A Chef in a Lab Coat for a Day: My Experience at IFST Student Launchpad 2025

Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the IFST Student Launchpad 2025 at Tesco’s Headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.

As a Culinary Arts Management student, I have always been passionate about the food industry and sustainability. But beyond just being a chef, exploring the science behind food has truly sparked my interest. Getting to engage with experienced professionals and students from six different universities was an inspiring experience!

The event was packed with early career advice for graduates, lunch mentoring sessions that allowed us to network with experts from various sectors, and a virtual factory tour from Raynor Foods, which gave us valuable insight into sandwich production and the broader food manufacturing industry.

And of course, the food at lunchtime was absolutely amazing!

A huge thank you to Amalia, my tutor, for offering me this incredible opportunity.

A special thank you to The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) and Tesco for making this event possible!

A heartfelt thank you to all the mentors who joined us at our table during the lunch talks, sharing your expertise and experiences. Your insights were incredibly valuable, and I truly appreciate the time and effort you took to guide us!

Word of wisdom from the Experts:

Steve Purser
One piece of advice that resonated with me, “If you change, then opportunity will come.”

Victoria Cary & Robin Leaper
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

Susie Crabbe
I admire how she manages her work-life balance. Her advice? “Take the opportunities that come your way, push yourself forward, and be proactive!” A great reminder for me to keep striving as a student.

Kate Potter Clark
Thank you for your honesty about HR and how CVs and applications are assessed.

Bryony Fryers
The discussion on sustainability was truly insightful. Sustainability is not just a trend but a necessary step forward for the industry.

Karl Wood
Thank you for answering our questions and providing insight into the sandwich manufacturing process at Raynor Foods.

This experience made me realise how food science and culinary arts go hand in hand, and I am excited to explore this intersection further in my journey.

“The science of cooking is about understanding ingredients and their interactions. The art is in making them delicious.” – Harold McGee