The Chefs’ Forum Learns Indian Gastronomy at The Mint Room in Bath
The Mint Room Bath was the venue for the latest Chefs’ Forum event which saw a celebration of Indian gastronomy led by Executive Chef Soyful Alom. The first impression of Soyful’s food was of vibrancy and culinary excellence as he showcased his menu, developed with Michelin-starred chef Hrishkesh Desai (Gilpin Hotel & Lake House).
Ever since its launch in 2012, The Mint Room Bath has been a much-talked-about foodie destination as Soyful offers diners ‘a culinary tour of India without a visa!’ The restaurant is very stylish and the food very modern, which has earned the restaurant a Michelin mention.
Soyful invited students from Bath College and Gloucestershire College into his kitchen to prepare Indian canapés for some seventy-odd industry professionals that were to fill this glitzy venue at midday.
Soyful said
“I didn’t realise that the students would be so fascinated by Indian cuisine. I was very impressed with their existing knowledge of flavours and spice combinations, their enthusiasm and willingness to learn was really pleasing.”
Soyful, inspired by his mother’s cooking has been cooking for over 20 years. He really enjoyed working with Hrishkesh to perfect his menu, which certainly proved a real hit with the culinary experts and students alike.
Bridget Halford, Head of hospitality at Bath College said
“It has been really inspirational for our students to work with a group of professional Asian chefs, for many it is their first attempt at cooking authentic, fine dining Indian cuisine and experimenting with such intense and rich flavour.”
Jack cook from Walter Rose butchered a whole lamb showcasing prime cuts of lamb and making use of the whole carcass, minimising wastage and maximising profit. He then jointed a peeking duck, again showing the chefs how to use the whole bird inspiring menu ideas.
Another highlight of the day was Bristol-based Averys wine merchants leading a fascinating and insightful wine and food pairing session. Professional oenophile, Averys Frank Mason teamed up with Abigail Lawley of Brindisa to present three delicious Spanish wines, married with three sublime Spanish cheeses.
The visiting chefs and students relished the chance to have a glimpse of complex Indian cooking techniques, handed down from generation to generation. Soyful performed an excellent cookery demo of Tawa Duck, a roast duck dish with a korma base and Indian spices, one of the most popular dishes on his menu.
Gloucestershire College student Linzi Moulder (18) very much enjoyed her Indian cookery experience, she said
“Working at The Mint Room Today under Soyful and his team has been different and very inspirational. I am really enjoying The Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions at my college, it is great to learn different cooking techniques and skills from local chefs in the surrounding area.”
Soyful’s mentoring also included a samosa making competition in which Bath College student Kyle Lucas (17) won a fantastic ‘Chefs Life’ T-shirt donated by Chefs Locker.
Kyle said
“I am really excited to have won a day in the kitchen with Soyful. Having worked as a waiter in a local Indian restaurant, I am no stranger to Indian cuisine. Today’s event however has inspired me to experiment further in the kitchen, actually cooking Indian food, I am really chuffed to have won the competition today.”
The Chefs’ Forum holds quarterly events in the Bath & Cotswolds area and thirty six chef events per year nationally. Any chefs wishing to get involved should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Bristol Harbour Hotel Hosts The Chefs’ Forum’s Fabulous Fish Event!
The Chefs’ Forum went back to its roots in holding this quarter’s Bristol Chefs’ Forum event in the heart of the City of Bristol, where it first launched in 2011. The Bristol Harbour Hotel is Bristol’s newest and most impressive events space and its opulent Sansovino Hall proved the perfect venue for the prolific culinary gathering.
‘Fabulous fish in the banking hall’ was the title of the event, but this didn’t really do it justice. Once the former banking hall of the Lloyds Bank building, this venue has, until now, been one of Bristol’s best kept secrets. The Sansovino Hall hosts a magnificent skylight with an intricately painted ceiling and can seat up to 300 guests for a diverse range of occasions. The hall, inspired by Sansovino’s 16th century library of St Mark in the Piazzatta at Venice, provided a grandioso back-drop for The Chefs’ Forum Demo Stage which made an outing to maximise on such an amazing venue.
