Chefs are like rock stars these days, writes Gary Maclean
There are more chefs in the media than actors and presenters, but the problem of chef shortages in the profession has been around since I first started 30 years ago.
Brexit is certainly going to have a massive impact on recruitment. Every kitchen I have been in during the last 15 years has had a massive percentage of staff from the EU.
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Speaking to my friends, it’s almost like they’ve got their heads in the sand. Nobody believes we will not be able to recruit from Europe. Fingers crossed that is the case, but I don’t know.
There is a lot of work and investment involved in moving to another country. If it was me and Brexit was happening in France I probably wouldn’t go to work there.
It’s more likely I would go to Italy, Spain or somewhere else because you don’t want to put in all that investment and then be forced to leave a couple of years later.
Businesses struggling to recruit chefs should get in touch with their local colleges. For every employer, if they’ve got good staff they have to do their utmost to hold on to them. It’s not just about wages, it’s about conditions, hours, training and advancement.
Front of house is bolstered by transient staff who may go on to be doctors or lawyers. A lot of people come into the industry because it has great employers, and they fit round the hours of people studying for degrees.
From my experience, a lot of the great guys who are still in the industry full-time are people who came into it on a part-time basis while studying something else.
Scotland is not unique in needing EU staff for the hospitality industry. There is a higher percentage of staff from the EU working in London restaurants so it is something that the UK Government will have to tackle, but I don’t know how they are going to do it.
The Scottish Government has been very vocal on Brexit and has been clear that it is not happy with it so anything that gets us a closer relationship with Europe after Brexit is welcome.
Gary Maclean, who lectures at the City of Glasgow college, was the 2016 winner of Masterchef; the professionals.