21-year-old Ferry Selkie chef puts success down to ‘self-belief’ – and his mum

Sol Campbell, at just 21 years old, helps to serve up intricate small plates at The Ferry Selkie, Dundee.

The Ferry Selkie is ran by Kelly Fairweather, finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year of The Courier Food & Drink Awards 2024.

She has plenty of young staff at her Broughty Ferry and Dundee restaurants, including 21-year-old chef Sol.

“If you love what you do for a living, you don’t mind a bit of stress,” says Sol, who has been in the food drink industry for the last four years.

Sol studied at the Dundee and Angus College, learning the fundamentals of cooking and the running of the kitchen.

“Some people are surprised by how young I am,” he says, “but I am quite confident for my age, and I try to not let anything get in the way of what I want to do.

“I just have faith in my ability.”

Even Sol, as confident as he now is, had his doubts to begin with.

“I feel like hospitality nowadays is quite a daunting career, and some people aren’t willing to put up with that.

“I 100% had my doubts when I first started. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m built for this’. But you have to believe in yourself.”

Where did it begin for 21-year-old Ferry Selkie chef Sol?

“It all stems from when I was a young boy and I used to cook a lot with my mum,” Sol recalls.

“I realised that it was a life skill.”

Sol also took home economics class in school and realised back then that cooking was something he enjoyed, and he could make a career out of it.

“It was just basic things back then, like scrambled eggs and pasta.”

Now, Sol cooks dishes like scallops, his favourite dish at The Ferry Selkie, and also has a say in choosing specials for the menu.

Cooking, for Sol, is a life skill that people shouldn’t be afraid of.

“I don’t feel like a lot of people do a lot of cooking,” he says.

“Sometimes it can be quite daunting for people that don’t do it.

“I’d much rather make something that’s nice than a microwave meal. It’s important to make something that you enjoy.”

For those considering becoming a chef, Sol says: “Look for a good role model, someone you can talk to – and always believe in yourself.

“My mum’s been my role model along the way.”

The kitchen at The Ferry Selkie can indeed get stressful for Sol, but he always strives to keep his cool.

“It’s a mixture of orders coming in and coordinating everything so it’s smooth sailing and nobody’s waiting for food,” he explains.

“But no matter how stressful it is, you still need to treat people like a person.

“If you work better and calmer with people and treat them with respect, they’ll be willing to work harder.”

The end goal? His own restaurant

At 21, having spent the last few years absorbing all there is to know about the food and drink industry, Sol has big plans for the future.

“The end goal would be to hopefully own my own restaurant or do my own private dining,” he says.

“It would be a style that caters to everyone. I’d probably try to do a mixture of cuisines.

“So that any customer could come in and there could be something for them.”