Jobs

Julie Etherton- Cook Manager

Working part-time in school hours and not having to work in the school holidays – that’s why mother-of-two Julie Etherton applied for a job in school meals.

With no experience of catering Julie took a ten-hours-a-week job as a mobile assistant, going from school to school as needed to wash up, prepare ingredients and serve meals.

Ten years on, as cook manager at De Havilland School training kitchen in Hatfield, not far from where she lives, Julie not only cooks meals for around 130 pupils but also trains other cooks.

Within a year of starting work for Hertfordshire Catering Julie was asked if she’d like to be a cook and, following a training course, became a cook manager nine years ago.

“I worked in administration before I had my children and I didn’t know anything about catering,” she said. “Cooking for a family and cooking for a hundred plus children are two different things but it didn’t take me long to learn. There’s lots of training and support. If you are interested, you can get on in this job.”

Julie now passes her experience on to others besides cooking meals at her school. She runs a training kitchen where, with Assistant Cook Julie Edwards, she gives new school cooks one-to-one training in all aspects of the work, from buying supplies and cooking meals to managing staff and budgets.

Julie says she really enjoys her work. “I do 25 hours a week which suits me fine. I was only going to do the job while my daughters were in primary school but my older daughter has just left secondary school and I’m still doing it. I love it.”