Headline sponsors, Bristol Audi provided a beautiful electric blue Audi Q2 to mark the Corn Street entrance to The Chefs’ Forum in the grand hall, perfectly matching the ‘blue carpet’ leading into the event. The day started with an hour of networking, where chefs and employers got to compare notes and discuss their individual requirements and current industry topics.
Head Chef Christian Wragg worked with HIT Training learners and City of Bristol College students to produce delicious canapés showcasing The Chefs’ Forum sponsors’ ingredients and his delicious menu at the Jetty Restaurant. All ingredients were donated by The Chefs’ Forum sponsors Arthur David, Walter Rose Butchers, Kingfisher Brixham, Koppert Cress and Castell Howell.
The Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha welcomed guests to the event and said:
“It is brilliant to be back in Bristol once again, where The Chefs’ Forum began six years ago. Since then, we have grown to hold 36 events a year in nine areas, from Birmingham to Cornwall, Wales to Kent and London. It is great to see so many faces old and new and we are truly grateful for the on-going support offered by the great chefs of Bristol, celebrating such a vibrant and diverse food scene in the newly-crowned Sunday Times Newspaper’s best Place to Live!”
First up to the purpose-built Chefs’ Forum demo stage was Kingfisher Brixham’s Darren Whelan who silenced the room with a series of high-speed, high-yield fish filleting demos. The chefs looked on in awe as he annihilated a flatfish, turned a gurnard inside-out and filleted a ginormous salmon in seconds!
This preceded a mackerel-filleting competition for the students which saw level one student Fenton Partridge (City of Bristol College) pip HIT Training learner to the winning post by a pin bone; Fenton produced some great boneless fillets and bagged himself a fabulous Sakai Takayuki Japanese paring knife, kindly donated by Chefs Locker which he vowed to look after and treasure for life!
Christian performed a cookery demo showcasing his signature octopus starter and talked the chefs through sousvide cookery and the advantages of using frozen octopus over fresh for this type of fish. Christian talked chefs through the prepping, seasoning and vac-packing of the octopus, prior to its submersion in the Clifton Food Range water bath for six hours. He then produced one he made earlier and finished it in the pan on Locher Induction provided by 
Cusinequip.
Christian said:
“It is great to welcome the Bristol chef scene to Bristol’s newest event venue. I have very much enjoyed working with the students from HIT Training and City of Bristol College. I am proud to showcase my sousvide octopus dish, one of our signature starter dishes on the Jetty Bites menu. I look forward to welcoming the chefs back to eat with us and students for work experience very soon!”
Christian then plated the dish for the guests to try.
Next on the demo stage was Convotherm’s development chef Keith Howland. Keith gathered various quality ingredients from the top quality suppliers around the room to produce a sumptuous hake dish with seasonal vegetables using the Convotherm combi oven and induction plancha. Keith plated the dish on Artis tableware and garnished the dish with Koppert Cress micro borage which finished the dish perfectly.
T
he Bristol institution that is Averys led a tutored wine and food pairing session. Fifth generation wine merchant, Mimi Avery captivated the audience of hospitality industry professionals with her expert selection of three wines paired to three of Christian’s canapés. The guests learned rose stands up well to the oiliness of salmon, that goats cheese is well-partnered to a southern French blend that it is indeed very hard to pair a wine to grilled artichoke, but Averys fine Claret Merlot and Cabernet blend 2012 complimented the smoky grilled notes!
A delicious Jetty Afternoon Tea accompanied by finest barista-made Illy coffee rounded off a day of great demos, culinary flare and chef networking and a fabulous day was had by all in the banking hall!
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold four events a year in Bristol and any chefs interested in attending should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Top Chefs Tour Award-winning Vineyard!
Monday 20th March saw The Chefs’ Forum gather at Hush Heath Estate to get an insight into its award-winning English wines and ciders. Top chefs and front of house professionals from across Kent, Sussex and London attended this quarter’s Kent Chefs’ Forum event to celebrate English wine at its best!
