Aspiring chefs invited to apply for ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunities’
Aspiring chefs working across Scotland are being invited to apply for this year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship.
The initiative will give one scholar “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to continue their culinary education”, including a practical stage at the two Michelin star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, and three-star restaurant Core by Clare Smyth in London.
Now in its third year, the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship was spearheaded by the late chef in partnership with hospitality industry charity HIT Scotland to inspire the next generation of talent, and is backed by Gleneagles, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie and Perth College UHI. Judges include chefs who all knew Andrew Fairlie well; joining Stephen McLaughlin, head chef at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, on the judging panel is fellow two Michelin star chef Tom Kerridge; Masterchef winner and National Chef of Scotland, Gary McLean; one Michelin star chef Lorna McNee of Glasgow’s Cail Bruich; and Andrew’s former mentor, Keith Podmore.
The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is open to any chef over the age of 21 working in Scotland. Applicants are asked to complete an online application (available at https://hitscotland.co.uk/scholarships) covering why they would like to win the scholarship, their hopes for their future career as a chef, and who in the industry has inspired them. They will then have to show their knowledge and creativity by cooking a dish on Finals Day in November, from which up to six chefs will be chosen to take part in the Grand Final.
Stephen McLaughlin, head chef at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, said the winner will demonstrate the “right mix of personality and professionalism to be named an Andrew Fairlie scholar”.
“I’m delighted that we are starting the search for another Andrew Fairlie scholar, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Scotland’s future stars have to offer this year,” he said.
“I’m excited to see what the applicants design as their dish to be cooked if they make the final skills test. We’ve put some conditions on what that should include, but we want the chefs to use their knowledge and creativity to come up with something to showcase their personality and impress us.
“The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for chefs that want to push themselves to be the best they can be, to learn from and be inspired by other talented chefs, and to continue their personal development in this industry that we love.”
Applications close at midnight on Sunday 25th September 2022.
