Sword of Excellence

Employer Showcase: Andrew Brownsword Hotels

Comprising thirteen properties in countryside settings and city centre locations, Andrew Brownsword Hotels is owned by Christina and Andrew Brownsword CBE DL who strive to create very special places that truly embody their own ethos of great hospitality. The collection includes award-winning Gidleigh Park in Devon, 5 AA red star hotel and spa, The Bath Priory, 900-year-old Amberley Castle in West Sussex, five Cotswold properties: The Slaughters Manor House, The Slaughters Country Inn, Buckland Manor, Minster Mill and the Old Swan plus stylish London pied à terre, Sydney House Chelsea.

ABode Hotels are located in the heart of Canterbury, Chester, Glasgow and Manchester. Each ABode Hotel is individual in design. Their distinctive interiors have been designed to offer unique hotels which embrace the heritage of the building in which they are set, whilst at the same time offering a contemporary experience that reflects their city centre location.

The high-end luxury hotel collection can offer real career progression opportunities and it was our pleasure to work with them to stage a magnificent lunch to showcase the group and its excellent culinary talent.

Four chefs from Andrew Brownsword Hotels put on a masterclass of hotel cooking at The Bath Priory on Monday (4) March 2024 at the latest Chefs’ Forum lunch in a series, showcasing high profile employers across the UK.

Nicholas Chappell from Slaughters Manor, Mark Potts from Buckland Manor, Jauca Catalin from Bath Priory and Paul Peters from Amberley Castle cooked for 100 invited guests from the Cotswolds and Bath area to showcase careers at Brownsword Hotels.

They were joined by students from City of Bristol College and five excellent temps from high-end staffing specialist, Off To Work, who got to work in the kitchen and serve front of house.

Regional General Manager, Gurval Durand, welcomed his industry peers to the event, he said

“Its great to see so many of you here today supporting our local hospitality industry and our chefs here from across Andrew Brownsword Hotels at this fantastic showcase event.  I want to thank Bath Priory Hotel Manager Carlotta Pascual-Solera and Jauca for working with The Chefs’ Forum team to pull this all together and I am very pleased with the result.  The food has been wonderful and the atmosphere in the room so positive and inspirational for young chefs and hospitality professionals.  This is what our industry is all about and it is our pleasure to host you all today, we would be happy to welcome you back to eat with us or visit our spa in the future.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said afterwards: “Our careers showcase lunches are gathering pace now. It really is an an excellent way to bring together group talent and mix that with outstanding ingredients from our suppliers and keen students from our colleges. The Bath Priory lunch was a cracker.”

Jauca Catalin, Executive Chef at The Bath Priory said: “The lunch was a pleasure to put together and congratulations to The Chefs’ Forum. It’s such a simple idea to get four of our top chefs to cook a lunch but underneath the hood is a lot of work and that’s what Catherine and the team do so well. It was great to be able to showcase our talent to the next generation and promote excellent career opportunities available within The Brownsword Collection.”

The menu in full:

Starter – Nicholas Chappell (Slaughters Manor)
White asparagus, blood orange and sauce maltese

Fish Course – Mark Potts (Buckland Manor)
Charred smoked eel, wild garlic, buttermilk and caviar

Main Course – Jauca Catalin (The Bath Priory)
Aussie sirloin of beef, salsify, smoked Aussie brisket, lovage and red wine reduction

Dessert – Paul Peters (Amberley Castle)
Marinated compressed pineapple, coconut, coriander and piña colada

The lunch was kindly sponsored by Dole Foodservice, Meat & Livestock Australia, Brown Brothers Family Wine Group, Wedgwood, MCS Technical Products, Off To Work, Chef Works, Saucery and the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Show.

The Chefs’ Forum would like to thank all chefs, students and temps who participated and all of the chefs and hospitality professionals who attended the event ou their day off to support and network with their industry peers and top suppliers to industry.

Iconic Masterclass at Chewton Glen

Three colleges, a whole host of Dorset and Hampshire chefs and top suppliers to industry, all descended on Chewton Glen for a memorable employer showcase lunch on Monday 5th February.

