Two chefs at a North Lancashire hotel are celebrating the completion of qualifications to equip them with new leadership skills in the hospitality sector.

The dynamic culinary duo of Joey Longmire-Dodd and Sam Pierce from Lancaster House Hotel have both been studying two year courses as part of their continuing professional development.

28-year-old Joey from Lancaster re-joined the hotel’s culinary team in 2018 and has worked his way up to being a sous chef. He has successfully completed his NVQ Hospitality Manager Level 4 qualification.

Meanwhile, Sam, 38, also from Lancaster, is Babcock International’s first learner to achieve a distinction in his Level 3 Senior Sous Chef apprenticeship.

The chefs’ training has been delivered with support from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues working in partnership with Inspiro Learning and Babcock International. It has allowed them to hone their skills whilst continuing to forge their careers and earn a living.

Both chefs have been able to step up and take on greater responsibilities as a result of their studies, supporting head chef at Lancaster House Hotel Damien Ng in overseeing kitchen team members, managing shifts and helping to plan and deliver menus.

Sam explains:

“Joey and I both feel that our training has had a really positive impact on how we visualise the business. It’s certainly sharpened our awareness of managing the kitchen so that it runs as smoothly as possible."

“We’ve both really enjoyed our studies and can clearly see how our development over the last two years is helping the food and beverage teams move forward. Our aim is to pass on as much knowledge as possible to the rest of the culinary team.”

Damien Ng adds:

“We’re thrilled with Sam and Joey’s progress and the completion of these highly valuable, practical qualifications. The training has had a big impact on the pair. They now have the ability to see the bigger picture when challenges arise and the management skills to think creatively to deal with them.”