YOUNG people are being discouraged from working in the hospitality trade because of the 'macho culture' of the kitchen, one of Scotland's top chefs has said.
Double Michelin Star-winning cook Andrew Fairlie has lamented the number of young people joining his industry, saying that many restaurants are crying out for staff.
He blamed the supposed high-pressure nature of his job for putting trainees off, with images of grumpy TV chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Masterchef judge Monica Galetti foremost in people's mind when they think of top-end professional cooking.
But the former Scottish Chef of the Year said that the atmosphere in most kitchens never reaches boiling point and that the majority were calm places to work where creativity rather than cursing is the order of the day.
Mr Fairlie, who runs his eponymous two Michelin Star restaurant at Gleneagles in Perthshire, said: “When I started my career, kitchens could be brutal, violent places.”
“However, over the last 30 years to its great credit the industry has taken many steps to remove this aggression. The macho culture has dwindled and kitchens are nowadays often calm places where the emphasis is on order as well as creativity.”
Citing a number of factors which have traditionally discouraged young people from taking up jobs as chefs, Mr Fairlie explained: “Perceived long, unsociable hours, in addition to the impact of the confrontational nature of some TV cooking competitions, have contributed to the negative outlook of some younger, emerging chefs.
“There are pressures in any kitchen, especially in top end restaurants, but that can be part of the attraction.
“The fact is, that with the huge increase in the number of restaurants, there are countless jobs out there. I don’t know any kitchen in the UK that isn’t looking for staff.”
The chef was speaking at the launch of the latest Catering in Scotland (CIS) Excellence Awards category, which aims to identify Scotland’s Junior Chef of the Year.
It is open to chefs under 25 working at any professional level in Scottish hospitality including restaurants, hotels, pubs, event and contract caterers, fine dining and both the private and public sectors.
Mr Fairlie urged employers and head chefs to nominate staff for the award, saying: “They don’t shout loud enough about the talents of their younger people.
“They need to get behind this award and put the work in to nominate them properly. The CIS Excellence Awards present a unique opportunity to nurture and encourage the truly talented chefs of the future to be ambitious, hard-working, studious and conscientious, and to win recognition for their efforts.”
Entries for all 16 categories close at midnight on Friday 11 March. The presentation ceremony takes place at the Hilton Glasgow on the evening of Thursday 26 May.
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