Students from Eastleigh, Brockenhurst and Bournemouth & Poole Colleges were represented in The Kitchen at Chewton Glen, the informal eat, meet, and dine space overseen by TV chef James Martin. Along with chefs from hotels within the Iconic Luxury Hotels collection, Executive Head Chef of Chewton Glen, Luke Matthews and Head Chef of The Kitchen, Luke Phillips ran the show along with Chris Hannon, Executive Chef of Cliveden House and Bradd Johns, Executive Chief of The Mayfair Townhouse.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “This showcase of talent from Iconic Luxury Hotels was brilliant. Chewton Glen, Cliveden House, and The Mayfair Townhouse all demonstrating why they are at the top of their field and with exemplary students from three colleges taking part, the chefs created a fantastic lunch for our prized guests. The important work of showcasing the group to the next generation of talent was assured.”

Clive McNish, General Manager at Chewton Glen said: “We were delighted to work alongside The Chefs’ Forum on this impressive event. We were not only able to showcase our kitchens to students, chefs, suppliers, and guests but to give a glimpse of what we can offer at Chewton Glen. It was a memorable day for everyone, and we are grateful to all the chefs who took party in making this event such a success.”

Sue Lyons, Head of Delivery – Hospitality/Travel/Health & Fitness and Public Services at Eastleigh College said:

‘It was a privilege for our students to be invited to this event to work with Chefs from across the Iconic properties, students from the other two colleges as well as two ex-Eastleigh students that are full time Chefs with Chewton Glen.  We already have an excellent relationship with Chewton Glen but was lovely to work and meet chefs from the other properties.  All of our 6 students had an amazing time and enjoyed the whole experience and days like these are so important to both the students and tutors.

Paul Dayman from Bournemouth & Poole College said: “Chewton Glen and Cliveden House Executive Chefs are role models for our student chefs and along with The Mayfair Townhouse it was amazing to be able to see how the Iconic Luxury Hotels collection operates together. The students had a brilliant day and could see an easy route to the level and the standards they must aspire too. Well done to The Chefs’ Forum.”

Cathy McArthur, Catering Lecturer at Brockenhurst College said:

“I was delighted to see two of our students win both Front of House (Imogen Allen) and Back of House (Daisy Boreham) Star of the Day.  Industry events like these are so important for students to work with their peers from other colleges and fantastic employers like Chewton Glen.  We have built a longstanding and successful relationship with Iconic Luxury Hotels and really enjoyed catching-up with our teaching peers from Bournemouth and Poole and Eastleigh College.”

The lunch in full:

Welcome Drink
Brown Brothers Innocent Bystander Moscato

Canapés by Saucery served on handmade wooden boards by Richkins Woodcraft

  • Panko chicken with katsu curry sauce
  • Beef fillet with mushroom sauce

Starter – Bradd Johns (The Mayfair Townhouse)
Artichokes with celeriac, shitake, and mushroom ketchup

Fish Course – Chris Hannon (Cliveden House)
Poached cod, parsnip, taramasalata and lime

Main Course – Luke Matthews (Chewton Glen)
Somerset Beef cheek, horseradish, kale, and heritage carrots Luke’s main course was plated on Wedgwood Gio fine bone china dinner plates

Dessert – Luke Philips (The Kitchen at Chewton Glen)
Dark chocolate and amaretto mousse, candied almonds, sour cherry carpaccio, dark cherry, and basil sorbet

Wine Sponsored by Brown Brothers – Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris and Innocent Bystander Syrah

Produce kindly sponsored by New Wave Seafood, La Chasse and Dole Foodservice.

 Photography & film by Carlos Farinha.

The Chefs’ Forum Expands Employer Showcases with Chotto Matte Soho Lunch

The Chefs’ Forum is set to continue to expand in 2024 following several successful ‘Employer Showcases’ in 2023. The first lunch of 2024 was  on Monday 15th January at Chotto Matte (Soho) with several group chefs involved in showcasing the unique Nikkei or Japanese-Peruvian style of the group.

