Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy announces new Head Teacher
Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy (EFDA) has announced the recruitment of a new Head Teacher to lead the delivery of its professional cookery courses, interest classes and culinary events, supporting the organisation’s ambitious growth strategy.
Following its relaunch earlier this year, EFDA has welcomed Aisha Elshani to the team. An experienced culinary educator and chef with vast experience in the hospitality and catering industry, throughout her career, Aisha has worked for organisations including the Heritage Portfolio, Victor & Carina Contini Restaurants and The Torridon Hotel.
Most recently, Elshani was a lecturer at Edinburgh College for almost eight years, teaching culinary arts. The course, which covered everything from baking to food service, also saw Elshani support students across the College’s public-facing cafes and restaurant.
From serving royalty, to helping establish Honeycomb & Co eatery in Edinburgh, and becoming head pastry chef at Contini, Elshani’s move to EFDA has been driven through her inspiration to inspire and develop the next generation of chefs and confident cooks.
Commenting on her appointment, Elshani said: “I have always been passionate about creating a food industry that is as encouraging and welcoming as possible to existing and new talent, so I’m delighted to take on the role of Head Teacher at EFDA and be able to support emerging chefs to complete professional qualifications. Throughout my career I’ve gained experience working in hotels, venues, cafes and restaurants in a variety of roles. The result is a sharp focus on the importance of cooking from scratch, using high-quality ingredients from good suppliers, and leaning on seasonal produce to create menus that are inspiring and provide a modern twist on traditional dishes and flavours.”
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, CEO at Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, added: “This has been a pivotal year for us at EFDA, from rebranding to launching new professional courses, a wide choice of interest classes and valued partnerships with schools and businesses.I’m looking forward to working with Aisha in her role as Head Teacher to develop our offering. Combining her incredible cooking and baking skills with her zest for the industry and supporting those in it, I’m sure Aisha will bring her own ideas and techniques to support our continual growth and the community’s passion for freshly prepared good food.”
The appointment comes following the recent launch of EFDA’s Evening Professional Chef Course, due to start 11 January 2027. Designed to remove the financial risk of changing careers, or balancing part-time work with further education, the course allows participants to gain industry-standard qualifications without having to leave their 9-5 employment.
This month also sees the launch of the latest 12-week Professional Cookery Diploma on 14 September, with a few final spaces remaining. This course has seen students go on to join kitchen teams in top restaurants and hotels and run their own kitchens and food businesses. The Diploma provides comprehensive, intensive, training for aspiring chefs, entrepreneurs and future restaurant owners.
More information on Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy can be found online here: www.efda.co.uk.