A nationally-renowned chef will return to his Fair City training ground in a bid to find a new culinary star.
Tom Kitchin has gone from 16-year-old Perth College student to Michelin Star chef in two decades and is now seeking a skilled apprentice for a new TV show.
The Chef’s Protg will see him return to Perth to select the cream of the college’s catering students in a competition with similarly celebrated cooks Theo Randall and Michel Roux Jr.
The BBC Two series will see the talented trio each looking for a young student to take under his wing, to mentor and inspire and eventually become his protege.
The programme’s producers say the 20-show competition is like no other because it centres on the relationship between apprentice and master and shows the day-to-day reality of the cooking industry and how the gastronomic gurus of today can nurture stars of tomorrow.
Each chef has a week to select and train up their strongest candidates before coming together to compete to see who has found the best protege.
With most of the students still in their teens, it is up to the chefs to find a way to teach, inspire and test them without destroying their confidence or ambition a fine line to tread when the prominent chefs are used to working with more resilient and experienced professionals in their own kitchens.
For some, the programme will bring back memories of one of the college’s best-known alumni.
Ian Gibb, Perth College UHI hospitality subject leader, said: “We are delighted to have been involved in the programme and consider it a great honour to be the only Scottish college featured.
“As Tom’s former tutor, it’s fantastic to see his career success translate back to Perth College UHI. Hopefully this inspires other students to see the rewards of training and working hard.
“We’ll be watching every night to see the series unfold.”
The first episode, to be shown on Monday, sees Tom return to the college kitchens to meet four of the college’s best students.
He sets them a simple test to assess their level of skill, their instinct in the kitchen and what kind of bond he can potentially develop with them.
Working under Tom’s tutelage they then recreate one of his dishes before he decides which one will leave the process.
Three students will go through to the next stage, where they will continue to learn and develop their skills, in the hope of becoming the Chef’s Protege.
The show airs on BBC 2 at 6.30pm.