News that The Cooking School at Dean Clough has taken over The Viaduct Café in Dean Clough is welcome to the ears of aspiring chefs in the area. Many of the employees under the new ownership will be apprentices, given the opportunity to learn how to cook with a view to entering full-time employment in the hospitality industry.

The Chefs’ School at The Viaduct as it will now be known, is based in the historical Dean Clough mill complex in Halifax and provides breakfasts, lunches and takeaways for thousands of employees and art gallery visitors throughout the year. Apprentices will spend 12 months learning within the busy environment, gaining a City & Guild accredited Level 2 NVQ at the end of the year.  The Chefs’ School at The Viaduct is committed to placing them in full time employment within the region at the end of their training.

All surpluses from The Chefs’ School at The Viaduct will support a Dean Clough based charity which is focused on affecting positive change in health and lifestyle through food education and training, having a particular regard for individuals who are vulnerable or disenfranchised.

Speaking about the change of ownership, Dean Clough Managing Director Jeremy Hall comments “This is a wonderful piece of synergy. The Viaduct Café has established a loyal customer base and won both plaudits and awards – but success carries with it the idea of development; and the time was ripe for the café to graduate to a new level of service. I’ve no doubt that this will be achieved under the truly expert management of The Cooking School; but to accomplish this in the context of such an innovative training programme is just fantastic.”

Paul Johnson, Chef Tutor, who is heading up the new scheme is excited to be delivering a model of this nature and has high hopes for the first batch of apprentices who are starting in the next couple of weeks. “We know that these people have a lot to offer the catering and hospitality industry and this is a fantastic chance to learn the ropes in a busy environment with a loyal customer base. We expect to update the menu with fresh locally-sourced ingredients, whilst still offering the options that we know our customers love.”

Customers can find out more about The Chefs’ School at The Viaduct on 31 October when they will be hosting an open day with free samples and a chance to meet the chefs.

The Cooking School at Dean Clough has been offering apprenticeship training since September 2012 with sought after regional employers including The Design House in Halifax and Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Café in Leeds.