CARHAMPTON'S Millie Don is following in the footsteps of some of the greatest chefs in the world by putting on her whites to fine tune her skills in the home of top class cooking. Millie, who has gained a Level 2 in professional cookery at West Somerset College's skills and enterprise centre, is spending at least three months at the prestigious Chez Dies restaurant in the South of France. She was originally only due to go for two months but has already signed up to stay an extra four weeks. She was invited to spend time in the restaurant's kitchen by former Aisholt resident Sam Salway who trained with the college's chef lecturer Werner Hartholt at the Blue Ball in Triscombe and the award-winning Woods in Dulverton. He offered a placement at Chez Dies for one of the college's most outstanding young culinary talents and Werner suggested Millie. The restaurant is part of the Chateau de Barbet resort in Lombez in the French region of Gers and Millie said the experience so far had been "amazing". "Werner's passionate approach and love of the catering business highlights his extreme talent. "This gave me my inspiration and focus to realise that I can be like that, too," Millie said. "He is a real role model for me. Werner has pushed me out of my comfort zone, to try new things, constantly reinforcing my belief in my own capabilities." She said working in France was a dream come true for her - especially as her passion was for patisserie. Most of her time at Chez Dies has been spent in the dessert section and she is now able to run the section unaided through even the busiest services. "Moving to France has been a huge step for me as a person – it has helped me to grow and develop as a person and to learn new skills. "It's a fantastic opportunity to learn a different culture, eating habits and approach to food," she said. She has been able to gain experiences in all areas of the kitchen, including preparation of different fish and meat, hot sauces, cold and hot starters. Millie said she still planned to complete her course and then wanted to travel in order to experience as many different cooking styles and techniques as possible.