TWO teenage trainee chefs are celebrating after winning gold and silver medals at the IFEX 2016 Culinary Ability Awards.
Lauren McCracken and Jordan Jenkins, both trainees with Dr B’s Kitchen in Belfast, picked up the gold and silver accolades respectively.
For more than 25 years Dr B’s Kitchen — run by Barnardo’s children’s charity — has been helping train young people with learning disabilities for a career in the hospitality industry and has an 80% success rate in placing its trainees in paid employment.
Lauren has been with the company for a year and a half and Jordan joined after leaving school seven months ago.
Congratulating the students, Dr B’s chef/ mentor Andrew Gibb said: “We are delighted for Lauren and Jordan. They worked incredibly hard to perfect their dishes and were under a lot of pressure on the day competing against the other entrants and under the scrutiny of the judges with only 40 minutes from start to presentation.
“They rose to the challenge and we are so proud of both of them.”