Meet Maria and AJ From Truro School Cookery

Maria Taylor – Head of Cookery

Maria Taylor started her career as an environmental health officer in Cornwall. She then moved to the local education authority in 2000 and was responsible for inspecting schools and cookery provision. With an interest in teaching, Maria embarked on a training course in Gloucestershire. She was quickly recognised for her skills of food health and hygiene, as well as her passion for sharing food and nutrition knowledge. As a result, she was offered a number of roles to revive cookery departments. Even more so, she was responsible for setting up new learning establishments.

Finally, Maria returned home to Cornwall in 2018 to set up Truro School Cookery, in conjunction with Leiths School of Food and Wine. With the aim of rekindling the enjoyment of cooking from scratch and sharing a meal together, her passion for food and learning is highly evident. Her mission is to equip people across all ages with the life skills necessary to prepare nutritionally balanced, homemade dishes that can be shared and enjoyed with others.

Alistair Turner – Assistant Head of Cookery

Alistair Turner switched from a career in architecture to cooking after deciding he had a greater passion for food and drink than bricks and mortar. He enrolled in Leiths School of Food and Wine, where he studied for a year. After graduation he joined Rick Stein at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.

AJ worked with Rick Stein for nearly five years. During which time, he was awarded the ‘Star of the Future Award’, was part of the launch team at a new restaurant in Dorset and also tested recipes for new books. As sous-chef, he took part in several celebrity chef events including a Pop Up Cinema in Cliveden House with Tom Kerridge and Rick Stein. As well as this, AJ also cooked a fish course for a charity supper in aid of Action Against Hunger.

Finally, in 2019, AJ joined Truro School Cookery as Assistant Head of Cookery. Most importantly, Aj has the responsibility for creating and delivering a series of courses for the general public. His energy and enthusiasm transfers into the delivery of the courses. Here, Aj helps people learn about simple-to-prepare dishes and develop new skills that can be transferred to real-life cooking.