The day started with a hospitality industry networking session accompanied by Jake’s Orchard sparkling cider which made the guests see apples in an altogether more sophisticated light!
Hush Heath Executive Chef Fabio Vinciguerra and his team showcased their menu in an array of delicious canapés to compliment the sparkling cider.
All ingredients were kindly sponsored by Wellocks, Koppert Cress, Salvatori Butchers, Brindisa and Direct Seafoods (Colchester).
The Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha welcomed the chefs to the event and introduced the duo of cookery demos which were to take place in the tasting marquee at the vineyard.
First of all, Fabio wowed the guests with his sea urchin, clam and prawn linguini. There’s nothing better that seeing fresh pasta being made with an Italian chef talking his cheffy audience through the composition of the dish – Sea urchin was a first for many, but a staple for Fabio in his native Sardinia. Cooking on Locher Induction from Cuisinequip and seafood supplied by Direct Seafoods Colchester, he showed the chefs how to achieve the perfect linguini and preparation and cooking of this deliciously spikey ingredient!
Fabio stated:
‘Today was all about showing our peers what we do and the passion in our food and our wine-making. We pride ourselves in using the best quality local produce and cooking and pairing with our very own wine. Our menus are crafted around the fantastic range of award-winning wines available from our very own winery. We feel is important to have satisfaction in the job you do when food looks and tastes great and the guests are happy, so are we.’
Next, Convotherm Development chef Keith Howland showcased the brilliant technology of the Convotherm combi oven, complete with ‘disappearing door’ for optimum kitchen space saving and intelligent cooking! Keith prepared a delicious confit duck dish showcasing the versatility of the oven and all of its market-leading features.
It was quite fitting that the WSET took the floor at this point and invited the chefs to suck a taste test strip to determine which of the culinary experts had the best palate. The results split the room and revealed a great deal about their ability to decipher various flavour notes and tastes.
The main event of the day was a tutored wine tasting by Hush Heath wine producer Richard Balfour-Lynn. Richard talked the Chefs’ Forum members through his various wines saying that here ‘We only make wine that we like to drink. Any wine we don’t sell, we drink.’
He continued:
‘It is great to welcome members of The Chefs’ Forum to integrate wine with food. I am really pleased to be working with chefs and local suppliers to encourage food pairing and food matching. Events like these really showcase the growth of the English wine industry.’
Richard then took the culinary guests on a tour of his impressive winery. He walked the chefs and front of house professionals through the fascinating process behind the production of his award-winning wines, past enormous wine vats and bespoke bottling machines. Although the planned vineyard tour was slightly marred by drizzly English weather on the first day of spring, Richard insisted the guests return later in the season to see the beautiful vineyard at its best, encased by enchanting bluebell woods.
The Chefs’ Forum looks forward to showcasing Hush Heath wine at future events and encouraging more restaurants to list English wine as a serious accompaniment to great food!
Those wishing to visit Hush Heath to embark upon their own wine tour and tasting should email info@hushheath.com or call the winery on 01622 832794.
Photography by www.manupalomeque.com
Cornish Culinary Flair Celebrated at the Mullion Cove Hotel
The Mullion Cove Hotel, Helston was the magical setting for the latest Cornwall meet of The Chefs’ Forum on Monday (13) March. Top chefs from across the county gathered at this stunning costal location for a day of knowledge sharing and a celebration of Cornish culinary flair and produce.
Head Chef Paul Stephens welcomed students from Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith College into his kitchen to prepare and serve canapés showcasing his menu to the celebrated local chefs who attended. Two Brothers Butchers, Total Produce Cornwall and Kingfisher Brixham sponsored the ingredients for the canapés to showcase fantastic local ingredients available to Cornish chefs.
General Manager, Daniel Thompson proved the perfect host as he told the chefs about the hotel, compered on the microphone throughout the chef demo and laid-on a fabulous Clayzer session for the chefs to relax and enjoy against a dramatic costal background, although it did get quite competitive!
