Rubbing shoulders with Michelin starred chefs, MasterChef winners and the region's leading food producers and restaurateurs was top of the menu for a group of hard working would-be chefs and front of house staff at the Exeter Food Festival this weekend.

The group of Michael Caines Academy first year students were joined by other catering students from Exeter College providing essential kitchen support for the Festival's packed line up of gourmet stars in the Cookery Theatre that saw the likes of Nathan Outlaw, Peter Gorton, Ian Webber, Jackie Kearney and James Nathan, as well as their own mentor Michael Caines, whisk up culinary specialities under the focused gaze of packed crowds throughout the weekend.

Lauren Boston, 17, one of the Academy students from Chudleigh said, “It was quite nerve wracking to start with since many of the chefs we were helping on stage are the people we really look up to, but they were all really friendly and Michael always kept a eye on us! We were there to help clear the kitchens, fetch ingredients and provide any last minute help and it meant we had a grandstand view of how they prepare and cook their signature dishes”

A special treat was being able to provide specialist support to Michael Caines MBE who provided the mainstay of excellence on the Cookery Theatre stage. Michael, founder of the Academy which was launched at the Food Festival only a year ago said, “It has been great to see the team of Academy students helping at the event and seeing them absorbing at first hand how the region's top chefs prepare food under such pressure. This is exactly what the Academy is all about – nurturing the next generation of chefs and waiting staff by providing unique experiences to this group of keen trainees – something that will really complement their practical and theory sessions back at college.”

Huw Southcott, head of the college's catering department, said “We're very proud of the students and how they have performed throughout this busy weekend. Not only have they seen dedicated chefs at work but they have also been able to see the vast range of food producers in the rest of the Festival – all the essential ingredients in their training which is designed to encourage them to understand the importance of excellence whether that is cooking dishes, serving customers or managing a hotel or restaurant. This Festival is such an important part of the Academy calendar – we're hoping we will be invited again next year to provide this support in the Festival's 10th year”.

The MC Academy students' involvement in the Food Festival kicked off with a black tie event at the city's Abode Hotel with the 7Chef's gourmet meal. Seven of the region’s star connoisseurs of fine dining were each challenged to deliver a tasty course to an audience of invited guests from across the region with the MC Academy students supporting in both the kitchen and front of house. Martin West, 17 said “I really enjoyed being in the kitchen with all the chefs – they'd done a lot of preparation before hand in their own kitchens but it was great to see and hear all the banter and team work between them.”

Particularly nerve- wracking for the MC team was the Saturday cookery Theatre cook off with two teams of four students in competition with each other to prep and cook a meal in front of hundreds of spectators. With standing room only in the Cookery Theatre, the students in the black kitchen prepared pork tenderloin, pan fried scallops, stuffed Portobello mushrooms and caramelised apple whilst their rivals, the red kitchen concentrated on cooking duck breast, plum sauce, stuffed Portobello mushrooms and buttered spinach. Not only were the students challenged to prepare under the watchful eye of their mentor Michael Caines but also to commentate to the packed audience about the dishes!! The resounding applause at the end of the demo and the eagerness of the audience to sample the dishes were a sign of the success of this, the first public demonstration of the MC Academy progress and skills.