Cornish Chefs Enjoy a Summer Cheftival at Una St Ives
A heat wave, fire and flames set the theme for The Chefs’ Forum’s summer ‘Cheftival’ at the marvellous Una St Ives Resort, Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Top chefs from Cornwall and surrounds gathered in the venue’s newly-refurbished, impeccably-designed restaurant for a dramatic celebration of indoor and outdoor cooking, showcasing chef Head Chef, Glenn Gatland’s top of the range Gozney wood fired oven and the energy-saving Synergy Grill outside on the sun-drenched terrace. Glenn w
elcomed a brigade of fifteen young chefs into his kitchen from both Cornwall and Penwith Colleges. The young chefs set to work creating delicious canapes for the fifty industry guests arriving at midday.
Glenn, Jenny, Tyler and their student team produced some delicious canapés including Sun blushed tomato arancini, Cornish crab beignets, Cornish new potato with chive cream cheese and crispy pancetta. All of these dishes feature on the every-changing seasonal m
enu at Una Kitchen.
Glenn said
“The students have really impressed me today with their professional attitude and willingness to work. It is great to see two colleges working together to produce some excellent food. I would happily welcome all of the young chefs back into my kitchen in the future.”
Yvonne Colgan, Operations Director of Una St Ives added
“Today was a great opportunity to welcome fellow industry people to the resort in an informal way. It’s a great achievement for The Chefs’ Forum to gather so many industry professionals together as the region heads into the busiest time of the year.”
Una Kitchen proved the perfect setting for flame-fuelled capers as Cornish chefs saw Glenn live-cooking in the Gozney commercial stone oven, showing its versatility in cooking with both wood and gas. The guests were wowed with his delicious treats including wood-roasted pork chop and wood-roasted Cornish Ray Wing!
Gavin Roberts, Director of Two Brothers Butchers and The Kernow Sausage Company then preformed an expert butchery demo of French-trimmed cutlets with a pork loin. He then demonstrated how The Kernow Sausage Company make hogs pudding with Rhoddas Cornish clotted cream. The chefs really enjoyed learning how to make the West Country haggis! 
Gavin’s demo not only inspired menus but also reinforced the reason why Two Brothers butchers supply some of the best chefs in Devon and Cornwall including Rick Stein’s, Carbis Bay Hotel, The Gannet, Philleigh Way, Watergate Bay, The Headland Hotel, Tresanton Hotel and The Nare Hotel.
Sam Guarino of Santa Maria gave an expert spice masterclass showcasing the fabulous range of market-leading seasoning. Sam gave his top tips for BBQ rubs and pizza herbs as the theme of the event centred around grilling and live fire cooking!
Cornwall-based veg supplier a
nd longest-standing Chefs’ Forum sponsor, Total Produce showcased its fantastic range of fresh produce and fine foods in supplying ingredients for the canapés and demos on the day. Sales Manager Peter Harris showcased the finest Cornish seasonal produce including Boddington’s strawberries, bunched baby beetroots, Padstow Kitchen Garden Cavelo Nero, mixed leaf salad and courgette flowers.
Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha concluded
“Today was brilliant – it was great to see so many faces old and new at Una Kitchen and what a stunning venue?! It was great to see the students working together to produce and serve delicious canapés to local employers, showcasing their skills and representing their colleges.”
A glorious day was had by all at Una Kitchen. It gave catering college lecturers, chefs and industry people a chance to catch-up, share knowledge and expertise in a relaxed and fun environment. The next Cornish Chefs’ Forum event will take place at The Falcon Hotel on the 24th September 2018 as the grand finale to Budelicious Food Festival organised by Masterchef of Great Britain and international restaurant consultant Peter Gorton. Top Cornish chefs will be taking to The Chefs’ Forum demo stage to represent their restaurants and showcase their skills. Any chefs or businesses interested in taking part should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Salcombe Gin and Glorious Gastronomy Enjoyed by Devon Chefs at Thurlestone Hotel
Brilliant sunshine kissed the stunning Thurlestone Hotel on Monday September (18). Top chefs from Devon and beyond gathered at the upmarket venue for a day of culinary celebration and networking.
The Chefs’ Forum holds four events per year in Devon and it was fantastic to see so many loyal supporters from across the county and beyond!
Executive Chef Hugh Miller welcomed students from South Devon College into his kitchen at the award-winning Trevilder Restaurant at the hotel, to cook and serve canapés from his menu with ingredients supplied by Two Brothers Foods, Total Produce, Dart Fresh Produce, Koppert Cress, Mevalco and Clifton Coffee.
Hugh said:
“From my experience, you don’t know what to expect from students when they arrive in the kitchen. Today however showed me that the South Devon College students were more than capable of rising to the challenge. Once I showed them what to do, they created and served the canapés with very little intervention from me. I am delighted with their attitude and results produced.”