The employer showcase lunch format is simple. A major restaurant or hotel group plays host to a lunch organised by The Chefs’ Forum. Key chefs from varied group sites “show off” the skills and signature dishes of their restaurants and invited guests and industry professionals sit down to a top lunch. In 2023 The Chefs’ Forum perfected the format with key events for, among others, D&D London, Eden Hotel Collection, Radisson and Hotel du Vin & Malmaison.

Having been privileged enough to visit Chotto Matte’s Miami site last month, we continued our Chotto Matte tour at the Marylebone site, where Team Chefs’ Forum met with Head Chef Santo Pate, who gave a fantastic tour of the venue and created some wonderful dishes to film and photograph.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Head Barman Marco Passarella who created a duo of delicious cocktails El Caminho and Wabi Sabi for us to try.

The following day, 70 industry guests attended the lunch at the Frith Street site of Chotto Matte where group chefs from Soho and Marylebone demonstrated the global menu and style of Chotto Matte.

These included:

  • Jordon Sclare, Global Executive Chef
  • Santo Pate, Head Chef at Chotto Matte Marylebone
  • Keita Sato, Executive Head Sushi Chef at Chotto Matte Soho
  • Alvin Contawe, Head Sushi Chef at Chotto Matte Marylebone
  • Chris Woodford, Head Chef at Chotto Matte Soho

Chotto Matte Founder, Kurt Zdesar took the mic to tell the guests about the Chotto Matte group and global career opportunities if chefs and industry professionals were to join.  He celebrated the young talent from West London College who helped cook and serve the special Nikkei lunch.

The students got to work with wonderful Australian beef and lamb, the freshest Royal Greenland prawns and seafood, as well as octopus and truffle, which college budgets don’t tend to stretch to.

First Choice Produce supplied all of the fresh produce for the event, which is always of the highest quality.

Kurt said

“It really is fantastic to welcome so many of our industry peers here to Chotto Matte Soho today and so amazing to see how well these young students are working with our team of chefs.  We are growing, with new sites planned for Riyadh and Manchester and more to come. There has never been a better time to join Chotto Matte with our international network of restaurants and the opportunity of travelling for work which I have enjoyed throughout my career. We pride ourselves on a real sense of family and friendship among the team.”

Group Executive Chef, Jordan Sclare has been extremely supportive of The Chefs’ Forum over the years, he said

“Today’s event has been a huge success.  My career with Chotto Matte has spanned over a decade and I really enjoy travelling with Kurt to research and open new sites. It is really important that we nurture and support the next generation of chefs and the opportunities we can offer them to work across our sites and hone their skills in Nikkei cuisine.  I have been really impressed with the students today and they really have got stuck in and given 100%.  We have many success stories across the group of students who have joined us on leaving college and I can’t wait to see if any of today’s students join the team and I once they have completed their courses at West London College.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs Forum, said:

“This lunch was absolutely epic and continued the fine work we started in 2023. Recruitment at the top level in both London and throughout the country is hard work but our employer showcases are an excellent way of demonstrating the unique skills and opportunities that hotel and restaurant groups have. Chotto Matte put on a fantastic lunch, we absolutely love working with them and today showed exactly why they are a leading light in Nikkei cuisine here and across the world.”

The lunch in full:

Royal Greenland Snow Crab Dragon Roll
Salmon, avocado, unagi sauce

California Roll
Royal Greenland Snow crab, avocado, cucumber, tobiko

Chotto Ceviche (served in a Wedgwood Gio bowl)
Royal Greenland Halibut sashimi, leche de tigre, chive oil, sweet potato, Peruvian corn, coriander

Warm Aussie Beef Fillet Tataki
Seared beef, smoked aji panca, passion fruit salsa

Aussie Wagyu Beef Gyoza
Shiitake, sesame, teriyaki veal jus

Royal Greenland Prawn Truffle
Truffled shiitake mushroom, spring onion

Chuleta De Cordero Ahumada
Marinated and smoked Aussie lamb chop, coriander, Peruvian chilli miso

Panela Caramelised Apple Dream
Caramelised Asian pear, vanilla ice cream

Thank you to our sponsors: MCS Technical Products, Aussie Beef & Lamb, Off to Work, Chef Works, Brown Brothers, Wedgwood, Royal Greenland, Saucery, First Choice Produce and Vellamo.

