Next generation of chefs shine in some of Newcastle’s most loved restaurants

Newcastle College students have had the chance to learn from some of the city’s best restaurant teams thanks to a local partnership.

Newcastle College teamed up with Newcastle’s Business Improvement District (BID), NE1, to give 12 students the unique opportunity to visit some of the most prominent kitchens in Newcastle’s culinary scene.

As part of the NE1 CAN programme, the students learned first-hand from the chefs and restaurant teams at popular venues including Blackfriars, Maldron Hotel, Meat Stack, Wagamama and I Scream for Pizza.

The student’s journey on the programme during the 2025 – 2026 academic year came to a close this week with a student cook-off event held at Newcastle College’s Lifestyle Academy at its Rye Hill Campus. The cohort received a set ingredient budget and put their learning into practice, creating their own dish inspired by the restaurants they visited.

The students were given two hours to create their bespoke dishes, with the plates judged on the day by industry experts Ruth Terrington, operations director at Hooked on Group, and Maldron Hotel’s HR director, Lucy Campbell, and head chef Kieran Fear.

Highly commended dishes on the day belonged to Senuka Vithanage with a home-made fresh pasta tagliatelle dish and Jayden Hunter who created a katsu curry pizza with a teriyaki chicken topping.

Newcastle College offers Hospitality and Catering students the chance to work alongside tutors with extensive professional experience, training in professional kitchens and the award-winning AA College Rosette restaurant, the Chefs' Academy. With masterclasses with renowned chefs, work placements in local restaurants and taking part in programmes such as NE1 CAN, Newcastle College aims to help the next generation of talent harness their passion for hospitality and catering and learn the skills and techniques they need to succeed.

Speaking about the cook-off and the partnership, Alex Finch, Work Experience Coordinator at Newcastle College, said: "This project has been invaluable for our students. From their first visit in September to the final cook-off, we've seen a huge growth in confidence, skills and professionalism.

"Working alongside NE1 and together giving our students access to some of Newcastle's leading hospitality businesses has given them a real insight into the industry, helping them develop as young chefs while exploring the wide range of career opportunities available. It's been fantastic to see them take inspiration from their experiences and use their creativity to produce dishes entirely their own."

Dylan Thompson, Level 1 Hospitality and Catering student at Newcastle College, said: "This experience has been really enjoyable and has helped me grow in confidence, as well as developing my skills in a real kitchen environment. Visiting different hospitality businesses showed me there are lots of different career opportunities in the industry, not just becoming a chef. Meeting professionals and seeing how they work has been really inspiring and has confirmed that this is a career I want to pursue in the future."

Ruth Terrington, operations director at Hooked on Group, said: “Having supported the NE1 CAN programme for a number of years, I find it very rewarding to see the impact it has on young people. Watching these students grow in confidence from their first visit to Blackfriars, where many were understandably nervous and unsure of themselves, to presenting and cooking with such pride and professionalism at the end-of-programme cook-off has been fantastic. Programmes like NE1 CAN play a vital role in raising aspirations, showcasing career opportunities, and helping young people realise what they are capable of achieving.”

Kieran Fear, head chef at Maldron Hotel, added: “I found the project really enjoyable, I enjoyed meeting with the students and was particularly impressed with the both the improvement in the student’s confidence and the quality of the dishes produced in the cook-off. All of the dishes fit the brief, they were all very original, and inspired by the places the students have visited, best of all they were all cooked and presented beautifully. I’m interested to see what these students do next, as well as see what we can do in future with the next group.”

For more information on Newcastle College visit, www.ncl-coll.ac.uk.

To learn more about the NE1 CAN programme, visit www.newcastlene1ltd.com/projects/ne1-can.