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UHI West Highland cook school students scoop accountancy award from Johnston Carmichael


By Alan Shields

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Michael Fallows and Connor Rae.
Michael Fallows and Connor Rae.

Two budding young entrepreneurs were given a boost with an accountancy package after impressing judges at the UHI business awards this year.

Michael Fallows (19) and his business partner Connor Rae (23) launched Michaels Culinary School, a cooking school which provides one-to-one lessons designed for the absolute beginner who wants to know the basics or an intermediate looking to enhance their skills in the culinary world.

It offers a number of classes and courses based in Inverness for ages 15-plus.

More than 60 entries were made by entrepreneurs and students and put forward to judges this year.

Judges whittled the shortlist down to 14 stand-out proposals with eight finalists taking home winners' plaques and two special prizes.

Michael said: "We are over the moon that we have won the accountancy package with Johnston and Carmichael,

"We are also very lucky that we managed to get through to the finals of the UHI Business competition 2022."

Michael, from Fort William, added: “We were inspired to set up Michaels Culinary School when we realised there was nobody in Inverness providing cooking lessons.

"Connor is a chef by trade and has worked in the industry for the past eight years. We saw the gap in the market and decided to fill it.”

He added: “The entire process from start to finish was amazing. It has really given me the confidence to take Michaels Culinary School to the next level. The judges were so understanding and kind.”

Speaking previously Michael explained his idea.

He said: The concept for the school came from an idea that I had a long time ago.

“What I wanted was to make people feel more confident in their own home, in their own cooking abilities.

“It’s a concept that is quite popular in the central belt but as far as I have seen no one has tried to take it up further north for whatever reason."


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