Edinburgh New Town Cookery School has announced the appointment of Annette Sprague as its new Vice Principal.
Originally from California, Annette brings 20 years of experience in professional cooking and running food-related businesses. After gaining her diploma in Grand Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu, in 1999, having trained both in Sydney and London, she moved to Edinburgh in 2002, where she set up and ran a small, high-end outside catering company for six years.
Seeking a new challenge, Annette became Chef Patron at Redwood restaurant in 2008 – followed by Redwood Bistro in 2014 – managing all operations of premises, staff, food preparation and service, while also designing and teaching a wide variety of private cookery courses for customers on a part-time basis.
Annette joined Edinburgh New Town Cookery School in January last year as a part time teacher and has now taken on the new position of Vice Principal. This deputy role will see her not only plan, prepare and teach courses, but also support Principal, Fiona Burrell, in the management of staff, health and safety standards and marketing the business.
She said: “I am thrilled to take on the Vice Principal role at ENTCS. With over two decades of professional cookery and business experience, being classically French trained at Le Cordon Bleu and growing up in California, I have a unique perspective on Asian Pacific-Rim as well as Mexican cuisines and their regional ingredients feature prominently in my dishes.
“I have been running a ‘California Cuisine’ class at ENTCS for several years, during which time I have had the pleasure of working with Fiona and getting to know her team. The school has a fantastic setup for teaching and is structured in such a way that I will be able to make a significant contribution to the curriculum as well as to the business side of the school.
“I have always enjoyed teaching, so taking up this position is definitely a career highlight. I am very much looking forward to passing on my business and cooking knowledge to the next generation of professional chefs, as well as the novice home cook!”
Principal Fiona Burrell, said: “Annette is a fantastic part of the team and has already had a hugely positive impact on the school. She brings a wealth of experience, professionalism and drive to this new role and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with her going forward.”
ENTCS is a professional cookery school based in Edinburgh’s New Town. The school was founded by Fiona Burrell, formerly Principal of Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She began her career in Edinburgh and has been teaching professional cookery courses for thirty years. With courses on offer from one day tasters for amateurs, to six month professional courses, many graduates have gone on to work in some the UK’s top kitchens. Further information on Edinburgh New Town Cookery School and the full calendar of courses is available at www.entcs.co.uk
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