Out with a Bang at Bovey

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

Award-winning chefs at Bovey Castle teamed up with cooks of the future from two Devon colleges for a special event providing students with a taste of the hospitality industry.

Bovey Castle, on Dartmoor, welcomed more than 30 students from South Devon College and Exeter College to produce a four-course lunch served to 80 lucky guests.

Students cooked alongside Bovey Castle Executive Head Chef Mark Budd as well as four head chefs from the hotel’s sister restaurants within The Eden Hotel Collection, which included Tim Jenkins from Brockencote Hall Hotel, Keiron Stevens from Mallory Court Hotel and Spa, Sai Nathan from The Arden and Abhijeet Dasalkar from The Greenway Hotel and Spa.

The event was hosted by The Chefs’ Forum which connects some of the UK’s finest culinary artists with colleges across the country to inspire the next generation, and celebrated the launch of The Chefs’ Knowledge in Devon – a new book of advice and dishes that are necessary for young chefs to learn at the beginning of their career.

While some students formed part of the front of house team, others helped to cook a menu which consisted of…

Welcome Drink
Brown Brothers Innocent Bystander Moscato and a selection of Frobishers drinks

Canapés by Saucery
Asian infused salmon, stir fried vegetables and Saucery katsu curry sauce
Rocket, chicken, celeriac and Saucery creamy mushroom sauce

Starter – Tim Jenkins (Brockencote Hall)
Aussie lamb cutlet, sorrel, Bovey Castle foraged greens, wild nettle vinaigrette and The Peach fermented tomato salsa

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

Fish course – Keiron Stevens (Mallory Court)
Roasted fillet of seabream, braised salsify and white bean truffle broth

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

Main course – Mark Budd (Bovey Castle)
Fillet of Aussie beef, wild mushroom, fondant potatoes, Armagnac sauce, Jerusalem artichoke and The Peach sunchoke and horseradish ferment
Served on Wedgwood Gio

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

Dessert – Abhijeet Dasalkar (The Greenway) & Sai Nathan (The Arden)
Crown Prince pumpkin cheesecake, muesli biscuit and maple ice cream

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

Ingredients sponsored by Aussie Beef & Lamb, Dole Foodservice, Saucery and The Peach

Wines Sponsored by Brown Brothers
Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris and Innocent Bystander Syrah

Photo credit: Eden Hotel Collection

The menu also utilised flora from the hotel’s 275-acre estate, drafting in a team of expert foragers from nutritionists The Peach to harvest seasonal produce.

Sorrel leaves, nettle leaves and hogweed seeds were then dehydrated in an Excalibur dehydrator provided by Chefs’ Forum sponsor Mitchell & Cooper and turned into a powder to create a tomato salsa with sorrel and nettle fermentation for Mark Budd and Tim Jenkins to showcase to chefs in their ingenious dishes.

Mark said: “We were delighted to support and coach these young chefs and were thoroughly impressed by their skills and enthusiasm.

“We look forward to following their careers and maybe one day have the opportunity to welcome them to The Eden Hotel Collection.”

Photo credit: Eden Hotel Collection

Jayne O’Malley, Group Operations Director at the award-winning Eden Hotel Collection, added: “Events like this are a fantastic opportunity to provide young people with valuable insights into the hospitality sector and what life is like in a working kitchen and front of house.

“We want to inspire the next generation and give them confidence, and the feedback we have received has shown this event has done just that.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said. “What an event! Over the years we’ve put on some amazing events but this has to be up there with the best of them and as our last Chefs’ Lunch of 2023, we’re really seeing the year out with a bang.

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha

“The four courses really showcased the talent within The Eden Hotel Collection and all of the guests were impressed with the quality on show. For the local students, it was an incredible opportunity to work alongside these brilliant chefs.”

