From Midleton, Co Cork, Samuel Judd is currently studying SETU’s BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts programme. Samuel recently broadened his horizons on his Erasmus, where he worked in a Michelin Star restaurant in Italy, and then studied in Vives University of Applied Sciences in Bruges, Belgium.
Down-to-earth
Samuel discussed why SETU was the right choice for him: “The facilities looked incredible, and the lecturers came across as very down-to-earth, and I felt they respected each and every student for their individuality.”
Erasmus
Samuel travelled to Italy and Belgium as part of the Erasmus programme. “Not only did I get to meet amazing people in both of my Erasmus placements, but I also gained new experiences that I will never forget,” Samuel said.
Michelin Star experience
Samuel’s work placement in Italy ran from June until December 2024. “This is considered long, as placements are normally three months, but I wanted to make the most of the opportunity. I was working in a three Michelin Star Restaurant, Osteria Francescana, which was voted World’s Best Restaurant in 2016 and 2018. My internship was split into six different sections: Production, antipasti, before - pasta, second – proteins, pastry and bakery. “Additionally, I got the opportunity to work in Massimo Bottura’s charity organisation ‘Food for Soul’, as well his restaurants, Al Gatto Verde and Francescetta 58, Massimo’s casual style restaurant,” Samuel explained.
He continued: “The work was hard, but after working 14 hour shifts next to the same people, five days a week, eating lunch and dinner with them every day, your co-workers truly became family, and it was a pleasure to work alongside such people.”
Cooking for the stars
Samuel was lucky to meet some famous faces while working in Italy. “Whilst on my placement in Osteria Francescana, we had numerous celebrities visit the restaurants; Valentino Rossi, nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion and actors Margot Robbie and Jesse Eisenberg to name a few. It was clear to me that celebrities loved the place and loved Massimo also,” Samuel said.
Unbelievable memories
Samuel described his favourite memory working in Italy: “When it came to Massimo’s birthday party, all his staff were invited. I was shocked to see that the legendary Benny Benassi was the private DJ, and partying in Massimo’s personal garage with millions of euros worth of artwork, cars and motorcycles certainly felt like a fever dream. I can’t guarantee that everyone will have the same experience as me, but I can guarantee that you’ll make unbelievable memories across your Erasmus trip.”
In Bruges
For his study placement, Samuel decided on Vives University of Applied Sciences in Bruges, Belgium explaining, “I took numerous modules, including group dynamics, personal development, social competences and more. It was certainly a different pace to normal college life and a struggle at first to try and integrate the classes into the kitchen, but I believe the knowledge gained in these classes will help me in life and not only in my career. I enjoyed that students held activities throughout my placement, and these included paintball nights, parties and movie nights.”
Support staff
Back in Ireland, highlighting what he enjoyed about SETU’s Culinary Arts programme, Samuel said, “My lecturers were amazing, specifically Michael Quinn, Mark Gaffey and Judith Hickey, because they always kept classes fun and interesting.”
Favourite module
Samuel’s favourite module was ‘Costing and Budgeting for Culinary Arts.’ “This module surprised me the most, because at first, I thought I would be struggling to stay awake – but I was wrong. Instead, our lecturer Ivor made this module one of the most enjoyable, through his active and energetic teaching style and the interactive classes with the use of Cesim, an online learning platform,” he added.
Samuel’s advice
Samuel’s advice for students considering studying this course at SETU: “The best way to experience this course is to dive straight in. The kitchen holds enough knowledge to last you a couple of lifetimes, and fun memories to last you even more.”
