Fourteen job seekers tempted to turn their culinary passion into a career
|The candidates were accompanied by Bernard Rodriguez, one of the two chefs with Sonia Multon, from the Purple Campus in Marguerittes. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Jean, in professional retraining, likes raw and simple cuisine. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Job seekers were helped by volunteer apprentices from the Purple Campus in Marguerittes. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
The cooks of a day had all the same ingredients available to work with. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Working with the chicken was the basis of the recipe. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Each job seeker had one hour to prepare a dish. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
The candidates in the Job chef competition put all their heart and know-how into creating the best plate. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Le jury a goûté tous les plats qui lui ont été présentés en direct, avant de porter une appréciation. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset
Until April 2, France travail, Umih, the regional chamber of trades and crafts and the Region are organizing the cooking competition, Job chef, at the attention of job seekers throughout Occitanie. For Gard, fourteen of them met, Monday March 18, at the Purple Campus in Marguerittes, to create a chicken-based dish in one hour before presenting it to a jury. At the end of this Chef Job, they will have the possibility of obtaining training in a restaurant, or even more if they like.
Jean, 63 years old, former director of an engineering school, is undergoing professional retraining after a conventional termination. He has been passionate about cooking since he was little. "My favorite relaxation is cooking." With his partner, he has a project to create a house or guest table or take over a small restaurant between Nîmes and the Cévennes.
"I stopped working eighteen months ago and I took the plunge."< /em> When the France Travail agency in Nîmes-Courbessac asked him to take part in the cooking competition, Job chef, he didn't hesitate. This operation organized by France Travail, Umih (Union of Hotel Trades and Industries), the regional chamber of trades and crafts and the regional council, with the support of the Metro brand which provided the ingredients, aims to shed light on the profession of cook and encourage vocations while responding to recruitment difficulties in this sector.
Possible training funded by the regional council
Monday March 18, behind the stoves of the technical platform of the Purple Campus in Marguerittes (one of the eighteen learning centers of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Jean was one of fourteen job seekers (166 across the entire Occitanie region) selected by France Travail. Fourteen candidates, men and women, aged 20 to 63, who if they wish after feedback with a France travail advisor, will be able to access training financed by the Region, with a period of immersion in restaurants, and a four-month job at the end.
These candidates "are not in the profession but have an appetite and passion for cooking", specifies Thierry Dubois, France Travail business advisor from Nîmes-Courbessac and who worked on the organization of Job chef, to participate in the competition. On the program: an hour behind the stove in small successive groups, to cook a chicken dish before a jury tastes the different recipes.
Find the ideal place at a reasonable price
Supervised by the two chefs and trainers of the Purple Campus, Sonia Multon and Bernard Rodriguez, and helped by six volunteer apprentices from the establishment, the job seekers worked, rather well, according to the members of the jury, at offering a dish that resembles them. "I like raw and spare cuisine, cuisine that is both generous and festive, confides Jean. I draw my inspiration from my Pied-noir and Spanish family origins. I would like to cook family meals in small quantities (10 to 12 seats for the restaurant)."
At the same time, the sixty-year-old, whose project is well completed, is also following training in everything relating to legislation. "I'm not necessarily looking for a long training course but rather an internship, France travail supports me well in my reconversion. The problem for my partner and me, between location and price, is finding the right guest house. The same goes for the restaurant."
“We suffer from a lack of staff”
Jimmy Vialle, restaurateur from Nantes, owns two restaurants (Questel and Livia). He participated in to the jury of the Job chef competition. "This is a superb initiative, because we suffer from a lack of staff, even if today ( Monday March 18, Editor's note) we faced à we have atypical profiles who have shown great motivation. In the long term, they could do everything. has have accessè training in one of my two establishments after agreement with my bosses."
"There was desire and commitment among the fourteen job seekers. It's good to see this, because sometimes we take young interns from specialist schools and we are unpleasantly surprised , because there is no motivation. Sometimes we come across gems and keep them. This is the case of a young female chef in one of my restaurants."
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