A SUCCESSFUL chef made a return to his former college earlier this week to discuss his career path and to offer his advice to the students.

Kurtus Auty, a former student at Selby College, made a returned to speak to students about his experiences and life as a chef.

After starting a successful career as a chef at restaurants such as Pucci in Mayfair and Mere by Monica Galetti, Kurtus also had a stint on Master Chef The Professionals in 2019.

Sharing his experiences, the chef explained how he started his journey as a chef at Selby College, how he balanced work and college to moving to London with £600, working with Gordon Ramsay, his time on Master Chef, lockdown and his future plans.

Offering his advice to the students, Kurtus said: “Achieving a balance between your college work and work outside of college is extremely important, you need to make sure you are not working too many hours alongside your course or you are going to burnout.

“It’s important to learn first to get the knowledge and skills needed before you go into work.

“It’s also important not to do all the hours working to make someone else happy, you need to focus on you and your career.

“Finally, listen. Listen to everything and take it onboard to help you.”

Kurtus went on to say that Selby College gave him the confidence to get into the hospitality industry.

He said: “My tutors Adrian and Liz helped point me in the right direction and taught me the skills I needed to achieve my dream career.

“The College provided me a stepping stone into what I wanted to do next.”

A spokesperson for Selby College said: “Students found Kurtus to be relatable as he started in the exact same place as they are in now.

“They also described him as an inspiration.”

Kurtus is now looking to move back to Selby to start work locally, after relocating to London to further his career.

He is hoping to open up his own restaurant in the North Yorkshire area in the future if he can to further his career even more.