Food and Beverage Manger Adam Willcocks expertly organised the front of house students taking him back to when he attended a Chefs’ Forum Autumn Lunch at The Bath Priory, way back in 2012, as a reward for excellent performance on his course whilst studying at City College Plymouth – It is great seeing former hospitality students making their way into industry and now hosting an event of their own.
Senior Sous Chef Andy Hunt opened the show with a fabulous demo of Creedy Carver duck breast with rhubarb gel and poached rhubarb and apple. He announced that it has been on the menu for the third time as a firm favourite in the eleven years he has worked at the hotel. Today’s event was a great opportunity to test it on his chef peers. Andy explained to the students that a career as a chef can take you around the world and enable you to learn new languages and see new countries as he did.
Next up, was Gavin Roberts of Two Brothers Foods who gave an impressive butchery master class, this time, boning out a pork fore. He showed the chefs how to achieve tasty cuts with zero wastage as a sausage-making demo followed. Two level two students, Liam Hope-Brown and Tom O’Donoghue from South Devon College rose to the challenge of live sausage making in front of a tough audience of professional chefs, their peers and their lecturers – they did brilliantly and took the sausages made home as a souvenir!
Gavin said:
“We as an industry need to recognise, that there you can use all of the animal and as my grandfather used to say ‘from hooter to tooter’ or nose to tail as its more commonly referred to these days! It was great to introduce the students to ‘Matilda’ my sausage-making machine given to me by my grandmother and the humble beginning of the Kernow Sausage brand eleven years ago. For the first two years – all of our sausages were made by hand using this very machine.
Not only are we morally obligated to use more of the beast having taken its life, but in not embracing these lesser known cheaper cuts we are truly missing out on deliciously different gastro adventures with strong USP & robbing ourselves of some absolute GP% legends. Hopefully all of the chefs will have a go at making their own gourmet sausages and we at Kernow Sausage Co are always on hand to custom-make any specific recipes!”
Brothers Carlos and Javier Martiniega of Martinieaga Olive Oil introduced their family business producing the finest Spanish Olive Oil. Mevalco showcased this and a whole range of other Spanish delicacies available from the Bristol-based supplier including a delicious jamon on an authentic stand which was carved live by Thurlestone chef Jordan Bartholomew.
Next, Tom Litten of Salcombe Gin then took the floor to give a tasting of his delicious handcrafted gin, distilled with thirteen carefully selected botanicals.
Claire Mansfield of Synergy Grill cooked up a feast of Kernow Sausage Haute Dogs before the chefs embarked on a game of golf on the Thurlestone Hotel Golf Course.
A great day was had by all and the event was extremely well-received by all who attended.
The Chefs’ Forum will hold its next Devon event at The Deer Park Hotel on the 17th September. Anyone wishing to secure their place, please contact rebecca@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Seasoning, Searing and Shooting at Cowley Manor
Chefs from Bath and the Cotswolds showed off their shooting skills, as well as their cooking skills at the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum yesterday (June 4th).
Guests at the event, which was held at the beautiful Cowley Manor hotel near Cheltenham, had the chance to try their hand laser clay pigeon shooting, alongside a day of lamb butchery, expert cookery demonstrations, seasoning and grilling master classes.
The event began with a Symphoniae Prosecco, curtesy of Crown Cellars and canapé reception, with the canapés prepared by David Kelman, Executive chef at Cowley Manor, and students from Gloucester College where The Chefs’ Forum has successfully run The Chefs’ Forum Academy for the last two years. During the reception chefs also had the chance to network with top suppliers and sponsors.
David said: “Thanks to the students for all their help, and thanks also to the sponsors and all those who supplied the ingre
dients.”
Mark Hyde-Catton, Chef Lecturer and Chefs Forum Academy Coordinator spoke about how The Chefs’ Forum events and Academy sessions benefit the students.
He said: “I just think that The Chefs’ Forum events are great for our young people.
“It is great for them to get out and get as much experience as possible.
“David has visited us at the college to take Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions and the students really enjoyed them.
“I have an excellent relationship with David and all the Academy chefs. I think it’s really important to have a relationship with all head chefs because I am passionate about getting our young people out into industry and into the right jobs and making sure they are happy and they will stay.”
Following the reception guests were treated to a cooking demonstration by David. David cooked a canon of lamb with seasonal vegetables in a very jovial demonstration of The Butcher and The Chef. Karl Pendlebury of AHDB Beef & Lamb took the floor and told the chefs about his free meat education courses – click here.
There was then a chance to sample more of David’s brilliant cooking in a wine and food pairing to various wines by Crown Cel
lars.
The event finished with the chance to try Laser Clay Shooting in the stunning grounds of Cowley Manor.
Founder of The Chefs’ Fo
rum Catherine Farinha said: “Thank you to all our sponsors who came along, including Walter Rose & Son, Santa Maria, Creed Foodservice, TTW Associates, Crown Cellars, Synergy Grill, Welbilt UK. The support of these top-quality suppliers enables our events to happen, inspiring young people and creating a valuable networking platform for top chefs from which to socialise, share knowledge and best practice.”
