A Walk in The Parkgate

On Monday 14th October, The Chefs’ Forum hosted an exclusive lunch at The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff, bringing together 100 guests to celebrate some of Wales’ finest culinary talents. The event showcased the exceptional skills of chefs from The Celtic Collection of hotels, alongside key suppliers, including Castell Howell, which recently won Regional Wholesaler of the Year at The Grocer Awards.

The Chefs’ Forum also took the opportunity to conduct some live market research at the event, for New Product Development specialists, New Food Innovation. The culinary experts who attended gave feedback into how they felt a new dairy-free version of Mozzarella, Cheddar and burger cheese slice samples, stacked-up next to its dairy alternative and existing plant-based cheeses on the market.  The chefs relished the chance to put their sophisticated palates to the test and give valuable insight to New Food Innovation via a QR code survey, who are developing the product for a large dairy brand.

As the global dairy-free market continues to expand, projected to reach $35 billion by 2024, we are witnessing a surge in demand for plant-based alternatives. This event allowed us to showcase various dairy-free cheeses, helping producers fine-tune their products based on real-time feedback from culinary professionals. Our network of chefs provided crucial insights into the taste, texture, and functionality of these products, contributing directly to new product development.

Once the cheese tasting was complete, the guests were treated to a Brown Brothers, Australian wine and Welsh canapé reception, leading into a four-course lunch that highlighted the collaboration between student chefs from Coleg Gwent and experienced professionals from The Celtic Collection.

Adam Whittle, Cluster Head Chef of the Celtic Collection in Newport, set the tone with a selection of innovative canapés, which went down a storm with the chefs, college stakeholders and senior leadership team from Coleg Gwent who attended.

The guests were then seated, and the welcome speeches commenced.  General Manager, Damien Martin spoke of his excitement to host the prestigious event, bringing together the culinary talent of the Celtic Collection at his award-winning property, he said

“It is very important that we support our colleges and welcome them into our businesses to get valuable work experience.  With Christmas on the approach, there are lots of opportunities to work with us across the group and having seen the talent on display today, we would very much welcome applications from the students.”

Newly appointed Vice Principal, Mark Jones also welcomed the guests and spoke of his admiration and gratitude to The Chefs’ Forum, The Celtic Collection and all the fantastic suppliers who made the event happen.  He spoke to some of the students who were working front of house and heard first-hand how much they were enjoying the day, he said:

“I enjoy regularly eating out in Wales’ vibrant restaurant scene, there really are some amazing restaurants here and we are delighted and honoured to be supplying these restaurants with the next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals.  I would like to thank the Celtic Collection chefs for mentoring the students today and it is wonderful to hear that our students have made such a good impression today, some of them being offered trial shifts for the Christmas period.  My daughter is currently training to become a chef in college, so it is wonderful to see the level of support offered to young chefs by the industry on both a personal and professional level.”

Vangelis Tzortzis, Executive Chef at the prestigious Celtic Manor Resort, presented a creative starter:

Goat cheese, hot honey macerated figs, sweet potato, pine nut emulsion and Sichuan crispbread served on a Wedgwood Gio plate.

Vangelis said,

“I’m Greek, so I have paired all of my favourite ingredients in one dish – They all go so well together, and it was great to see the students enjoying working with and tasting them.  I was really impressed with my team from Coleg Gwent today and am sure they have a bright future ahead of them”

The Asian-inspired fish course from Simon Crockford, Cluster Executive Head Chef at Dulse, Tŷ Milford Waterfront, and St Brides Spa Hotel was the perfect marriage of flavours.  Simon worked with the students to produce a mouth-watering plate for the second course of the feast.  He said

“I have really enjoyed working with the students today, they took direction and have cooked served an excellent fish course today, I was really impressed with their enthusiasm, skill and professionalism.”

Miso and sesame glazed salmon, noodles, grapefruit, avocado, coconut and Thai dressing.

Justin Llewellyn, Executive Chef at The Parkgate Hotel, delivered a masterful main course, showcasing Celtic Pride Welsh beef, kindly sponsored by Castell Howell.

Roast sirloin of beef, slow cooked miniature beef brisket Wellington, butternut squash fondant, confit garlic, thyme roasted carrots and Bordelaise sauce.

Justin has been a long-standing supporter of The Chefs’ Forum and has been and absolute pleasure to work with in the planning and execution of this wonderful lunch at Parkgate, he said

“The young chefs and front of house professionals here today have really impressed us.  I am really grateful to the other Executive Chefs from the Celtic Collection for joining me in my kitchens today to cook a fantastic menu with the students. It is really important that we inspire and mentor the next generation, moreover we love doing so and this is evident in the standard of food produced today – Huge congratulations to everyone who took part and contributed to the day.”

The sumptuous feast was rounded off by Ryan Jones, Head Chef at the Principality Stadium, who provided a show-stopping dessert that left guests delighted and making excuses re: the health benefits of chocolate and fruit elements on the plate, for how much they actually enjoyed this delicious creation.

Chocolate textures, salted caramel and raspberry.

Ryan told the students and guests how much he enjoys the buzz at the stadium on big match days, he said

“As Head Chef at The Principality Stadium, there is a great level of excitement on match days, that transcends into the kitchen. We are all so passionate about cooking and rugby and the atmosphere is truly electric – This is another industry sector option for young chefs joining our industry – We get help from our friends at Compass Group at this venue with big events, so it can lead onto so many opportunities in contract catering.”

This beautifully-presented dessert really was the perfect end to the perfect lunch with so many delicious surprises on the plate – A real treat for the senses.

This event was not only a celebration of Welsh culinary excellence but also a platform for the next generation of chefs to gain valuable experience, ensuring the future of hospitality in Wales remains bright.

Huge thanks to all of the sponsors: New Food Innovation, Saucery, Wedgwood, Castell Howell, Mirrors for Training, Pastry Gelato Equipment, MSC Technical Products, SOS Catering Equipment, Dole Foodservice, Chef Works, Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku, Brown Brothers Wine, E. Ashton Fishmongers and stakeholders who made this happen and we very much look forward to staging many more high-profile culinary events in Wales as the year progresses, including a fantastic Hospitality Industry Taster Day for over 200 secondary school students at Coleg Gwent in the spring.

Photography and film by Carlos Farinha