It’s officially been six months since Edinburgh New Town Cookery School became Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, and what a jam-packed few months it’s been.
Since launching as the Academy in March with a newly designed website and branding we’ve been busy building on everything that made the cookery school special, while expanding what we offer to aspiring chefs, food and drink professionals, school pupils, home cooks and food lovers across Edinburgh and beyond. So, as we reach this exciting first milestone, we thought we’d take a moment to look back at some of the highlights so far.
We’ve waved off two freshly trained cohorts of 12 Week Diploma students at their graduation, and ready to embark on their culinary journeys as professionals or as highly proficient home cooks. We have just welcomed our third cohort now a week into their Introductory Term, already with a fascinating field trip to the Royal Scotsman under their belt, or apron strings!
Alongside our professional training, we’ve run 113 cookery classes, giving thousands of local and visiting foodies the chance to learn new skills, try something different and, of course, prepare delicious food to eat together or share with friends and family afterwards.
We’ve also hosted more than 100 private events, both within and out with the Academy ranging from team building cook and dine experiences and celebrations to bespoke food and drink demonstrations and classes in one of Edinburgh’s flagship 5 star hotels– making the Academy a busy place well beyond our regular classes.
Since becoming Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, we’ve had the pleasure of bringing together people from across the food, drink, hospitality and wider business community in all sorts of ways. From exclusive Chef’s Table events with Macau Kitchen and Pomelo, to welcoming seven guest chefs and industry experts through our doors, the Academy has been a place for people to share their knowledge, experiences and passion for food.
We’ve also collaborated with the Japanese Consulate, welcomed Bake Off winner Peter Sawkins for a baking demonstration, and hosted events as part of the Edinburgh Fringe with The Stand Comedy Club.
And that’s just the start. With more events, collaborations and exciting partnerships already in the pipeline, we’re excited to keep creating opportunities for people to connect, learn and celebrate food and drink together.
Our first six months have also seen the Academy grow behind the scenes.
We’ve expanded our team of expert chef-teachers and welcomed our new Head Teacher, Aisha Elshani, to the Academy. We’ve also launched two brand-new professional courses: the Evening Introductory Award in Cookery Skills and our Seasonal Chef Host Course, providing practical options for people to develop their skills and pursue careers in food and drink around their work and other commitments.
Establishing partnerships and connecting with organisations and people who share our passion for food, drink and learning new skills, has been a big part of our first six months as EFDA. We’ve worked with Annabel Meikle to bring whisky and food pairing to life, collaborated with The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, and partnered with four local schools and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, to teach children essential cookery skills.
We’re particularly proud of our work with schools. Learning how to cook is an important life skill, but one that can often be overlooked. By getting children into the kitchen, teaching them how to prepare food and giving them the confidence to cook for themselves, we hope to help build skills they can carry with them long after they leave the classroom and if they get the bug, into food and drink careers.
It’s partnerships like these that allow us to take what we do beyond our own kitchens and play a wider role in the food and drink community.
We’re passionate about EFDA being more than somewhere to learn how to cook, and the last six months have given us plenty of opportunities to get involved with the wider food and drink community.
We hosted the judging for the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards this summer, hosted a series of Fringe shows with The Stand Comedy Club , and were delighted to receive a grant from the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund to bring Food and Drink Entrepreneurs together to learn from one another over a a series of industry roundtables starting very soon… and much more.
And, of course, this is only the beginning.
Most importantly, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been part of our first six months as Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy. To our students, class attendees, private event guests, guest chefs, industry partners, teachers, supporters and everyone who has followed along with our journey – thank you.
We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved in our first six months, and even more excited about what’s still to come.
Here’s to the next six!
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