David Boland - Senior Chef Lecturer Bournemouth and Poole College

With over 40 years in the trade David has excelled as a chef and teacher and is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. He is co-founder of the Specialised Chefs Scholarship, one of the country’s most prestigious culinary courses, and is its Senior Chef Lecturer at Bournemouth and Poole College.

What qualities do you look for in an apprentice chef?

Enthusiasm and a level of commitment in both cooking and other areas of life that demonstrates staying power

What makes an elite chef stand out from the crowd?

A passion for and understanding of food coupled with a strong drive and motivation to succeed

What will you be looking for from this year’s Teflon DSA entries?

A drive and determination to be the best

Where did you study catering?

The Hollings College Manchester (known as “the toast rack”) one of the first further education colleges to offer catering to its students

Who inspired you in the early stages of your journey as a chef and why?

(Mr) H L Cracknell, who translated the Escoffier – Le Guide Culinaire with RJ Kaufman. A great man and gentleman, whose knowledge of cooking was inexhaustible. David worked with him as a lecturer.

What is your proudest moment in catering?

Being one of three chefs invited to Buckingham Palace in 2004 to be interviewed for the position of Royal Chef

Which ingredient could you not do without?

Good quality bread

What is your favourite utensil?

DuPont stove

Where do you see food going in the next five years?

There seems no end to the extent to which cooking is constantly evolving and developing ,no longer confined to the boundaries of Northern Europe as it was when I first trained

What is your favourite food?

Good quality, well made bread