Josh Leonard now hopes to develop all the culinary skills he needs working under Sofood! head chef Dave Mason to one day fulfil his dream of cooking for the British Army.

And, if he succeeds, the 20-year-old from Dawley who had been studying history and IT at New College says he will owe everything to his old Phoenix School cookery teacher Lynn Hough.

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without her. I owe all my success even so far to her.

“When I first chose to do cooking at school it wasn’t really because I was interested I just thought it would be easy. But as it turns out Mrs Hough really inspired me and I developed a real passion for cooking.

“Before I had started college Mrs Hough phoned me and asked what I was going to do about my cooking. I think she could tell I really enjoyed it. The next thing I knew a local hotel phoned and offered me a job. So I quit college and started working and I have not looked back since. I don’t know for sure but I think Mrs Hough might have had something to do with getting me the job.”

As well as working in a local hotel Josh also has experience of working in large scale catering and banqueting.

He now hopes to refine his skills working as a Chef De Partie under Mr Mason, who has worked in the food industry for 26 years.

He then hopes to go on and join the army and one day be good enough to cook fine food for some of Britain’s top army officers.

“I’ve always wanted to join the army so I’m putting plans in place to learn all the skills I need across the catering industry to be able to apply and I’m really pleased that I have someone like Dave to learn from,” said the youngster.

“He was my mentor at the hotel I previously worked at so it’s great to be reunited.”

The appointment of Josh comes as Sofood! which is based at Maple House on Queensway Business Park celebrates its first successful year in business.

Director Mike Cosgrove said: “We are really pleased to welcome Josh to the team. He is very motivated and full of energy. His teacher was right to recognise his culinary skills at such a young age. Dave is very impressed with him so far and I’m positive he will be a real asset to the Sofood! catering team.

“His arrival not only marks our first anniversary but also marks the start of our plans to expand and grow.

“We have had a particularly good year and have diversified the business in lots of ways. We are no longer just a diner. The catering side of the business has really taken off and we have new orders and contracts coming in from businesses all the time. Having Josh on board will give us the capacity to grow even further.

“It is a very exciting time for us and we would hope later this year to be in a position to take on even more staff.”