Master chef sets the kitchens of France alight with skills honed in Chester

Sep 16 2009 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

by LAURIE STOCKS-MOORE

A TEENAGE chef has found culinary acclaim on French turf.

Former Christleton High school pupil Lexine Hepworth, 18, has come a long way from doing work experience in the kitchens at the Queen Hotel, City Road.

Her parents Brian and Sandra Hepworth, who ran the Eaton Hotel, upped sticks to open a restaurant in Souillac on the banks of the Dordogne two years ago. So Lexine happily began her new life at a nearby cookery college.

Her brilliance in the kitchen got her chosen by the college as their only entrant into the renowned Meilleur Ouvrier de France craftsmen competition.

She went on to win gold for her adopted region, the Midi-Pyrénées, which got her into the national final for apprentices in Paris. And this week she was one of four trainees to be awarded the gold medal there, along with the title "Un Des Meilleurs Apprentis De France" (One of the Best Apprentices in France) by judges including the head chef at the Ritz in Paris.

Competitors were presented with a list of ingredients and tasked to make a main and a dessert. Lexine made poultry liver mousse and vegetables followed by caramelised apple, crumble and orange sauce.

Proud mum Sandra said: “When she was in year 11 at Christleton High she did two weeks in the kitchen at the Queen Hotel. She was so ecstatic about it.

“Going into a French college was tough but she really wanted to do classic French training.”

Lexine will attend a presentation ceremony in Paris early next year.

Lexine said: “With my parents owning the hotel restaurant, I was always in and out of the kitchen and around about. It always really interested me.

“When I first came to France I didn't speak much French. Everyone spoken really fast so I had to relearn it all. It was such hard work. I'd be really stressed all the time.”

She is doing her apprenticeship at the Michelin starred Pont De L'Ouysse under renowned Chef Daniel Chambon.

She says the esteemed restaurant has further inspired her.

“I've been there for the busiest month and will be there for two years,” she added. “It's really amazing food.

“I definitely want to have my own restaurant when I'm older.

“I want to aim for Michelin-starred level. I want to aim for the top.”