Daniel said:
“It was absolutely delightful to have such a plethora of amazing culinary talent visit us at The Mullion Cove hotel yesterday. Not only was it an extraordinary event for the hotel, but also for The Chefs’ Forum the Cornish hospitality industry – It really is brilliant to be able to bring so many chefs, producers and suppliers together in one place.”
Chef Patron of Austell’s restaurant Brett Camborne-Paynter won the Clayzer competition with a score of 44 points (or clays hit with the laser shotgun), closely followed by Chris Beynon and Anton Buttery with a joint score of 37 points!
To celebrate his victory, Brett Camborne-Paynter won a prize of a bottle of Curio Samphire Gin.
Level 3 student Christian Burrell from Cornwall College really enjoyed his day saying:
“It’s great to get out of college and meet local employers. I’ve had a great experience today and particularly enjoyed taking part in the Curio cocktail-making competition”.
The Cocktail-making competition was staged by Curio Spirits and it was student Sophie Hooper of Truro & Penwith College who won the competition with her innovative and award-winning ‘Orange Surprise’.
Sophie will enjoy a trip to the Curio distillery, make her own vodka and see her prize-winning cocktail on the drinks menu at Mullion Cove for the next month – She will also win a day’s work experience with Andy Morton, cocktail expert and Bar Manager at The Mullion Cove Hotel.
Cornwall Chefs’ Forum member, Chef Patron Anton Buttery of Langmans Restaurant in Callington said:
“Although rather sore from being robbed of my Clayzer victory, I was delighted to try Sophie’s winning cocktail – It was delicious with a nice taste of thyme on the finish. Another great Chefs’ Forum event for me and I look forward to the next one on the 5th of June at St Ives Harbour Hotel.”
Other highlights of the day included a tutored Curio Spirits tasting by brand ambassador Yohann Thuiller and a fascinating dehydration demo by Paul Stephens showcasing his love for his new dehydration cupboard, bought for him to celebrate his acquisition of his second AA rosette!
Paul showed his peers how he can dehydrate virtually anything to make healthy, raw and preservative free snacks, vegetable treats and beef jerky!
The chefs really enjoyed Paul’s demo and asked lots of questions about this clever method of evaporating moisture and thereby removing the potential for spoilage.
Jobs were offered to students on the day and a great networking event was had by all who attended.
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold quarterly events in Cornwall, bridging the gap between education and industry. Any chefs or front of house professionals wishing to attend should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
THE CHEFS’ FORUM GOES FORAGING FOR NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 2017
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 6th March, over sixty top chefs from Devon and Cornwall flocked to fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison.
Glistening with spring rain, Hotel Endsleigh’s impressive grounds were slightly moist, but that didn’t dampen chefs’ spirits as they embarked on a flora and fauna adventure. 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 involved Hotel Endsleigh’s Head Chef Jose Graziossi working with eight apprentices from the Rick Stein Academy at Truro and Penwith College and Hit Learner Vicky Taylor from HIT Training to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2017.
Vicky, a HIT Training learner at Britannia Navel College said:
“Today has been really great, I really enjoyed working with the Rick Stein apprentices and they really made me feel part of the team today. It has been really different to what I normally do at work but wonderful to learn about other chefs’ menus and cooking styles.”
Hotel Endsleigh, a Grade I historic house owned by Olga Polizzi in the Tamar Valley is shrouded in beautiful gardens and fairytale woodland, follies and grottos. It perfectly lent itself as the perfect venue for the cheffy wild food hunt!
Jose showcased his menu in preparing stunning canapés for around forty of his peers from across Devon and Cornwall. The chefs really enjoyed the chance to get a snapshot of this popular chefs’ menu, who has, at some point or another worked with most of the chefs in the room.
Jose said:
“I’m really lucky to have these beautiful grounds on my doorstep – I am truly spoilt for choice. I thought the event today was brilliant and it’s great to be able to educate and enthuse fellow chefs and the next generation. Foraging makes up a big part of my menu here at Hotel Endsleigh – Last year I picked 40kg of wild mushrooms!”
