On Thursday 21 November hospitality and catering students from City College Plymouth were given an exciting opportunity to work with two American celebrity chefs to create a Thanksgiving inspired dinner for VIP guests – Which included us!

The exclusive, invite-only reception – co-hosted by City College Plymouth, the U.S. Embassy, Plymouth City Council and Mayflower 400 – took place in the College’s PL1 training restaurant.

Over 80 guests were greeted with a signature Mayflower cocktail, created by student Crystal Barnes, before enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

American chefs, Justin Walker and Jerome Grant worked with students and chef lecturers to create the meal, and spoke to guests about their diverse culinary influences and professional journeys.

Justin Walker is executive chef of Walkers Maine, which he runs with his wife, Danielle Johnston Walker, while Jerome Grant is the inaugural executive chef of Sweet Home Café at the historic National Museum of African American History in Washington D.C.

College Academy Manager for Hospitality and Catering, Larry Moody, said: “We were absolutely delighted to be asked to be part of this momentous event. It was a fantastic experience for our students and chef lecturers to work with such well-respected chefs and to experience working with a range of diverse ingredients.”

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the U.S. and Canada, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It dates back to the Pilgrims’ first successful harvest after their arrival in America in 1621.

Find out more about the College: https://www.cityplymbiz.co.uk