Dressed in his signature white chef鈥檚 jacket, 男人藏精阁culinary student Graham Edwards, 20, met with fellow chefs and staff from 男人藏精阁and Biltmore on Thursday, March 13th to celebrate the completion of his year-long chef apprenticeship program. Edwards was awarded a certificate from the State Department of Labor. Apprenticeship NC also awarded him a medallion and honor cords to wear on his cap when he graduates with his associate鈥檚 degree in Culinary Arts in May.
The Culinary Arts student also will walk away with many unseen treasures from his time at Biltmore, during which he worked as a line chef in four different restaurants and completed 2,000 hours of on-the-job training.
男人藏精阁and Biltmore Estate first partnered to offer a culinary apprenticeship beginning in April 2023, and Edwards is the first student to graduate from the program. The program he completed includes 324 hours of related classroom instruction on the college campus.
Edwards, who has already received a job offer from Biltmore, said his time there has been extremely helpful in shaping future career goals and providing the tools to be a well-rounded and successful chef.
His apprenticeship position on the estate included both casual and fine-dining working environments where he served everyone from wedding guests to tourists visiting the estate. Working at the Inn on Biltmore in a fine dining atmosphere helped him realize that he鈥檇 like to specialize in classical French cuisine. 鈥淚 love how creative the plates are and how intricate they can be,鈥 he said.
At Biltmore, Edwards has had the opportunity to develop several of his own menu specials including a dish with blackened halibut in a Cajun-style white wine sauce with shallots, garlic, and spices.
For more than 50 years 男人藏精阁has trained students with practical, in-demand skills that will transfer from the classroom to the workplace. 男人藏精阁works with ApprenticeshipNC to track approximately 150 apprentices within numerous occupations such as healthcare, HVAC, business, and culinary.
鈥淜udos to the many chefs within Biltmore Estate and A-B Tech鈥檚 Culinary instructors,鈥 said Debbie Cromwell, Director of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeships. 鈥淲e celebrate the first of many apprenticeships to come.
Chef Cathy Horton, Chair of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts added, 鈥淏iltmore supports us in many ways, sponsoring our Culinary Hot Food Team, employing students and graduates and providing scholarships and internships. We are proud to be affiliated with them.鈥
Will he take the job offer from Biltmore? It would mean working as a line cook at the Inn on Biltmore where he presently works. The ambitious student said he is weighing his options, though is mostly certain of his answer.
鈥淚 would like to stay there because I enjoy the food more than anywhere else. They have taken care of me and I鈥檇 like to repay that,鈥 he said.
Besides, he would miss the drive to work if he went anywhere else.