A new apprenticeship partnership has given three young people the amazing opportunity to develop their culinary skills with former Masterchef – The Professionals contestant Nat Tallents!

The self-taught chef is now Head Chef at Lusty Glaze Beach Restaurant. The restaurant is working with Truro and Penwith College Business to supplement their team development with a new kitchen apprenticeship programme.

Truro and Penwith College specialises in apprenticeship programmes developed in collaboration with local businesses. This programme has supported young people on the path to their chosen career and meets the requirements of growing businesses across Cornwall. The Lusty Glaze Beach team approached Truro and Penwith College to discover more about how apprenticeships work and what employer support and apprentice training could be offered.

Nat has been working hard to develop and fine-tune the Lusty Glaze Beach Restaurant menu and in order to do this, she needed a passionate and competent team of chefs around her. She commented: “For me, an apprenticeship programme is an easy decision; you take keen and dedicated staff who you already know and you train them to be even better and more motivated. What’s not to like?”

The three new apprentices, Ralph Sadler, Jack Slade and Andrew Dearling are already integral and enthusiastic members of the kitchen team.

Tracey Griffiths, Senior Partner at Lusty Glaze Beach, said: “As our business has grown we have recognised the need for creating bigger and better products across all areas of our business and this is why the new kitchen apprenticeship programme is so important to us.

“We have some very exciting plans for the future of the beach to include further development of our menu, more Sundowner and Woodburner Sessions, continuing our range of idyllic beach weddings and much, much more. In recognition that our team is key to our success, we are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in their personal and professional development.” Tamsyn Harris, Head of Truro and Penwith College Business, added: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay, to help develop their staff through Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are a great way for companies to build a dedicated and engaged workforce and benefit from a strong package of training at the same time. We’ve worked with over a thousand local businesses across Cornwall to help them do just this and we are really pleased to be working with a Cornish business that recognises the opportunities apprenticeships can bring.”

Truro and Penwith College continues to work collaboratively with businesses across the county to expand their workforce, and to provide training opportunities for talented young people looking to kick start their career, as well as train staff at all levels across the organisation.