Blog » Royal Seal of Approval for Chef Roisin

Royal Seal of Approval for Chef Roisin

1st December 2015

A FORMER South Eastern Regional College (SERC) student is celebrating after landing her dream job as a chef at Buckingham Palace.

Roisin McKeown, a former care assistant from Downpatrick, returned to SERC to retrain and has just completed her level three Professional Cookery diploma.

Earlier this year Roisin came second in the Craft Guild of Chefs 50th anniversary canapé competition which took place in the Palace kitchens where she had to prepare canapés for tasting by HRH the Countess of Wessex, who then selected a winner.

Explaining how this then led to securing a job as Chef de Partie, Roisin, who was a parttime mature learner, explained: “After speaking with my tutor Michael Gillies, he suggested sending off my CV and portfolio to Buckingham Palace and I was invited for a trial which must have gone really well as I was offered a job as a Chef de Partie.

“I was elated when I was offered the role. I feel privileged about this once in a lifetime experience. I am hoping to gain valuable experience working in a f lagship kitchen, working under the tutelage of some of the most talented chefs in the industry. Describing the move to retrain as “the best decision I ever made”, Roisin credits the staff at SERC for their support throughout her time at the college.

She said: “I am so grateful to the staff at SERC for the high quality training which has opened up this great opportunity and enhanced my practical abilities and my own confidence. “I’ve learnt a lot while I’ve been at college and I’d like to thank all the tutors for pushing me in the right direction, particularly Michael Gillies for helping me in securing the job.”

Congratulating Roisin, SERC professional cookery tutor Michael Gillies said: “I am extremely happy for Roisin. She has worked really hard and deserves this excellent start to her career in hospitality. “The experience she will gain will stay with her for the rest of her professional career. She is a great example of how students can embrace what professional cookery has to offer and directly benefit from it.”

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