Ace Charity Dinner Raises Roof for PM Trust

On the 27th October 2023, The Association of Catering Excellence held a wonderful charity dinner at House of Lords within the iconic Houses of Parliament.

The event started with reception drinks, then guests were led to the Peers’ Dining Room for dinner.

Catherine Farinha attended the event, representing The Chefs’ Forum, she said

‘It was an honour to attend such a prestigious event as a guest of our recruitment and staffing sponsor, OFF TO WORK.  I have since spoken to Ruston Toms, Chairman of The PM Trust and have invited him to see first-hand the work we’re doing to support West London College with The Chefs’ Forum Academy.  I’m really excited about the opportunities that The PM Trust could give students at our London Colleges, helping them to aim for the sky and finish their education and training, without having to leave due to financial reasons.’

Robert Persson, Managing Director, London & Southeast, OFF TO WORK was delighted to host the table, he said

‘Networking and the meeting of senior hospitality minds is very important and I’m sure there were many great conversations at the table and in the room at this brilliant event.  It was a great opportunity for me to show my appreciation to my clients and peers and bring them together with a common goal of supporting the next generation – Huge thanks to the organisers and to all those who attended and made it a wonderful evening.’

House of Lords was a wonderful venue and it was clear that the charity dinner was a sell-out event. All proceeds from the raffle and auction on the night went to The PM Trust and there was a generous donation of £10,000 from The Association of Catering Excellence.

Ruston Toms said

 ‘On behalf of myself and my fellow trustees, we are enormously grateful to the ACE committee for choosing The PM Trust as their nominated charity. We are a small charity that has been supporting young hospitality workers in Greater London for over 70 years. The main purpose of the Trust is to help make hospitality the career of choice for young people and assist them with furthering their training and development by way of providing bursaries and grants.’

It was a great opportunity for The Chefs’ Forum to meet hospitality professionals across all sectors; From the NHS, to high-end contract and events caterers, as well as senior chefs and F&B managers, all of the wonderful people who make our industry truly amazing – Here’s to a well-connected future!

Photo credit: Demir Ozyurt