Hospitality Students are The Cream of the Crop

Two learners from the Hospitality and Catering course have proven they’re worth their salt as they have reached the National Heats of the prestigious Toque d’Or competition.

Ashton Eaton-Preece and Maja Mazurkiewicz beat out nearly 400 applicants to reach the shortlist of just six other Colleges competing in the Front of House section of the competition. They will now face a tough challenge at the world renowned Grand Cookery School in York next month.

Now in its 36th year, the Toque d’Or, hosted by Nestlé Professional allows students from across the country to gain invaluable insights from leading industry professionals, developing skills and knowledge for their careers ahead. The chance to compete is also a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of the culinary world through creative and thoughtful challenges.

Loughborough College Curriculum Manager Darren Creed shared, “Ash and Maja are two fantastic examples of how hard work and dedication pays off. To get this far in such a distinguished competition is an achievement in itself, and we have every faith they’ll do the entire Radmoor Restaurant and Loughborough College community proud. I’m also so pleased for lecturer Kate Boden, who mentored Ash and Maja to get them to this stage.”

Competitors can expect to be put to the test, learning the art of customer service over two action-packed days of competition. Judges from the industry, Nestlé Professional, and former Toque d’Or winners will be on hand to provide support and knowledge to this year’s cohort.

This isn’t the first time learners have flown the flag for Loughborough College at Toque d’or. In 2022, student chef Sam Watkins took the title of Back of House Student of the Year, winning an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Chef’s Congress and Expo in Abu Dhabi.

If Ash and Maja make it through to the Grand Finals in April, they’ll be in the running to win an exciting culinary adventure in Switzerland. Good luck, Ashton and Maja!