Chef Shine winner passes on knowledge to Wirral Met students

Apr 8 2011

TOP chef Richard Fox is passing on his passion for food to the next generation of culinary experts.

The award-winning chef will next week take over the running of Wirral Metropolitan College’s kitchen, with young catering students working for him to produce an innovative and exciting three- course menu.

And the public will be able to enjoy the result at The Birches, the college’s restaurant at the Conway Park campus in Birkenhead.

Richard, 25, who was winner of the Wirral Chef Shine title last year, is head chef at Richard Fox at the Leverhulme, the boutique hotel in Port Sunlight village.

His dining evening on Thursday, April 14 is billed as Richard Fox at Wirral Met College.

Richard said: "When I was at college, it was always appreciated when a professional chef came in and gave us help and advice. I now want to give something back and hopefully influence these young people.

"I’m hoping the experience will be like a breath of fresh air for them – they’ll certainly have to work to keep up!"

Richard, along with the Leverhulme Hotel’s front of house manager Lance de Block, will spend the day in the college restaurant, preparing the food which will all be seasonal and locally produced.

The menu will follow Richard’s style of different textures and temperatures and promote his strict code of "love food, hate waste".

His potato farl starter will feature chicken wings, chicken liver and shallot and potato will all appear in his potato farl starter while the main course will be coq au vin. His madeleine dessert will feature pistachio, passion fruit and mango.

Richard, who came to the Leverhulme from the Hillbark in Frankby, puts a personal stamp on his cuisine by taking traditional food and reconstructing it to form clean dishes with fresh flavours.

A firm advocate of the college training route into the business, he said: "College menus are what have made me the chef I am today. College is where you learn the basics of classic dishes that you never forget."

Richard’s next step to inspire the young chefs of the future is to take them under his wing at the Port Sunlight hotel.

He said: "Students have already been here to see how the restaurant and hotel are run. Now I would like them to come and actually work here as volunteers so they can experience life in a real kitchen environment."

Richard Fox at Wirral Met College is being held on Thursday evening, April 14. The three-course menu, plus a special cocktail, is £14 a head. To book, call 0151-551 7108, 9.30am- 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.