Any chefs or suppliers looking to work with The Chefs’ Forum going forward should contact alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
Dorset Chefs Enjoyed a ‘BBQ Paradise’ at Living Outside!
BBQ paradise, Living Outside was the venue for yesterday’s Great Dorset Grill-off staged by The Chefs’ Forum. The Wimborne-based company hosted The Chefs’ Forum in its sunny showyard, which lent itself as the perfect set-up for the cheffy convention on Monday (21) May 2018.
Award-winning chef Mark Hartstone of La Fosse at Cranborne welcomed catering students from Basingstoke College into one of the purpose-built chalets to prepare a delicious selection of meaty canapés for the chefs and hospitality professionals arriving at midday.
The students got stuck into prepping and cooking cedar plank grilled veget
ables with Dorset Sea Salt, chicken kebabs with Santa Maria Lemon Curry and American Cajun rubs, pancetta-wrapped asparagus and seared loin of venison.
Lithuanian BBQ aficionado, champion chef and author, Kris Krivickas showcased the Kamado Bono in cooking the most delicious, sumptuous BBQ pork ribs that cooked low and slow in the ovoid ceramic grill for a fabulous six hours!
Convotherm demo chef Keith Howland showcased the Garland Induction Plancha which added another dimension to grilling using induction technology.
Living Outside Director, Ian Poate said:
“Today’s been a real success from our point of view. It was great to see so many chefs and students take such an interest in our custom-built barbequ
e huts and accessories. Mark gave a great demo and we are honoured to have him as a brand ambassador, saying great things about the hut that he has at La Fosse, Cranborne.”
Partner Director Charlie Cox added:
“We certainly had the weather for it today, I’ve had some great conversations with the visiting chefs and have greatly enjoyed the demos and the cooking! We are proud to sponsor The Chefs’ Forum and find it a great tool for communicating with buyers and end users in the hospitality industry.”
Living outside prides itself on creating bespoke outdoor cooking and dining spaces and Mark perfectly-baked International kidney potatoes in Dorset sea salt in the ‘Barbeque Hut’ which would be the perfect winter hideaway with fur throws and a very cosy feel!
Award-winning catering butcher, Walter Rose & Son showcased its fabulous meat in providing the meat for the event. Director Jack Cook then performed a brilliant lamb butchery demonstration where he effortlessly showed the chefs how to cut and roll a stuffed breast or belly of lamb as well as French-trimming some lamb cutlets. The chefs were extremely impressed with the quality of Walter Rose meat and even more delighted that they have deliveries into Dorset every day with no minimum order constraints.
The blazing-hot sun meant that Mark Hartstone’s demo of marinated pineapple with birch sap syrup took place outside. Dressed in his chef whites with a Dorset-centric hat, Mark expertly demonstrated the versatility of the pineapple and explained to the chefs that they could make five or six portions out of the one fruit making for great margins!
Synergy Grill demo chef Claire Mansfield went tong to tong with Alex Healy-Wallis on the wood-fuelled Quan. Claire perfectly seared a loin of venison and cooked off the chicken kebabs m
ade by Mark and the students. Alex grilled Jack Cook’s lamb cutlets on the Quan Barbeque Heater. Claire explained the energy-saving benefits of the Synergy Grill as well as low user cost. Alex stressed the importance of using good quality wood in the Quan for optimum results. The chefs devoured all delights cooked by both and there was a great deal of interest in both products. Claire Mansfield booked demos with the visiting chefs to bring the Synergy Grill to their kitchens in order for chefs to experiment with it using their own menus in their own surroundings.
Other highlights of the day included a seasoning masterclass with Jethro Tennant of Dorset Sea Salt and Spice Queen, Katlin Ambos of Santa Maria. Santa Maria also brought along its legendary Spice Truck to give the visiting chefs a chance to see the full range of market-leading herbs and spices as well as reiterating the importance of knowing the provenance of where the spices are coming from
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold four events a year in Dorset & Hampshire and would love to hear from chefs or suppliers wanting to get involved. For more information, please contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photo credit: www.fayditphotography.com
Kent Chefs do Butchery, Spice and Grills at Westenhanger Castle!
Top chefs from across Kent came together to enjoy an afternoon of cookery demonstrations, butchery, networking and Clayzer at the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum on Monday (May 14). The event was blessed with glorious sunshine in the grounds of the beautiful Westenhanger Castle.
Held in the marquee in the impressive and versatile events venue near Ashford, The Chefs’ Forum’s spring event gave the county’s culinary talent the chance to network in a peaceful rural location and meet leading suppliers whilst giving learners from East Kent College the opportunity to work in a professional kitchen with renowned Aussie chef Graham Green.
The Santa Maria Spice Truck and ‘Spice Aficionado’ Sam Guarino soon breached the peace and turned-up the tunes as the chefs arrived to a soundtrack the best beats available, giving the event a real party atmosphere on the chefs’ day off!