The culinary experts went on a tour of Endsleigh’s impressive grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts, flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Devon countryside. They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner (in this case the Polizzi family), 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. Its great to see so many chefs in attendance – I hope that foraging with the young apprentice chefs today spikes and interest in foraging and encourages them to bring this old skill back into the kitchen”
Jose then showcased the plethora of delicious ways that David’s foraged ingredients could be incorporated into his restaurant menus in two demos of turbot and venison. BBC Spotlight turned up to film the whole event which was a real coup for The Chefs’ Forum, Jose and the entire Devon and Cornwall chef scene. It is cookery demonstrations like these at Chefs’ Forum events that inspire young chefs and make for constant updating of skills and expansion of culinary skill sets. The televising of Chefs’ Forum events will hopefully encourage more young people into the industry by showing exactly how exciting chef life can be!
The event was a great chance for chefs and students to learn about foraging for their menus and the copious amount of amazing wild ingredients growing all around them.
Catherine Farinha, The Chefs’ Forum Founder and event organiser concluded:
Hotel Endsleigh was the perfect venue to hold an unusual and absorbing day of 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.
The Chefs’ Forum launched in Devon in 2012 and has gone on to see many young chefs find work placements and apprenticeships in the best professional kitchens across the county and beyond!
The Chefs’ Forum Forage in Milton Abbot can be seen on BBC Spotlight:
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Dorset & Hampshire Chefs & Catering Students Cook Lunch for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation
A full house and star-studded line-up of chefs working with students at Bournemouth & Poole College resulted in an impressive £665 being raised for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. Matt Budden (Hilton), Jan Bretschneider (Restaurant Roots) Nick St. Peter (Highcliff Marriott) and Andrew Du Bourg (Elderflower Restaurant) all collaborated to cook a four course banquet with students from Bournemouth & Poole College’s Escoffier Restaurant.
Welcoming 60 industry guests to the college, Christophe Baffos, Director of Learning for Service Industries at The College said:
“We are very pleased as a college to welcome The Chefs’ Forum and local employers to our Escoffier Restaurant – What a great turn out! It is a great opportunity for our students to work with different employers in our kitchen, and to showcase our facility, the quality of teaching and the range of qualifications that we have to offer to the local community and to businesses.”
Tracy Butler, Learning Manager for Catering at The College echoed Christophe’s positive comments:
“It’s a fantastic event that brings suppliers, local chefs and students together and we as a college are very happy to be
part of it!”
Level three student Emma Lumber (26) was working on Matt Budden’s starter of smoked mutton ‘Bruschetta’ with radish, celeriac, quince & beurre noisette dressing. She said:
“Working with Matt and the guest chefs today showed me how different chefs work – It was brilliant to see such high level cookery. I came to Bournemouth & Poole College because of its great reputation in industry and I have really enjoyed my day today!”
Jan produced a stunning fish dish of poached cod, oyster emulsion, aerated egg white, cabbage, mussel sauce and tarragon, he really enjoyed working with the students saying:
“It was awesome to help the future generation of chefs. Working with the level three students from the College and Spencer Birkett, the HIT Training learner today reassures me that our local college is producing highly talented young chefs and so is HIT Training, which is great to see.”
Twenty year-old Harry Keetch was working on Jan’s section and was delighted to be offered a day in Jan’s kitchen on work experience, he said:
“I have really enjoyed working with Jan, learning new techniques and gaining ideas and inspiration – I want to see it all come alive on the plate now.”
Nick St Peter produced a delicious main course of slow roasted belly, seared loin, fennel, carrot and roasted apple and potato with the students, he then told the guests that the dish incorporated root to tip and nose to tail cookery. Nick said he was really pleased with the students’ performance in the kitchen and is very happy to welcome them into the kitchen at the Highcliff Marriott for work experience.
Andrew Du Bourg wowed the guests with his signature dessert of ‘Close But No Cigar’– chocolate & whisky mousse, coffee ice cream, vanilla milk foam, cigar smoked chocolate. As an ex-student of The College, he was very happy to be invited back to work with the students, he said:
“Today was great fun; the students seem to have a brilliant understanding of the basics. Being back at The College brings back many happy memories and I’m feeling rather spoilt in using the fantastic facilities! I look forward to sampling the great food being produced.”
