A Harrogate mum has spoken of her excitement at being chosen to appear as a contestant on MasterChef.
HR Project Manager Olayemi ‘Yemi’ Adelekan, 51, will show off her culinary skills on the popular BBC cooking show tonight at 8pm.
The married mum who has two children says she “loves cooking”. She grew up in Nigeria and has lived in Harrogate for the past nine years.
She told her Facebook followers:
“This is such an incredible and amazing opportunity for me and I’m so excited to go on this journey.
“Let’s just have some fun with food.”
Yemi, who is also a blogger, motivational speaker and author, will champion traditional Nigerian cuisine in the competition. However, her journey from Nigeria to the West Indies in 1995, then to the UK in 1997, has also had a major influence on her cooking style.
Read more:
Speaking about why she applied to go on MasterChef, she said:
“My boys are now grown up and moved out, so it’s time for new challenges in my life. MasterChef is one of them.”
Tonight’s episode on BBC One kicks off the third week of MasterChef and it is coming up to the halfway point of the heats.
This year the judges are mixing it up. They are introducing a whole new set of challenges that the passionate amateurs must complete to progress in the competition.
Rudding Park launches programme for young aspiring chefsRudding Park in Harrogate has launched a new chef development programme for young people aspiring to become a chef.
The 12-month programme is open to graduates, school leavers and entry-level commis chefs or those simply looking for a career change.
The programme teaches students core and advanced culinary skills to allow them to progress in their career as a chef.
The training will be provided by the hotel’s senior head chefs, the executive chef and consultant chef Stephanie Moon.
Kate Robey, head of learning and development at Rudding Park, said:
“In order for us to thrive as a hospitality business and continue to provide our guests with exceptional experiences, it is crucial we invest in the talent of tomorrow – today.
“Matthew Wilkinson, our executive chef and I approached consultant chef Steph Moon, who has a wealth of experience in tutoring in a number of colleges and is a familiar face on the Yorkshire cookery scene. We are extremely excited to launch the programme and nurture budding chefs so they can fulfil their passions, goals and dreams.”
Read more:
- First look at Harrogate cafe helping disabled people into jobs
- Old Spring Well to be renamed Curious Cow in luxury revamp
The trainees will work full-time and earn £21,870 through the year.
Students will work across all aspects of food production and delivery, spending three months in each of the hotel’s kitchens. Areas such as menu inspiration, planning and costing, butchery and supplier visits and food safety and hygiene are covered.