The visiting chefs were treated to a delicious canapé and beer reception where Graham showcased produce from Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Walter Rose & Sons and Santa Maria in mouth-watering canapés.
Graham plumped for a traditional canapé and demo theme, the impressive canapé list comprised:
Noodle-wrapped prawns, mushroom arancini, pork chipotle croquettes, skate tartlet with lemon butter and snail vol-au-vents with garlic butter and toasted hazelnuts.
Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha and East Kent College Lecturer Rob Allsworth welcomed the chefs to the event as they took their seats in anticipation for the cookery and butchery showcase awaiting them on The Chefs’ Forum demo stage. Rob explained that Chefs’ Forum events are a great opportunity for students to enrich their learning and catch up with local employers, many of whom already work with the college.
Graham took to The Chefs’ Forum demo stage to showcase beautiful Creedy Carver duck leg supplied by leading catering butcher, Walter Rose & Son. Graham then stuffed the boned-out duck leg with red wine poached pear. The Convotherm mini cooked the duck to perfection, then it w
as time for Graham to plat- up: A smear of celeriac and cauliflower puree, duck liver pâté, red wine sauce and a duck skin shard were then added to the plate to create a mouth-wateringly delicious dish.
Graham’s deliciously unctuous demo was followed by a presentation on Wiltshire beef butchery by Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Sons showing how to cut different steaks from the rib to the rump of the Stokes Marsh Farm Hereford/Angus cross heifer – Probably the best-
tasting beef available in the UK and the product of a forty-year relationship between butcher and chef.
Two huge, freshly-butchered cote de boeuf steaks, complete with rib bone then made their way onto the Synergy Grill where Claire Mansfield showcased the versatility of the award-winning British Grill. The chefs then enjo
yed a well-deserved beer and meat and grilled veg (in honour of National Vegetarian Week) BBQ on their day off!
Well-known Kentish caterer Graham Green came to Kent to retire in 2008. His plan to do a ‘bit of relief cheffing’ didn’t really work out and he ended up joining forces with the team from Chives Catering.
Chives catering is long-term family business cares about what it does, commercial events, high-end car launches, family occasions, weddings, themed events and bespoke catering solutions.
Graham said: “It was a pleasure to have these young people from East Kent College’s Yarrow Hotel working in my kitchen, all of whom showed great potential. The food that they produced was excellent and I am proud to say that they made it with me in my kitchen.”
The event ended by giving guests the chance to show off their shooting skills by taking part in a game of Clazer shooting with a prize awarded to the chef with highest number of points.
Catherine Farinha said: “It is great to hear such a great deal of positive feedback on the work of the East Kent College students here at Westenhanger Castle. The Chefs’ Forum is all about giving opportunities to the next generation of chefs and front of house professionals; I think everyone would agree that today was a great opportunity for them. Highlights of today were the comedy beef butchery from Walter Rose, an extremely interesting presentation on Santa Maria herbs and spices by Sam and the fabulous BBQ on the Synergy Grill by expert demo chef Claire Mansfield – It’s great to introduce professional chefs to top suppliers and showcase advanced culinary and butchery skills from the very best in the business. I would like to thank everyone for coming today, and especially our sponsors without whom these events would not be possible.”
Photography by: www.kentfoodphotographer.com
WELSH CHEFS GO FORAGING AT THE CASTLE!
Foraging has been popular for some years now, and professional chefs’ enthusiasm for gathering food from wild and natural places is only increasing. On Monday 30th April, forty top chefs from across Wales flocked to a fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison.
The beautifully manicured grounds of Grade 1 listed Hensol Castle was the perfect setting for the wild food hunt. Headline sponsor Cardiff Audi set a stunning car display of a Q3 and Q5, the perfect all-rounder for country life. Having just last Wednesday worked with Cardiff Audi to stage a brilliant customer event showcasing Welsh chefs and Welsh food, it was great to invite the Audi brand experience team to the cheffy convention to showcase the excellence in service and product exuded in the guest experience at Hensol Castle and The Vale Resort.
It was the perfect weather for the chefs to embark upon on a flora and fauna adventure in glorious spring sunshine. Harrison is Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone’s personal forager and sources wild ingredients exclusively for Simon and his small team of talented chefs at The Elephant, Torquay.
Today’s event was hosted by The Vale Resort Executive Chef Dean Milburn. Dean has been a Chefs’ Forum member for the last six years, most recently at Bristol University before venturing across the bridge to take on this fantastic role catering for the golfing glitterati and a huge 180 weddings a year at one of the biggest golfing resorts in the UK set on 650 acres.
