Gourmet chef Tom Kitchin gives students a taste

HE IS best known for gourmet dishes in his Michelin-starred restaurant, but yesterday Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin was slumming it with the city's beans on toast eaters as he launched a student food festival.

Kitchin, who owns The Kitchin in Leith and is co-owner of Castle Terrace Restaurant in Edinburgh, was launching Feast 2011, a student-led food festival run jointly by Jewel & Esk College and Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Kitchin also launched Feast 2010.

Kitchin said: "Taking part in this year's food festival was a fun and exciting experience. Our restaurants support an ethos of From Nature to Plate and it is always great to be given an opportunity to work with an event that promotes and encourages the use of fresh, local, seasonal produce."

Feast 2011, which will take place on 2 April next year, will host a range of events involving top chefs and hospitality and event students. The day will see chefs demonstrating signature dishes, as well as a producers' market. The festival is aimed at giving students a taste of life as a top chef as well as celebrating the regional diversity in Scotland's food.

The launch also coincides with Scotland's Food and Drink Fortnight, which kicked off on Saturday.

"What's particularly rewarding is the student involvement - it's fantastic to see the chefs of tomorrow investigating and supporting the use of local produce so enthusiastically and bringing that enthusiasm to a wider public audience," said Kitchin.