It鈥檚 not every day you get to show the lead singer of one of your favourite bands how to make cocktails 鈥� but that鈥檚 exactly what happened to UCB student Georgia Wheatley.聽聽
The 17-year-old found herself teaching Brad Simpson from pop rock group聽聽how to make an 鈥極ld Fashioned鈥� after he鈥檇 finished a wine tasting session with his dad at Michelin-starred Simpsons in Edgbaston, where Georgia works as a part-time waitress.聽
A fan of the band - who shot to fame in 2013 with their debut single Can We Dance, have recorded with the likes of Demi Lovato and recently supported Little Mix on their Glory Days tour - the聽Food & Beverage Service Level 2 & 3聽student said she was totally 鈥渟tarstruck鈥�.聽聽
鈥淢ost of the Simpsons staff are used to seeing celebrities in there, but I鈥檓 quite new to the experience and as a fan of The Vamps, I was completely starstruck,鈥� said Georgia, who has also met Pop Idol鈥檚 Gareth Gates and Coronation Street star Faye Brookes at the restaurant.
Luke Tipping, the executive chef at聽聽who received a professorship in culinary arts from UCB, is no stranger to celebrity diners.聽
However, aware of Georgia鈥檚 excitement, he snapped a picture of her with Brad, who has 1.8 million followers on Twitter alone.聽
鈥淭o get to make an Old Fashioned with Brad and receive a thank you note from him was amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淕lad Luke took a pic or my friends wouldn鈥檛 have believed it.鈥澛犅�
Recently completing her Dom P茅rignon Champagne training at Simpsons, life is a blast right now for the tenacious teen, who also works part-time as a commis chef at聽聽caf茅 deli in Birmingham city centre, which specialises in hearty 鈥榚ats, beats and treats鈥�.聽
Attending UCB鈥檚 Young Waiters Academy when she was 15 as a way of getting real-life experience and returning to UCB in September to complete her聽Level 3聽qualification, Georgia has dreams of opening her own cocktail bar one day.聽
In the longer term, she would like to follow in the footsteps of her UCB lecturers. 鈥淥ne day, I鈥檇 like to train as a teacher and show students how to cook,鈥� she said. 鈥淕ive something back.鈥澛�
Find out more about courses at UCB鈥檚聽School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management.聽