The gastronomic gathering commenced with a canapé and fizz or Clifton Coffee reception where Dean and his team prepared a stunning array of bite-sized morsels for the culinary guests. Dean showcased the finest Welsh ingredients in Perl Las mouse mini cones with a charcoal biscuit flake and pressed pickled cucumber with brown crab mayo. Dean also created three versions of mini Walter Rose chicken thigh skewers to be cooked on the Synergy Grill, marinated in Santa Maria wasabi and sesame, lemon curry and BBQ pulled pork rub.
Demo chef Claire Mansfield joined forces with Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son to showcase the award-winning Synergy Grill, searing top quality Wiltshire meat to perfection. Dean Milburn also charred his mini vegetables in preparation for his cookery demo on the Vegetarian Society Approved energy-saving grill. A double draw Adande refrigerated drawer unit completed the perfect BBQ terrace equipment solution as the top drawer was used as a fridge to store Walter Rose meat and its counter top, complete with a red board made a great surface for the butchery demo. Jack then showcased his lamb butchery skills with Claire cooking the various c
uts of the best end of Wiltshire lamb including the pencil fillet, rack of lamb, stuffed breast and chops.
Dean then showcased two of his signature dishes: Cherry cola glazed pork fillet and Chermoula-rubbed lamb cannon. The visiting chefs quickly devoured the delicious plates of food and all said that they would be back to try his cooking in The Grill restaurant at The Vale resort.
Dean said:
“I don’t like to take away from the main ingredient in my cooking, in this case, stunning Wiltshire lamb cannon and beautiful pork fillet, both sup
plied by Walter Rose & Son. Instead of trying to overcomplicate the dishes, I try to accentuate the flavours of the meat. It’s great having all the chefs visit today and it was lovely to be able to showcase the venue – I look forward to hosting the next one!”
The culinary experts went on a tour of Hensol Castle’s stunning grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts, flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner, the only real cost of foraging is time, a valuable resource for chefs. Most foraged produce is perishable and requires picking for service daily or every other day.
Forager David Harrison told chefs:
“Once you pick something, it immediately starts to lose its peak flavour and texture. We do not store anything for that reason; we forage every day. It’s great to see so many Welsh chefs in attendance, we found lots of species today including hogweed, water mint, cleavers, hedge mustard, lesser celandine, bittercress, nettles, cuckoo flower, hemlock water dropwort, coltsfoot, bug violets and beech leaves. I hope that foraging with the chefs today spikes and interest in foraging and encourages them to bring t
his old skill back into the kitchen”
The event was a great chance for chefs to learn about foraging for their menus and the copious amount of amazing wild ingredients growing all around them.
Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder and event organiser concluded:
“Hensol Castle was the perfect venue to hold an unusual and absorbing day of butchery grilling and foraging. It is great to see that the chefs are so keen on foraging and trying new cooking techniques with wild ingredients. Chefs’ Forum events provide a great opportunity for them all to meet up, touch base and share expertise and see the best products and produce available to them.”
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Top London Chefs Inspire Next Generation of Talent at West London’s College!
On Monday (23) April, six of London’s most highly-skilled chefs helped 40 young people serve up a mouth-watering meal for 70 extremely discerning diners in one of London’s leading catering colleges. Nearly £900 was raised to support young people with travel costs in accessing work experience, essential equipment and helping colleges to fund employer trips and visits.
West London’s College opened its teaching kitchens to the cream of the culinary profession on Monday to host a fundraising lunch for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation CIC – An organisation incorporated by Catherine Farinha and Alexandra Duncan in October 2016 to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people to enter the hospitality business, by linking them up with employers and providing essential support and equipment.
Celebrity and renowned chefs who have worked with the award-winning college include Brian Turner who opened The Taste restaurant, Jamie Oliver when he launched the first cohort of Fifteen learners and Gordon Ramsay in filming the first series of Hell’s Kitchen at the college.
The Chefs’ Forum bridges the gap between industry and education and by hosting it for the second time, West London’s College underlined its commitment to the initiative in inspiring young chefs, enriching their learning and forging strong links with leading employers within the industry.
Head of Hospitality Denise Charles stated
“We are delighted to be hosting our second Chefs’ Forum event at the college. Our partnership with the organisation has seen many of our students securing work experience and jobs on the back of showcasing their skills at quarterly events. The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation has agreed to fund a trip for our students to compete in Young Seafood Chef of The Year – This funding is a great help and its wonderful to see industry people supporting lunches like this to facilitate the raising of vital funds to enrich our students’ learning experience.”
Guiding the students from West London’s College on the day were Carlos Martinez and Stefano Cilia from Chucs (Harrods) on the starter. Carlos and Stefano arrived at the college early to create slow cooked pork belly, Granny Smith & lime texture, sweet & sour mustard seeds, salt & caramel hazelnut and gooseberries.
Daniele Codini from The Ned prepared a stunning fish course of Turbot with hazelnut crumb, asparagus, fregola and clams.
