racecourse for the three-day 2019 Boodles May Festival.

The partnership has gone from strength to strength since last summer, and Derek Hughes, Head Chef at Horseradish Culinary Academy, said the experience of working on live events and functions will help them in their future careers.

“We don’t see them as students, they are colleagues and have played a big part in our success over the last year,” said Derek.

“They have really fit into our team and proven to be a major asset.”

Over the course of the Chester meeting earlier this month, more than 56,000 racegoers attended the racecourse.

There were 10,000 hospitality covers and 52 bars were open across each of the three days.

Mark Wilcockson, Head of HR at Chester Race Company, said the Cambria cohort were a key part of the team at one of the biggest events in the calendar.

“The students joined our casual catering team to deliver at the most prestigious race festival in our season,” said Mark.

“They carried out a range of roles, from chefs, to hospitality staff and supervisor positions, and their commitment and quality was excellent.

“The event was a huge success and provided the students with a fantastic opportunity to gain a quality real-life experience working in some of the most prestigious hospitality areas at Chester Racecourse.

“Many of them will now benefit from future employment through Horseradish Culinary Academy, a division of Horseradish Group, and we look forward to working together in the future.”

Andy Woods, Deputy Director of Hospitality and Catering at Coleg Cambria, added:

“This was another major event for the learners, and for them to perform so brilliantly is testament to the dedication and skill they’ve shown while on the course.

“We would like to thank Chester Race Company and Horseradish for their continued support, and for providing these students with an environment in which to gain a real flavour of what it will be like for them to work in the busy catering and hospitality industry in the future.”