On Monday 30th September, 2019 FutureChef winner Jessica Mitchell had the privilege of preparing a meal for Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The 15 year-old young chef was assisted by Liam MacDonough, Sodexo Executive chef at Holyrood Parliament in Edinburgh to cook for Sturgeon at Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. After a victorious achievement at the final of Springboard’s flagship cooking programme at Westminster Kingsway College in March, beating 14,000 others to the title, The Caterer as well as many otherinstitutions congratulated Jessica.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“It was a pleasure having Jessica cook for me in Bute House. The quality of the food, prepared by an excellent young chef, was outstanding – and Jessica clearly has a very bright future ahead of her.
“Springboard’s work inspiring young people to consider careers in hospitality and tourism is deeply valued and I would encourage other young people with a passion for cooking to consider entering FutureChef.”
As the first Scottish winner of the prestigious competition, Jessica was applauded by a number of Scottish institutions including the Scottish Tourism Alliance but most impressively, on 20th March, Mitchell was officially commended in Scottish parliament. The parliamentary Early-Day Motion will remain a permanent record of Jessica’s achievement as the 2019 winner of Springboard’s FutureChef final competition and was signed by nine members of parliament including Carol Monaghan, MP for Glasgow North West and Drew Hendry for Inverness. Jessica has been warmly supported by Scotland’s Culinary scene and latterly been recognised as the youngest member of the Scottish Federation of Chefs.
Anne Pierce MBE, CEO of Springboard said:
“Springboard’s FutureChef programme is important as it showcases food, health, nutrition and cooking as life skills. It helps inform career choices through experiential learning and through the engagement of industry chefs.
“It is fantastic that Nicola Sturgeon is highlighting the importance of engaging young people in programmes like FutureChef by showcasing our first Scottish winner. It is an incredible opportunity for Jessica and we are delighted for her.”
Speaking of the programme & competition, Jessica said:
“Before FutureChef, I had thought about becoming a chef but I thought it seemed a bit scary. Working with my mentor and having the chance to work in a professional kitchen has encouraged me to pursue it as a career. Since winning I have had so much support and lots of amazing opportunities and now I am about to cook for the First Minister of Scotland! ”
On Friday 20th September, Jessica also attended the Caterer.com People Awards where she prepared the evening meal for all the guests, along with two other FutureChef alumni. In return, Caterer.com awarded Jessica and the two others each with a £500 grant to put towards career progression.