AHDB British beef and lamb ambassador Chris Wheeler (Stoke Park) prepared the meat course. The 23rd April marks the beginning of British Beef Week and Karl Pendlebury (AHDB Senior Manager Quality Schemes) attended to fly the flag for English Beef, this time from Stokes Marsh Farm (Wiltshire) supplied by Quality Standard Mark (QSM) Member Walter Rose & Sons.
Karl said
“British Beef Week is a huge event in the culinary calendar. It is great to have QSM
Ambassador Chris Wheeler incorporating our fabulous domestic produce in his dish of Roast Fillet of QSM beef with Marmite oxtail ragout, watercress purée, charred spring onion, potato and trompette mushroom terrine.”
Biju Joshwa (Sheraton Park Lane) worked with the students to create strawberry whipped ganache, lime Chantilly, créme fraiche ice cream and meringues for dessert.
Leading chef wear designer Bragard supplied fabulous Chefs’ Forum branded Grand Chef jackets, to make the chefs look very smart indeed.
Presiding at the occasion ‘front of house’ was Restaurant Manager and hospitality lecturer Sylvain Auger leading a team of fifteen level one students.
Sylvain said
“I love events like these where employers meet my students because it prepares my students to be work ready and its reassuring for them to hear the same messages from professionals as I impart on them every day. Today has been a fantastic experience for our students. The food was superb and it was a great opportunity to showcase our students’ professionalism and skills. I would like to thank The Chefs’ Forum for making today a great success and inspiring our students.”
All ingredients and drinks for the lunch were kindly sponsored by Koppert Cress, M&J Seafood, Walter Rose & Son and First Choice Produce. Diners were asked to contribute only what they were able to The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation, making this high-profile event and excellent cuisine accessible to all chefs, regardless of income.
Together, the chefs and students created and served a four-course meal for around 70 professionals from the catering industry who were all there to get in touch with the next generation of talent whilst catching up with their peers and suppliers.
Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha concluded:
“We launched the London Chefs’ Forum in London back in 2014. It is fantastic to return to the capital three years later to work with a new cohort of students and the next generation of top chefs. The chefs and students did a fantastic job today, they really stepped up to the task and it’s important that we nurture and support the next generations of hospitality professionals. It’s important they have the opportunity to work with industry on the practical side, as well as on theory. For the West London’s College, this Chefs’ Forum event is an excellent opportunity to build on important networks and partnerships in the hospitality and catering industry.”
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
BIRMINGHAM CHEFS GO FORAGING AT THE MANOR!
Foraging has been popular for some years now, and professional chefs’ enthusiasm for gathering food from wild and natural places is only increasing. On Monday 16th April, forty top chefs from Birmingham and surrounds flocked to a fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison.
The picturesque gardens of Eckington Manor were slightly moist from rainfall the day before, which made it glisten in the sun. It was the perfect weather for the chefs to embark upon on a flora and fauna adventure in glorious spring sunshine. Harrison is Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone’s personal forager and sources wild ingredients exclusively for Simon and his small team of talented chefs at The Elephant, Torquay.
Today’s event was hosted by husband and wife culinary team, Mark and Sue Stinchcombe. The couple have a tremendous hall of foodie accolades between them; Mark won Masterchef: The Professionals in 2015 and Sue has multiple awards under her belt including Worcestershire Chef of The Year, an Acorn Award and a MAC Award.
The couple met at the 2 Michelin-starred Champignon de Sauvage and then embarked on a culinary adventure taking them to Australia, Thailand and New Zealand.
The gastronomic gathering commenced with a canapé and fizz reception where Mark, Sue and the students prepared a stunning array of bite-sized morsels for the culinary guests. The canapé menu comprised:
- Beef Tartare, Judy’s Onion and beer cracker
- Smoked pork fritter with prune puree
- Local Asparagus and hollandaise tart
- Blue cheese and walnut sable
Mark Hyde Catton joined Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha in welcoming the guests and talked them through all of the successes achieved in securing work placements for his students through The Chefs’ Forum Academy.
Mark said
“Events like these are brilliant for our students. Working with such high level, accomplished chefs as Mark and Sue was very inspirational for them. Our level three students said that they really enjoyed this event as they got to do lots of work both in the kitchen and front of house. The Chefs’ Forum helps them forge relationships with employers and is a very valuable platform for them to secure work experience and job offers.”
Demo chef Claire Mansfield joined forces with Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son to showcase the award-winning Synergy Grill, searing top quality Wiltshire meat to perfection. A double draw Adande refrigerated drawer unit completed the perfect BBQ terrace equipment solution as the top drawer was used as a fridge to store Walter Rose meat and the bottom drawer, as a freezer from which to serve delicious Alicia’s Ice Cream. 
Jack then showcased his butchery skills with Claire cooking the various cuts of top quality Stokes Marsh Farm beef and Cameron Naughton’s multi-award-winning pork. Karl Pendlebury from the AHDB told the chefs that British Beef week is fast on the approach and invited them to come forward with any queries they have on the quality standard marks.
