Fife youngsters take over Tayport's Larick Centre Café

In just seven weeks, a group of Fife youngsters went from kitchen novices to running their own successful pop-up café – with a Larick Centre project that not only filled bellies but also kickstarted potential careers.

The Café Career Kickstart Project took place in March and was managed by The Larick Centre trustee Rich Holme and Marwick’s Vegan Kitchen.

The Tayport-based initiative gave teenage participants an intensive introduction to the hospitality industry, culminating in a professional-standard dining service and a food market stall challenge.

A new stylish building on a patch of fresh green grass. — The Larick Centre in Tayport ran the project in collaboration with Marwick’s Vegan Kitchen.

The project was run at the Larick, with support from a range of local food businesses. Under the guidance of Lois and Mike Marwick – founders of Marwick’s Vegan Kitchen -the young people immersed themselves in all aspects of the catering world.

What did the project involve?

And from the very first session, the youngsters, mostly from Madras College, were in at the deep end. “We introduced them to a commercial kitchen, health and safety, and food hygiene,” says Rich.

A bald man with an orange T-shirt and a black kitchen apron on stands arm in arm with a brown-haired woman with a great T-shirt and black apron. — Lois and Mike Marwick helped run the project.

They kicked things off by making arancini – a Sicilian street food given a creative vegan twist – and even got to test out the industrial dishwasher.

But by Sessions 2 and 3, the group were completing accredited online training in food hygiene, allergens, and customer service.

Photo shows hands mixing some cake batter in a silver mixing bowl. — The youngsters made muffins to sell at The Larick Café.

They put that knowledge into action right away, baking vegan rocky road and muffins that were sold at the Larick Café.

The results? A total sell-out – and a huge boost in morale.

Learning to be a barista

Then in Session 4, the focus shifted to drinks and service. Fraser Smith from EH9 in Dundee, an artisan coffee specialist, ran a workshop on how to craft the perfect cup of coffee.

A group of teenagers crowd round a coffee machine while a man in a baseball cap shows them how to use it. — The teenagers got barista training from the best – Fraser Smith of EH9 Espresso in Dundee.

“The barista training was definitely a favourite for the team,” says Lois. “Fraser was really great with them.”

A young, brown-haired man in a large grey sweatshirt leans on a counter holding a cup of coffee and smiling at the camera. — Owner of EH9 Espresso Fraser Smith showed the youngster how to make great coffee. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

And the team then got their first taste of working the floor, serving children from the local youth hub and managing their tables.

Lois and Mike’s 19-year-old daughter Jasmine was also involved in supporting the young participants throughout the project.

Three teenagers work the pass at a café. — The career kickstart training involved the teenagers working the pass at a pop-up café night.

“Jasmine was a bit worried at first about being so close in age to the participants, but it was great,” says Lois.

“She has long-covid so is unable to work or study at the moment, so this was a real boost for her as she was able to pass on her knowledge of working in hospitality.

Hosting a pop-up café

Things ramped up in Session 5 – the group’s biggest challenge yet. They launched the first ever Larick Centre pop-up café, with 47 invited guests across three sittings.

The menu was planned, prepared, and served entirely by the participants, who offered two options each for starter, main, and dessert. “It wasn’t just a school project — this was a proper meal,” says Rich.

People seated ain a cafe at night with large windows showing it's dark outside. — The pop-up café at The Larick Centre.

“Seeing guests enjoy a three-course dinner served by the young people themselves was genuinely moving.”

And they also managed the full clear-down: dishes, deep clean, and the inevitable mountain of washing up. Despite the hard work, the energy was high.

A Gordon Ramsay wannabe

“One of the young women was right on the pass, calling out orders like she’d been doing it for years,” says Rich. “She was like Gordon Ramsay – just without the swearing and yelling.”

Five teenage girls stand behind the counter at the Larick Café. — The youngsters working front of house with Lois Marwick at the pop-up café.

Sessions 6 and 7 brought the successful programme to a close – and the competitive spirit came out. The group took over the kitchen again, preparing vegan sausage rolls, rocky road, and more muffins.

Confidence is growing

By now they were getting very good, so Mike, Lois, and Jasmine could put their feet up!

And the final challenge was a food market competition. Split into two teams, the young people set up side-by-side stalls at the Larick Spring Food Market to see who could sell the most.

A group of teenage girls stand behind stalls selling cakes. — The youngsters sold their produce at The Larick’s Spring Market.

Products were costed and priced by the participants, and both stalls did a roaring trade. “I think in the end they sold about the same, but one group edged it by £15,” says Rich.

Throughout, the project balanced real-world expectations with thoughtful guidance.

The Marwicks played a central role, overseeing the sessions and ensuring the programme was grounded in real hospitality principles.

Learning to cost their products

From showing the group how to cost menus and manage stock, to giving up her own business’s market stall spot to let the young people shine, their influence shaped the success of the experience.

A bald man in a pink T-shirt teaches three teenage girls to cook in a commercial kitchen. — Chef Mike Marwick showing them the ropes in the kitchen..

“It was so nice to see them planning their menus, thinking about allergens, explaining dishes to guests, and really owning the experience,” says Rich.

Lois was particularly struck by the transformation over the full seven weeks. “It was amazing watching them grow in confidence,” she said.

A successful project

“At the start, some of them didn’t want to speak much but by the end, they were calling orders, speaking to guests, and working like a team.

“It was brilliant to see.”

The café ran on donations, and while funding covered ingredients and equipment, many guests contributed generously – recognising the care and talent behind the meals. One guest even insisted on leaving a large tip.

Three teenage girls are working in a commercial kitchen. — The youngsters at work in The Larick’s kitchen.

There were light-hearted moments too. The brother of one of the participants pretended to be an awkward customer, giving their brother a surprise customer service test!

“There were only two or three things we might’ve done differently,” Rich says. “But considering where we started, it’s amazing. They went from little to no experience to running a full service in just over a month.”