Tabasco Chef gives masterclass to students

It is always great to see our students thrive and achieve with unique experiences, as well as benefit from the knowledge that highly skilled guest speakers have.

Our Catering department recently had a visit from Gary Evans, who is an International Corporate Chef for Tabasco, the world famous Hot Sauce Brand.

Gary came into our College to teach our Catering students all about what he does, the history of the brand, and how you can use their range of sauces to elevate dishes and create fantastic recipes.

Our students were also able to test their knowledge and expand on their skill-sets in the kitchen in a Tabasco masterclass.

The day started with a general overview to our students of what Gary’s role entails, such as going out and talking to global businesses, creating partnerships and hosting events showcasing the range.

The opportunities with a course in Catering really are endless, and Gary’s work speaks volume to this. This was followed by a discussion of the brand’s history, giving context to the masterclass to come. Quick fire questions were asked and students received Tabasco branded merchandise for taking part, such as notebooks, oven gloves and even baseball caps. 

Some of our students were brave enough to taste test the range of sauces Tabasco currently sell (including their super hot Scorpion sauce).

The masterclass later in the morning tasked students to follow Tabasco recipes, so that they could demonstrate skills whilst understanding how sauces and condiments can enhance flavour.

The three meals that were created were a traditional Seafood Jambalaya, a Smoked Mac and Cheese and Korean Fried Chicken. The Jambalaya/Mac and Cheese had Tabasco sauce mixed in as part of the cooking process, whilst the Korean Fried Chicken was served with a smoky Tabasco Sesame sauce, and there was even Tabasco sauce in the batter mixture.

Our students who took part had a great experience with this, and after they tucked into the delicious food they had made, the remaining portions were given to staff and students around the college. It was noted that the Jambalaya and Sesame Sauce had a real kick to them, but one which wasn’t overbearing and complimented the food really well. 

Thank you very much to Gary for coming in, and we hope to have many more experiences like this throughout the year. Our Catering department are always so busy with unique opportunities and experiences like this one in order to build their skills and get them ready for industry.