The Chefs’ Forum holds quarterly events in Dorset and Hampshire, any chefs or front of house professionals wishing to attend should contact Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum: catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.andrewplantphotography.com
University College Birmingham hosted Midlands Chefs’ Forum Launch!
The Chefs’ Forum launched its Birmingham & Midlands Chapter at University College Birmingham on the 20th February 2017. Roux Scholar 2016, Harry Guy, Michelin-starred, Simpsons Restaurant Head Chef, Nathan Eades and Masterchef Professionals finalist Mark Stinchcombe with his wife, Sue Stinchcombe, joint Head Chefs at Eckington Manor (Pershore) all worked with the UCB students to produce a magnificent banquet for the top chefs who attended.
This event signified a huge event in the Birmingham Hospitality industry, a bringing-together of the very best professionals in the business to inspire and enthuse the next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals at what has been described by Marco Pierre White as the “Ferrari of catering colleges!” The college of food has benefited through annual refurbishment and upgrades to ensure that it remains a state of the art facility.
The Brasserie Restaurant at the University proved the perfect venue for the very first Chefs’ Forum event – A fund raising lunch in aid of industry charity, Hospitality Action.
Neil Rippington, Dean of The College of Food at University College Birmingham stated:
“The teaching team and I are delighted to host this inaugural event and hope to catch up with friends and local industry heroes old and new. It was great to see so many enthusiastic chefs and high quality 
suppliers in attendance today. The students have greatly enjoyed working with such high calibre chefs and we look forward to being involved in quarterly Chefs’ Forum events in Birmingham from now on – Moving forward, we would like UCB to be a hub for The Chefs’ Forum in Birmingham”.
The brigade of acclaimed chefs cooked a fantastic four course lunch comprising of a Brindisa Spanish Fine Foods Sharing Platter to start, then Harry Guy’s fish course of Confit Loch Duart Salmon, Turnip, Granny Smith Apple and Tarragon.
Nathan Eades, Head Chef at Michelin-starred Simpsons Restaurant (Edgebaston) relished the opportunity to cook the main course with the young chefs at the college saying, “It is great to work with the young people at the college. I want to show them that we are very approachable and that as a result of a successful trial shift, a job as a chef in a Michelin-starred is absolutely achievable. The team of students working with me today were very talented and had a great attitude. Based on their performance today I would love to welcome them to Simpsons on work experience.”
Lasharna Miller (18) was one of the students working with Nathan to produce his delicious main course of ox cheek, parsley root puree, confit leeks, fermented mushrooms and beef sauce. It is Lasharna’s ambition to work in a Michelin Kitchen one day and today’s event gave her a real insight into the level of skill required in such high-level cookery.
Lasharna said:
“It was really inspirational to work with Nathan today. I am really pleased that he has invited me to come into his kitchen for work experience. We talked about different menus that they do at Simpsons and I really got a great insight as to what to expect from working in a fine dining Michelin-starred restaurant which is my dream I hope to realise one day.”
Mark and Sue Stinchcombe rounded of a fabulous day with their excellent dessert of Poached Rhubarb and Hibiscus, Egg Custard with Rhubarb and Gin Sorbet. This amazing dessert looked too good to eat and the room fell silent as the guests tucked in and polished it off! Mark and Sue already have Scott Wilkinson (18) a Level 3 UCB student working in their cookery school.
Sue said:
“It’s great to be at the college today with Scotty and his peers, it gives us a chance to work with the students and show them what we’re doing in industry. I see it as a fantastic opportunity to build that bridge between what they are learning at college and coming into the real world of work.”
The Chefs’ Forum will hold quarterly events in Birmingham from now on and any chefs or front of house professionals wishing to get involved should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Watch us on Made in Birmingham TV:
Top Welsh chefs go back to The Classroom at Cardiff and Vale College
The Chefs’ Forum staged ‘A Chefs’ Lunch’ at Cardiff and Vale College on Monday (13) February. Hospitality students at the College had the opportunity to learn from industry experts as they welcomed chefs from Purple Poppadom, St David’s Hotel and Restaurant James Sommerin.