Eckington Manor, nestled in the Avon Valley perfectly lent itself as the perfect venue for the wild food hunt with David Harrison.
Mark and sue joined forces to showcase one of their signature dishes; loin of venison, confit suede, hispi cabbage and pumpkin seeds.
Mark said
“The students were excellent today – It’s the first time we have worked with Gloucestershire College and we were very impressed.”
Sue added
“We were delighted to see so many girls in the kitchen today – I cannot wait to further our relationship with the college and teaching in The Chefs’ Forum Academy.”
The culinary experts went on a tour of Eckington Manor’s grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts, flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner, the only real cost of foraging is time, a valuable resource for chefs. Most foraged produce is perishable and requires picking for service daily or every other day.
Forager David Harrison told chefs:
“Once you pick something, it immediately starts to lose its peak flavour and texture. So we do not store for that reason; we forage every day. It’s great to see so many chefs in attendance, we found lots of species today including hogweed, cow parsley, cleavers, nipplewort, hedge mustard, lesser celandine, bittercress, white nettles and red nettles. I hope that foraging with the chefs today spikes and interest in foraging and encourages them to bring this old skill back into the kitchen”
The event was a great chance for chefs to learn about foraging for their menus and the copious amount of amazing wild ingredients growing all around them. Once the chefs returned from the forage, they were treated to a beautiful afternoon tea of Clifton Coffee served with the following sweet canapes:
Coffee and caramel choux buns- Raspberry and lemon macaron
- White chocolate and orange pistachio cake
Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder and event organiser concluded:
“Eckington Manor was the perfect venue to hold an unusual and absorbing day of butchery grilling and foraging. It is great to see that the chefs are so keen on foraging and trying new cooking techniques with wild ingredients. Chefs’ Forum events provide a great opportunity for them all to meet up, touch base and share expertise and see the best products and produce available to them.”
The Chefs’ Forum launched in Birmingham in 2017 and has gone on to see many young chefs find work placements and apprenticeships in the best professional kitchens across the county and beyond!
Photography by www.fayditphotograpy.com
Archery, Spice and All Things Nice for Bristol Chefs at Thornbury Castle
The latest Bristol Chefs’ Forum event was right on target. Chefs and suppliers from across the Bristol area gathered at Thornbury Castle Hotel for an afternoon of networking and demonstrations, and to try their hand at archery and crossbow.
The event began with a sparkle, with a sparkling wine reception accompanied by canapés prepared and served by Andy Chan, Head Chef at Thornbury Castle, with the help of students from HIT Training, City of Bristol College and Weston College. It was great for these young kitchen and front of house students, from three different learning providers, to be able to work together as a team for the first time in a different environment – This was real industry experience!
Andy said: “The learners today have been a credit to the industry.
“They are so keen to learn, and hungry to learn, it’s wonderful to get people like them in the kitchen and see the future of catering. The have all been really great today”
Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son took to the Chefs’ Forum demo stage to break down half a pig for his butchery masterclass. He talked the chefs and students through the various different cuts of meat to be achieved and products that could be made using the entire carcass with zero waste. Katlin Ambos, Spice Queen at Santa Maria then introduced the chefs to the Santa Maria range of herbs and spices urging them to pay more care and attention to such an important element of their cooking. Katlin then suggested some rubs to go with Jack’s choice cuts before Leander Cadbury of Synergy Grill carried them off to be grilled to perfection by demo chef Claire Mansfield.
Thornbury Castle chefs Andy Chan and Tom Everard-Fairburn (Head Pastry Chef) joined forces on the demo stage to showcase some dishes from the Thornbury Castle menu. Andy used the freshly-butchered pork loin to create a perfectly-balanced seasonal dish of pork with burnt apple balls and broccoli with a rich sauce. The Convotherm Mini Combi oven was used to finish the dish and it went down a storm with the visiting chefs. Tom then created a beautifully fresh passionfruit parfait with a raspberry mousse and freeze-dried raspberry garnish. Tom explained plans to create a fully-stocked kitchen garden to become completely self-sufficient.
Next on the agenda was a 
sumptuous barbecue on the Synergy Grill showcasing Walter Rose handmade sausages and burgers as well as more fabulous Santa Maria rubbed pork cuts from Jack’s butchery demo. The chefs took the opportunity to fuel-up in advance of their archery and crossbow activity on the lawns of t
he castle. Devon-based adventure sports company Backwater Adventures then gave guests the chance to try their hand at archery and crossbow – Great for relaxing on their day off!
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum Catherine Farinha, explained
“The purpose of The Chefs’ Forum is to connect chefs, education and top-quality suppliers to both. It is extremely important to involve student chefs and front of house professionals in the events. I am delighted that students from three learning providers were all working together under Andy in the kitchen – it has been a fantastic learning experience for them all.”
Chef lecturer Ryan Fernandes from City of Bristol College said
“At the moment it is difficult to recruit young people. Today’s event has enabled our students to showcase their skills to perspective employers. We really enjoy taking part in Chefs’ Forum events to keep up to date with industry trends and cooking styles as well as forging links with our teaching peers from other colleges and learning providers”.
