Top Chef teaches students to cook

For one evening, lecture theatre Newman A in the Peter Chalk Centre was turned into a fully functioning professional kitchen. Michael’s hour-long lecture featured step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and cook a range of mouth-watering meals.

The recipes Michael demonstrated ranged from a leek and potato soup to roast chicken breast with baby onions, lardons, peas, gem lettuce and mint. The cooking demonstration was filmed and a video will soon be made available to students to view, along with the recipes for the dishes, on the Internet.

Michael, who was made an honorary graduate of the University in 2004, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be invited back to the University. I had great fun teaching the students how to prepare and cook healthy, low cost meals. The evening was well attended and I look forward to being invited back in the future.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Michael was named as the AA Chef's Chef of the Year in 2007 and is an Operational Partner and Director of ABode Hotels and Michael Caines, in overall charge of all food and beverage operations throughout the fast-growing group.

He is also Executive Chef at Gidleigh Park, the acclaimed and prestigious country house hotel on the edge of Dartmoor at Chagford, Devon, where he has earned his reputation - as well as two Michelin stars - serving distinctive modern European cuisine utilising the finest local and regional produce and ingredients.