Top Chefs To Teach At Le Cordon Bleu

Media release 31 July 12

Top Chefs To Teach At Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand has appointed Adam Newell and Sébastien Lambert as head culinary tutors for the new school, set to open in Wellington in late August 2012.

Newell, owner of Zibibbo restaurant in Wellington, is joining Le Cordon Bleu full time to teach the Diplôme de Cuisine. Lambert, a French-trained Patisserie chef, will teach the Diplôme de Pâtisserie course.

Le Cordon Bleu Institute Director, Cath Hopkin, says the appointments of the top chefs reflect the school’s distinct approach to culinary training.

“We weren’t just looking for great teachers but experienced chefs at the top of their game. Our method of teaching is about both perfecting culinary techniques and preparing our students for the reality of life in a professional kitchen.

“We’ve selected Adam and Sébastien because their international experience will give our students crucial insights into the pressures of working in world-class restaurants,” she says.

A one-star Michelin rated chef, Newell has cooked in some of the world’s best kitchens. He worked for five years under the famous Roux family at Le Gavroche in London and earned a Michelin star while head chef of Fulham Road Restaurant. Stints in New York and Tokyo followed before settling in New Zealand 15 years ago.

Newell applied for the position because he says he’s always enjoyed coaching young talent.

“Working for Albert and Michel Roux Jnr at Le Gavroche instilled in me the importance of classical French technique, merging the scientific and creative elements of cooking. It has defined my career.

“I’ve enjoyed being able to pass on these philosophies, including teaching chefs at the British Hills Hotel in Tokyo, where the food operations were managed by Le Cordon Bleu, and time tutoring at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and London.”

Lambert, a classically trained pâtisserie chef, has worked in France, Ireland, UK, Australia and New Zealand, bringing extensive knowledge about all things sweet and sumptuous to the role.

“To share my skills and passion for pâtisserie with budding chefs at Le Cordon Bleu is a dream come true. Culinary training of this calibre will give students the theory, technique and hands on experience to make them stand out when they enter a professional kitchen or start a business of their own,” he says.

Hopkin said she had received applications from close to 50 chefs for the positions, the majority of which were at executive and head chef level.

ENDS

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