Budding hospitality workers hoping to follow in the footsteps of famed Box Hill graduates like Guy Grossi, Tobie Puttock and Curtis Stone will learn at a new world-class training facility thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

Paul Hamer officially opened the new 150-seat training restaurant and bar at the Box Hill Elgar campus, funded by a $1.6 million Andrews Government Government grant.

The works included a refurbishment to the existing Fountains Restaurant and bar as well as specialist teaching areas including demonstration kitchen, four commercial kitchens and barista and specialist wine training rooms.

It will allow students to learn in an industry-standard environment and cater for growing enrolments in hospitality courses at Box Hill TAFE, especially under Free TAFE, which has experienced a 17 per cent increase in enrolments.

Fountains Restaurant is Box Hill Institute’s premier hospitality training facility and has produced an incredible cohort of award-winning chefs including Guy Grossi, Tobie Puttock, Curtis Stone, Adam D’Sylva and Frank Camorra.

Since 2014, the Government has made a record $3.2 billion investment to rebuild TAFE and support universities and higher education to ensure Victorians have access to high quality education and rewarding career pathways.

For close to 100 years Box Hill Institute has been educating the people of Melbourne’s east, while Fountains has been serving them – quite literally – for over 40.

Here's to the Next 100.