How Industry Experience Shaped a Hospitality Graduate’s Fine-Dining Ambitions

When Bachelor of Hospitality Management student Tommy Cummings was choosing where to study hospitality, he had one question: were the industry connections real, or just marketing? 

During the course of his degree, his experience has taken him from the classroom to working in restaurants in London.  

For Tommy, industry connection meant getting into real venues, working with real guests and experiencing professional expectations firsthand. 

Choosing a course that meant real work

When Tommy was weighing up his options, he recalls hearing similar claims about industry connections from many of the institutions he considered.  

What he wanted to know was whether that meant a guest lecturer twice a year or whether it meant he would actually be working. 

“Here at ICMS it means the second thing. You’re on placement early, in real venues, with real guests, and you’re held to the same standard as the rest of the team,” he said.  

“That was the deciding factor for me, and looking back it was the right call.” 

A professional placement in London’s fine-dining industry

That subject pushed Tommy toward an ambitious professional placement. Through his ICMS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement, he undertook a placement in London’s fine-dining industry. 

He is honest about what it involved.

The hours were long, and for the first few weeks he felt like he was in everyone’s way, something the team made clear.

But the professional expectations were high, and Tommy says being held to that standard every night taught him more than any assessment could. 

By the end, he was trusted with work he never would have been given at the start. 

“By the last service I wasn’t learning from the team, I was part of the team,” he said. 

He still gets messages asking when he will be back in London to rejoin them. 

From the floor to Certified Sommelier

Tommy’s experience in London’s restaurant industry also helped deepen his interest in wine.

That curiosity eventually led him to pursue certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

Tommy went on to pass both the Introductory and Certified Sommelier exams, becoming one of the youngest people in Australia to hold the Certified Sommelier qualification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

For Tommy, the certificate matters less than the path that led to it.  

His studies helped spark his interest, his industry experience gave him a reason to pursue it, and he says people around him were willing to offer advice and point him in the right direction. 

“That chain of events is basically what studying here is like,” he said. 

An ambitious goal, grounded in real experience

Tommy’s goal now is to work in fine dining in Europe, in two and three-star dining rooms. It is a bold thing to say out loud, and a few years ago he says he would not have. 

What changed was not the difficulty of the goal, but the industry experience he gained and the opportunity to work alongside people who had built careers at that level. 

“It’s a long road and I’m early on it. But it’s a road, not a fantasy, and that distinction is the thing ICMS gave me,” he said. 

His advice to future students

Reflecting on his own experience, Tommy’s advice to prospective students is simple: be honest with yourself about what you want from a degree. 

“If you want the theory, sitting in a big lecture hall, that’s available almost everywhere,” he said.  

“If you want to be in industry, in front of real guests, being taught by people who have mastered the job, then I don’t think you’ll do better than here at ICMS.” 

Disclaimer: The views and experiences expressed in this article are those of the student and reflect their individual experience at ICMS. Results and experiences may vary. Placement opportunities and career outcomes are subject to individual performance, program requirements, and industry availability. ICMS does not guarantee employment or specific placement outcomes.