TALENTED chef Avraj Basi, from prestigious Ilkley restaurant The Box Tree, returned to Bradford College to deliver a demonstration in fine-dining cookery.

Catering tutor Paul Johnson invited Avraj to show students the cooking skills developed in the fine-dining kitchen of The Box Tree. Avraj got a job at The Box Tree, one of the first UK restaurants to be awarded with two Michelin stars, after studying Level 2 and 3 Cookery qualifications at Bradford College

“I came to an Open Event, Paul showed me the kitchens and I knew it was where I wanted to be”.

Avraj was cooking a classic French dish, Cod in a Vermouth sauce, displaying the techniques picked up during his time at The Box Tree. Alongside the cooking demo, Avraj wanted to offer tips to current College students, acknowledging it’s a profession where hard work and discipline is required “take any position you can get, I started as a Commis chef because I wanted to start at the bottom and work my way up. Show up to lessons and take in what the tutors are saying, they’ve been in the industry so know what it takes.”

Like most chefs, in the future Avraj will look to open his own restaurant business and expresses he would be open to recruiting from Bradford College “I see it as every kitchen should have someone from College, College is the future and these are going to be the future chefs so I’d love to have them working with me when I open a restaurant.”