Alison Seagrave, a former catering student of Hopwood Hall College, has gone from strength to strength in the industry and recently opened her own patisserie, 'Macaroon by Alison Seagrave'.
Alison Seagrave - Hopwood Hall College Alumni
After leaving college, Alison worked in some of the finest hotels in London where she cooked for numerous celebrities and members of the royal family.
She returned to the North to become head pastry chef at the Harvey Nichols' exclusive Manchester restaurant, and in 2006 was promoted to head chef. In both 2006 and 2007 Alison was named 'chef of the year' in glittering ceremonies for the annual Hi-Life Dining Awards.
Hopwood had a really positive effect on my confidence while I was there. If the tutors hadn't encouraged me to spend my third year placement in London, I wouldn't have ended up working in the capital for the following 10 years!
The work experience placements make it especially 'real'. Working in a public restaurant heightens the pressure on you to perform well in the kitchen, and prepares you for when you leave college to get a job.
I remember how much my work experience helped me - so I have stayed in touch with the college and am keen for students to come here to the patisserie for some of their placements.
'Macaroon' is based on Rochdale's Bury Road and serves cakes, drinks and light lunches. I think setting up my own business is probably the most exciting thing I've done so far in my career. I had a lot of responsibility at Harvey Nichols, but I also had the safety net of a multi-million pound company behind me. This is an independent venture, which is more risky... but also more exciting! We seem to be doing well so far. The best sellers have definitely been the cupcakes and macaroons, probably because we change the flavours every day.
