The graduation event celebrated the students' successful completion of five courses ranging from NVQ level 2 through to BA or BSc degree in International Culinary Arts. "At BaxterStorey we wholeheartedly believe that the capability of our chefs is fundamental to the success of the business," said Noel Mahony, chief executive at BaxterStorey. "As such, we continually strive to offer the very best development opportunities and mentors through our Chef Academy and that's why we are able to attract and retain the best chefs. "The Chef Academy graduation is a key milestone in our company calendar because it is important to us to acknowledge young talent. We already have an intake of 37 students for the 2011/12 programme which we are delighted with." BaxterStorey introduced the training programme after identifying the need for chefs to have a higher level of technical skills and the demand for formal long term career development. From teaching basic skills such as recognising different meat cuts to filleting fish and making pastry, the courses offer inspirational learning opportunities such as visiting food markets, fisheries and suppliers, which help to raise understanding and appreciation of food provenance. Trainee chefs also get the chance to put their skills into practice with a week's tuition with one of BaxterStorey's Signature Chefs – John Campbell, Nigel Haworth, Mark Hix and Tom Kitchin. More than 200 people attended the graduation event, which was held at the British Medical Association. Guest speakers included Philip Howard and John Campbell.