The Chefs’ Forum holds a culinary convention in Wales each quarter and is proud to showcase students from Cardiff and Vale College working front of house and in the kitchen at a variety of leading operations, under renowned local chefs and hospitality experts.
The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the College’s critically acclaimed facility and demonstrate why it is carving out a great reputation for Welsh culinary excellence. The College has won a string of accolades including an AA Rosette for The Classroom Restaurant, which is now a finalist in the prestigious Cardiff Life Awards for ‘Best Restaurant’. Earlier this year student Amy Hoskins, 21, came twelfth out of fifty competing countries in worldwide college cookery competition, the International Young Chef Olympiad which took place in India.
The learners worked in the kitchen with top local chefs to serve a delicious four course lunch for more than 60 culinary experts. The chefs mentoring the students were Anand George (Purple Poppadom), Martyn Watkins (St David’s Hotel & Spa) and James Sommerin (Restaurant James Sommerin). The ‘pay what you can’ lunch raised an impressive £900 in donations made to The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation, a means-tested fund to help disadvantaged students aged 14-25 make their way in the hospitality industry.
CAVC Principal Kay Martin gave a welcome speech to the guests and spoke of her passion for the industry and why events like these are very good in inspiring young people.
Kay explained that the world-class facilities at the college are just part of her vision to make the learners truly work-ready and that the whole facility is now a Centre of Excellence with gold standard accreditation for its hospitality programme, awarded by People First, the skills sector council.
Kay stated: “We like to offer our students a ‘real not realistic’ learning experience in working within a fully operational business, open to the general public six days a week. Our learners are accustomed to working with industry-leading equipment.”
Deputy Head of Hospitality, Eric Couturier supported Kay’s inspirational speech on the College, saying: “It is superb to welcome Anand George, Martyn Watkins and James Sommerin to the college. I am delighted that they gave up their time to inspire our learners and impart their knowledge and experience onto them. Today has been a fantastic networking opportunity for all involved in the culinary industry of Wales.”
The Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha introduced the chefs to the industry guests and invited them to introduce each course and talk about their experience in working with the students to produce each dish.
Michelin-starred chef James Sommerin concluded: “Today has been amazing. I would happily welcome Cardiff and Vale learners into my kitchen based on their impressive performance today. It was really pleasing to see them attempt and conquer some complex cooking 
techniques that may well have been out of their comfort zone.”
The next Chefs’ Forum event will take place at Restaurant James Sommerin on the 24th April 2017, where James will invite his fellow chefs and the learners to see his Michelin star restaurant and offer them the chance to work with his top-drawer team and sample more of his stunning food. Any chef interested in attending should contact The Chefs’ Forum.
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Master Chefs Inspire Next Generation of Talent in West London
Five of London’s most highly-skilled chefs helped 100 young people serve up a mouth-watering meal for 50 extremely discerning diners in Ealing, this week.
The University of West London (UWL) opened up three of its teaching kitchens to the cream of the culinary profession on Monday, as part of The Chefs’ Forum – a series of networking events for helping young people to enter the hospitality business, by linking them up with employers.
The Chefs’ Forum bridges the gap between industry and education and by hosting it for the first time, UWL underlined its commitment to being the Career University.
Guiding the students from UWL’s London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism (LGCHT) on the day were chefs Gareth Bowen from Shangri-La at the Shard, Alistair Dibbs from Harrods, and Tamas Baranyi and Laurentiu Samoila from Bluebells Restaurant. Presiding at the occasion ‘front of house’ was Maitre d’, Thierry Tomasin, of Angelus Restaurant, who previously spent a decade at the famous two-Michelin-star restaurant, Le Gavroche.
Together they created and served a four-course meal for around 50 professionals from the catering industry who were there to get in touch with the next generation of talent. On the menu was tourteau of crab and avocado, scorched mackerel, salt marsh lamb, with a mango and passion fruit chocolate dessert.
