New stars join Cameron House

Luxury five-star resort Cameron House Hotel beside Loch Lomond now has five new stars – apprentices taken on since reopening last September.

The hotel is showing its support for Scottish Apprenticeship Week’s ‘Apprenticeships Work’ initiative. The new starters include Jodie Cochrane, 18 from Glasgow, who joined the food and beverage team as part of the hotel’s new Chef Apprenticeship Programme, for example.

Jodie was crowned ‘Springboard Future Chef’ in 2020, a nationwide cookery contest with over 15,000 entries, having been mentored through the process by Cameron House’s executive chef Zoltan Szabo. They stayed in touch and encouraged by Szabo she pursued an apprenticeship. By December she was promoted to commis chef.

The Cameron House’s chef apprenticeship programme provides paid training for those interested in pursuing a career in food service and sees them gain experience in the resort’s busy kitchens including The Boat House, The Café Spa and The Clubhouse, developing their skills in food preparation, food service, and health and safety. 

Szabo says: “Jodie was an absolute joy to mentor during the Springboard Future Chef competition. She is an energetic young talent and her dedication shone through throughout the process, so it is extremely rewarding to have her as part of my team now.

“Supporting young talent through initiatives such as Cameron House’s apprenticeship scheme is so important as it could unlock the door for a future expert or leader in the sector. Anyone considering a career in hospitality should be encouraged to explore what a rewarding career it can be.” 

Jennifer Jurgensen, director of human resources at Cameron House, says: “It is a pleasure for us to offer opportunities for budding professionals at Cameron House, where new starts learn from an award-winning team at one of Scotland’s most iconic resorts. Following a particularly challenging time for young people in employment, due to the impacts of Covid-19, we’re delighted to promote success stories such as Jodie’s, shining a light on the importance of apprenticeship schemes.” 

Cameron House Hotel will hold a Culinary Recruitment Showcase from 1pm to 5pm on Thursday, 17 March. The resort is looking to expand its team across kitchens and restaurants as well as recruit employees for its front of house team, ahead of the highly anticipated opening of the Lochside bedroom and ballroom extension, this summer. See https://careers.cameronhouse.co.uk to register attendance.