Ben Blake, from Shere, near Dorking, Surrey, aged 16, has been awarded the Absolute Taste Scholarship 2005 to train at Tante Marie. Ben impressed the Scholarship committee with his passion for cooking and his determination to make it to the top. The scholarship is worth 100% of the fees for the Tante Marie Cordon Bleu Diploma Course and Ben will have the opportunity for work experience at leading catering and event design company Absolute Taste whose prestigious client list includes the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 racing team VIP hospitality and creating spectacular private parties and launches for leading names in fashion, interior design, aviation, music, film and architecture. www.absolutetaste.com.

Marcella O'Donovan, Tante Marie's Principal, says, “For those who reach our high standards, there are thousands of vacancies for chefs just in the UK, and many more around the world, and not enough professionally trained chefs to fill them. We hope that this Absolute Taste scholarship initiative, open to applicants aged between 16 and 25, will encourage more young people to train for the wide variety of jobs this industry can offer. We had some high quality applicants. Whilst we probably did not expect to be awarding this, our first scholarship, to such a young candidate, 16 year old Ben deserves it on merit. In his written application, and then in interview, he just exuded such a passion for cooking and the determination to become a top chef. Ben seemed undaunted by the standards set by Tante Marie and expected by Absolute Taste, so we congratulate him and will be delighted to welcome him when he starts with us on 21 September.”

Absolute Taste Managing Director, Lyndy Redding trained at Tante Marie herself and went on to found her company as a joint venture with McLaren Group Chairman and CEO Ron Dennis. Lyndy says “I would like to congratulate Ben. It was important to award the scholarship to someone who would clearly have the passion and commitment to succeed and aspire to our standards of excellence at Absolute Taste where our goal is to be the best at everything we do! The excellent training I received from Tante Marie has helped me to achieve my dream career – to run my own business in this most creative and exciting industry. I am delighted to be a part of opening the door of opportunity to a clearly talented and focussed young person so that he will have the opportunities that I had and I am really looking forward to following his progress.”

Ben (seen here with Lyndy and Marcella on a visit Absolute Taste) whose father works on a farm and whose mother is a veterinary secretary, took his GCSE's this summer at George Abbott secondary school in Guildford. “I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to train at the famous Tante Marie School of Cookery!” says Ben. “Without the Absolute Taste Scholarship it would have been an impossible dream. I have always wanted to become a top chef and it's amazing to think that by July next year I will have a professional qualification, which will not only allow me to pursue my ambition but open up a world of exciting job opportunities. I am under no illusions though: I'll have to work really hard at Tante Marie to pass the exams for the Diploma, and to be offered work experience at Absolute Taste is a privilege I will have to earn during my course."

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