LGCHT Student Catarina Melo took part in The Chefs’ Forum and said: ‘I have learnt new skills, such as how precision is of the utmost importance and how to put myself in the position of the customer, asking ourselves how we would like to be treated. It was really good to do something new and this has been a great first attempt at banqueting for me.’
James Edmunds, Dean of LGCHT said: ‘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.’
Deputy Dean Janet Rowson helped organise the event, the first to be hosted at the University said:
‘I am very proud of our students, they really stepped up to the task and it’s important that we nurture and support them. It’s important they have the opportunity to work with industry on the practical side, as well as on theory. For the College, this Forum is an excellent opportunity to build important networks and partnerships in the hospitality and catering industry.’
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Next Generation of Chefs Inspired at Launch of The Chefs’ Forum Academy at Gloucestershire College
Gloucestershire College was filled with the delicious aromas yesterday as top chefs and food exhibitors from the South-West gathered to launch The Chefs’ Forum Academy – a new collaboration with The Chefs’ Forum to train the top chefs of the future.
A guest list of industry representatives, local schools and stakeholders gathered in the Cheltenham event, where they were treated to handcrafted canapés, made by GC Professional Chef students under the guidance of guest chefs.
An afternoon of live demonstrations followed; the first combining the talents of Walter Rose butcher, Jack Cook and Head Chef at Bristol’s Berwick Lodge, Paul O’Neill, who created a tea-smoked duck and pickled orange gel salad. Fishmonger, Darren Whelan of Kingfisher Brixham, also wowed the audience with a skilled fish filleting display, from which Lucknam Park chef Dean Westcar prepared a dish of pan fried turbot with leeks.
Paul O’Neill said: “I really enjoy working with the students, it is really rewarding to see them implementing their own ideas and philosophy into menus. It is great to teach them about seasonality and different flavour combinations – they are a very talented group.”
Chef Lecturer and The Chefs’ Forum Academy Coordinator Mark Hyde-Catton said: “Today’s launch event was a great success. It was really beneficial for the students to work alongside the Michelin-starred Lucknam Park team and it was fantastic to work again with Roux Scholar Paul O’Neill, who came in for a masterclass with our students last week.
“Working with such high-calibre chefs gives our students the confidence to interact with industry chefs when they leave college. The Chefs’ Forum Academy brings students new skills, new products and vital exposure to great chefs. This in turn enhances their education to bring them a more cohesive learning experience.”
The event also featured a mini trade show of food industry exhibitors, including Gloucestershire-based wholefood supplier, Creed; fruit and vegetable wholesaler Arthur David and IDS catering equipment.
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, Catherine Farinha, said: “It was very encouraging to see such a show of strength in support for the Chefs’ Forum Academy at Gloucestershire College.
“Our chef members really want to work with students at the College and have demonstrated their commitment to inspiring the next generation in attending today’s launch event and offering to teach the students.
“We are delighted to be working with such a fantastic college and look forward to working together to hone the skills of the next generation of top chefs.”
Level 3 Professional Chef student, Anna Wise said: “I’ve really enjoyed The Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions so far, especially when Paul O’Neill taught us how to put a menu together using our own ideas.
“I was inspired by my grandparents to take up cooking and it’s become my passion, so I’m delighted to be working towards becoming a professional chef.”
Sian Heath, who is in her second year on the course said: “Today has been a great experience. I was part of the team making savoury and sweet canapés in the kitchen, then afterwards I got to come out into the event and watch the chefs we’re going to be working with in the Academy in action, which was really exciting.”
The launch took place in the recently refurbished Number One Restaurant at the College’s Cheltenham Campus, which is staffed by catering and hospitality students, who serve-up hand-made meals and light bites to the public on Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes.
From this month, The Chefs’ Forum Academy will be integrated into full-time catering courses at Gloucestershire College, to compliment the training students receive by expert teaching staff in the College’s professional kitchens. To find out more about catering and hospitality courses at Gloucestershire College visit: www.gloscol.ac.uk/catering
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
