Out of the classroom and into the kitchen — four culinary arts students from Bermuda College have completed their 12-week internship with Fourways Inn.

Last year, the MEF Group of restaurants was on the lookout for potential employees to meet the demands of the 35th America’s Cup.

Thomas Martins, Barry Gibbons, Serena Simmons, and Riona Buckle were the four selected to be interns at Fourways.

“I felt really lucky,” admitted Serena, 17. “Quite a lot of people came from my class and I didn’t think I’d get an internship.”

Thomas, 19, explained how the students were repeatedly moved around to a new section of the kitchen and learnt about prep work, catering, and assisting the other chefs, so they could see what the professionals do on a daily basis.

All the interns agreed it was an extremely rewarding experience to put what they have learned in class into play in a restaurant setting.

“It’s given me an insight into what culinary arts is all about,” said Barry, 62.

“College theory has its benefits but the practical experience is a little different. Once you come out in the field, you wonder how you can implement what you’ve learnt.”

As someone who has always had a “keen interest in cooking”, he returned to school to pursue his dream of owning his own bed and breakfast.

Thomas described the venture as “an amazing opportunity”, recalling how excited he was to be accepted at Fourways.

He said: “I’ve learnt a lot from each of the chefs and hope the internship will help in future endeavours, such as owning a restaurant or working under the experienced chefs.

Serena said: “They held my hand but pushed me to be better.”

She said that she managed to form strong bonds with not just her co-workers, but her employers, saying: “It’s not just a work relationship. They’re not just my bosses, they’re my friends.”

Serena plans to create a small catering business that she could manage on her own, as well as going on to study nutrition.

Fourways general manager Andreas Detzer said the interns had been punctual and shown self initiative. He said: “A lot of them worked on the front line and showed a lot of personality. Bermuda College gave them a good foundation for the business.”

Tommy Poh, executive chef, said he was impressed the students had shown so much enthusiasm and thanked Rui Desa, the hospitality lecturer at Bermuda College who helped to arrange the internship.

Dale Butler, director of training and communications at MEF, said: “I was pleased with how quickly they adjusted outside of the classroom, which is a credit to them and their instructors.

“I was most pleased with their exit survey comments that indicated they learnt a lot and were happy to be in such a productive environment.”