British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is to open a new culinary school, suitable for all ages and abilities, in the UK later this year.
Named The Gordon Ramsay Academy, his first-ever culinary school is slated to open in Woking, on the site of the former Tante Marie Culinary Academy, in the autumn.
Speaking about the brand new venture, the 54-year-old three-Michelin-starred chef said he was "beyond excited" to confirm the new opening, and that it had been a long time in the planning.
The academy will cater for both home cooks and aspiring professional chefs, with teaching methods that would seem to be a departure from the notoriously outspoken TV chef's abrasive style. SurreyLive reports that the cookery classes will be "fun, relaxed and informative".
Students looking for a way into the hospitality industry will be enticed by the offer of a job at the end of their training within Ramsay's network of restaurants (he has 17 outlets in the UK alone). "Students will also get work experience in Gordon’s portfolio of restaurants and there will be a guaranteed job at the end of it.”
Advanced courses will help chefs already in the industry to hone their skills with the ambition of developing the next generation of chefs.
There will also be an emphasis on mentorship. "I know how important mentors are, how important it is as a professional chef to sharpen your skills, to be guided in your training and to gain valuable workplace experience in a professional kitchen environment," Ramsay is quoted in SurreyLive.
The academy building will also house the chef's first Street Burger chain outside London.
In the meantime, here's a reminder of the famously hot-tempered chef in action. Let's hope he's tamer in the classroom.
