James Cavanagah sat down with Elly Owen an award-winning freelance Sommelier, educator and a director based in Cornwall to talk about her career in hospitality and the advice she gives to young people in the industry.

Elly, great to chat to you – as always – can you tell us where your career in hospitality began?

I began my journey in hospitality when I was about 13, working in a local tea shop in my home. It was, and indeed still is, an easy profession to get into when you are younger, but luckily you get more than the £1.50 that I was on then.

And what about your career now?

My career now is in a great place! I teach hospitality at Truro and Penwith College and then I have my freelance work on the side. I run wine courses including WSET and bespoke courses for different businesses, I also run wine bars and events across the southwest and get to talk about wine at festivals which is such great fun. I also have a radio show where I co-host on a Friday morning, talk to lots of interesting people and bring my passion for hospitality to Falmouth.

Those are some incredible achievements! What would you say are some of the most exciting things you’ve done in your career in the UK?

After working at Fifteen and learning the ropes there, it was always so important to me that with all the things I achieved there was something that I could share and bring back to the young people. I also wanted to instil passion and recognition to the front of house side of hospitality. I am so fortunate to be able to have had some amazing experiences and indeed continue to be able to. So for me, to teach people, especially young people, about hospitality and drinks is very exciting. I feel like it is such a privilege to able to take my experiences and put them into the classroom, which I can in the Spires Restaurant (Truro campus) at Truro and Penwith College. This year we put Spires forward for the College Restaurant of the Year and got through to the finals, which is a fantastic achievement, as it was the first time entering. It was made even better with the Senara Restaurant on the Penwith campus also making it through. 

Congratulations to you and the team getting both restaurants through to the final!

If those are the exciting things you have done in the UK, what are some of the most exciting things you’ve done in your career out of the UK?

When I was working at Fifteen, we used to take the Apprentices away to Tuscany, Italy. The trip was originally just for the staff and during my work there it traversed for the students too. I worked closely with Liberty Wines who greatly supported us taking our students, and created a trip which was the most beneficial to our students, including cooking at Petrolo and getting them involved in the creation of menus. We also had the opportunity to take them to the markets and they would navigate the Italian shopping experience. The trip, of course, focused on wine and I loved being able to help make these links for the students. It was honestly one of the most amazing things I had the privilege of being a small part of.

With all that we’ve talked about so far, I would like to know what you would recommend to someone starting out a career in hospitality/drinks industry?

To understand that everything you do is growth. Whether it’s making friends, learning to create beautiful drinks, or providing great customer service.  Ask questions, be humble and don’t be afraid to fail. You sometimes learn the greatest lessons by understanding where you went wrong and sometimes it’s only you that can push yourself. Many of the things I have achieved in the industry were because I put myself there and tried it out. Don’t limit yourself to what you think you should do, keep pushing for your goals and work in places which support this. Also, remember that working hard and being kind plays dividends in the end!

(The Cornwall Hospitality Collective CIC is an organisation that provides a membership scheme to hospitality businesses in Cornwall, allowing them access to fully funded or discounted training and events, access to a mentorship scheme, and support with school engagement activities – including SEND and Alternative Provision. The primary focus of the CIC is to promote careers in hospitality, uplift and upskill the workforce, and support more people into hospitality.)

The Collective represents so many factors that I am passionate about, so how could I not be a part of it. I try to use my role as an ambassador for wine and hospitality for the best and this is something that I believe will help create a better industry. There are many areas of the work that the Collective does which I think are epic. One of the things that I think is brilliant is the work we are doing with school engagement, taking the Nes de Vin smelling kit and offering FOH taster sessions have proven successful, and the engagement has grown so quickly.

We always promote that hospitality has so many more opportunities than you would think, and these can lead to many extremely well-paid jobs and lead to so many exciting things. Quoting one of CHC’s Founding Directors Veryan Palmer from the Headland Hotel: “it only takes a hello to the right customer, and it could change the pathway of your life”. This is because you have the opportunity to meet so many interesting and amazing people through hospitality and who knows what doors this can open. 

And to sign off, what is your go to drink?

My go to drink is of course wine! But I often enjoy red wine and if I was being really picky it would have to be Tuscan, taking me back to those happy memories.

This interview was conducted in July 2024 by James Cavanagh-Shaddock, Founding Director at Cornwall Hospitality Collective CIC.