Jeanette Rollings from Weston College added
“It is about getting young people involved in our industry. We need to invite schools into our colleges and inspire young people with food. My students have very much enjoyed their time at today’s Chefs’ Forum event, for many, at level one, it was their first Chefs’ Forum event and they loved being given the opportunity to attend. It’s a great follow-on from the work we are doing inside the college with The Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions, where guest chefs (all Chefs’ Forum members) enrich the learning of our students through delivering cookery masterclasses in our college kitchens.”
Angelo Moore from HIT Training agreed.
He said: “It’s important that we encourage young people in the industry.
“HIT is a national training provider and we also have a Chefs’ Academy. We liaise with employers and heads of industry to make sure that we keep what we do current and deliver work-based learning qualifications which proves a great solution for many employers. It’s also great for our apprentices to experience different organisations and to work with other industry professionals.”
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold four events per year in Bristol and any chefs wishing to join should email Rebecca Saunders, Member Relations Executive rebecca@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by: www.fayditphotograpy.com
The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation Spring Lunch Raised £4,000 for Young Hospitality Professionals
The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation held its first Executive Chefs’ Spring Lunch for sixty guests. The sell-out event showcasing four multi-award-winning Executive Chefs generated over £4,000 for the foundation incorporated to support young chefs coming into the hospitality industry. The event with Bath Audi as Headline Sponsor, took place at The Bath Priory on the 19th March 2018.
Michael Nizzero, Executive Chef of The Bath Priory hosted the event which saw three other guest Executive Chefs join him on the pass. Michael has been at The Bath Priory for two years but prior to his appointment at this beautiful hotel, he has worked with many industry greats including Michel and Alain Roux at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn and most recently The Ritz (London). The Spring Lunch saw him cook with three peers, each with a combination of Michelin stars, TV appearances and industry accreditations to raise money for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. Each chef expertly cooked one of four courses to showcase the best cooking that the Bath & Cotswolds area has to offer. The Executive chefs who took part were:
Michael Nizzero (The Bath Priory), Niall Keating (Whatley Manor), Hywel Jones (Lucknam Park) and Richard Davies (Calcot Manor).
Host Michael Nizzero said:
“The Spring Lunch was an amazing experience – it was a real privilege to work with such talented chefs from the Bath & Cotswolds area in our kitchen at The Bath Priory. Huge thanks to Bath College and Gloucestershire College for arranging for their top students to work with us in the kitchen – they were a real credit to their colleges.”
Paola Cassoti, General Manager at The Bath Priory added:
“We are very happy to host The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation’s Spring Lunch. It is great to see so many industry experts in one room and a really rewarding experience to support the next generation of hospitality professionals.”
A silent, sealed bid auction made up of luxury dinners and stays donated by the chefs taking part, with a Hallgarten Wines sponsored Magnum and 6 Vinoteque crystal glasses from Artis helped to boost monies raised making this a highly successful fundraising lunch. Sponsors including Walter Rose & Son, Flying Fish, Santa Maria, Dorset Sea Salt, Koppert Cress, French Garden, Premier Cheese, Clifton Coffee and Hallgarten Wines all donated ingredients driving down the food cost, making the most money possible for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. The chefs who took part in the lunch often give up their time to work with and mentor hospitality students at the Gloucestershire College via The Chefs’ Forum Academy and demos at Bath College enabling them to learn from the best.
Catherine Farinha gave a speech about the fabulous work The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation does in helping young chefs and hospitality professionals overcome problems with travel, relocation and equipment costs.
Catherine commented:
“The work we do is vital in offering support to young people entering the hospitality industry. From helping schools transport GCSE students to hospitality industry taster days, to paying for driving lessons or a first month’s rent, it is fund-raising Chefs’ Lunches like these that facilitate our offering help to the next generation, bridging the chef shortage. 
At the lunch, hospitality and catering students from Gloucestershire and Bath Colleges got the opportunity to sample the best in Michelin-starred fine dining, most of them, for the very first time. All students who attended were chosen for outstanding performance on their hospitality courses.
Mark Hyde Catton, Chefs’ Forum Academy coordinator at Gloucestershire College concluded:
This lunch represented everything The Chefs’ Forum Academy at Gloucestershire College has become and we are so grateful to the chefs and sponsors for their involvement in this event for such a worthy cause. It is a fact that young people, through no fault of their own require assistance when they are first starting out in the hospitality industry. It was amazing to speak to Chef Michael Nizzero who has invited our students back to work in his kitchen. I am delighted to see that today’s lunch and funds raised has made this possible, as many of our students will need financial help to travel to Bath. This lunch was also a fabulous chance for current and future chefs and front of house professionals to witness first-hand, industry-leading cookery and service!’
Photography by: www.fayditphotography.com