Aleesah Moulton, level 2 student at Exeter College who won back of house star of the day and a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge, said: “This was my second time working at a Chefs’ Forum event, it was a great opportunity to work a top kitchen with some of the best chefs in the industry.

“I gained a great deal of experience and advice from all the chefs. It was an honour to win back of house star of the day, I look forward to reading and using The Chefs’ Knowledge throughout my career.”

Freda Francis, level 2 student at South Devon College who won front of house star of the day and a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge, said: “We felt good about today, and not nervous anymore.

“It’s been nice to work in a professional environment. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, not pressured, and the afternoon just flowed. We learnt new skills and were made to feel at ease.”

Thank you to all our sponsors: Off to Work, Somerset Charcuterie, Dole Foodservice, MCS Technical Products, Chef Works, Wedgwood, Aussie Beef & Lamb, Saucery, The Peach, Mitchell & Cooper, Brown Brothers, Frobishers, Adande and TTW Recruitment.

Sent To Jail

The cream of Cornish chef talent spent the day in jail on Monday 13th November, but it was all in a good cause! The Chefs’ Knowledge Launch tour reached Bodmin to celebrate everything Cornwall with the location being the Bodmin Jail Hotel.

Welcome drinks by Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Brown Brothers Winery (Australia) and Forbishers Juices (Exeter) were offered to guests including chefs, restaurateurs, suppliers and key hospitality professionals from the Southwest followed by the main attraction – a four course lunch.

The Chefs’ Forum gathered together four top chefs from Cornwall (all very smartly-dressed in Chef Works jackets) to work the kitchens and delight the guests – and they did just that, according to Chefs’ Forum Director Catherine Farinha:

“We love coming to Cornwall. There is such a diversity of talent and scrumptious ingredients like Aussie Wagyu from Meat & Livestock Australia, TRUEfoods stock and the finest fresh produce from Dole Foodservice – It’s hard not to have a good time. And it was such fun to come to the Bodmin Jail Hotel. It’s such a cool and breath-taking location, fitted-out to the highest standard and the chefs put on a delicious feast for us.”

The top chefs on show were Gavin Edney from The Headland Hotel, Bruce Rennie from The Shore Restaurant, Dane Watkins from Bodmin Jail Hotel and Darryl Collins from Mullion Cove Hotel with Denis Drame MCA from Classic Fine Foods.

“The Chefs’ Forum always put on a show-stopping event,” said Dane Watkins from Bodmin Jail Hotel. “Today was no exception. It was a pleasure for us to play host and we had a fine lunch and it was great to see so many friends and professionals having a great time. It was also an introduction to us of The Chefs’ Knowledge and we can’t wait to start dipping into this treasure-trove of information.”

The lunch in full:

Starter – Gavin Edney (The Headland Hotel)
Agnolotti of caramelised artichoke, woodland mushrooms, Cornish Gouda and truffle

Fish course – Bruce Rennie (The Shore Restaurant)
Cornish Hake, squash, oyster mushrooms and nasturtium

Main course – Dane Watkins (Bodmin Jail Hotel)
Aussie beef fillet, smoked brisket cottage pie, heritage carrot and sprout

Dessert – Darryl Collins (Mullion Cove Hotel) & Denis Drame MCA (Classic Fine Foods)
Lemon meringue tart

Julio De Carvalho, General Manager at Bodmin Jail loved hosting his industry peers, he said

“It is fantastic to have such a high level of hospitality and catering expertise in one room, the energy is electric and its wonderful to showcase our venue.  I believe it is crucial to support each other in the current climate, and this iconic industry event did just that, I’m really looking forward to the next one!”

Steve Snow, Managing Director of MCS Technical Products, a headline sponsor of the event said

“It was great to meet all the Cornish Chefs and showcase CookTek Induction.  The chefs showed a great del of interest and it was fantastic to meet Gavin Edney from The Headland Hotel in person to thank him for his recent testimonial on our market-leading FlashGRILL.  I really enjoy networking with the chefs and also other sponsors including UK pottery stalwart, Wedgwood who supplied eye-catching Renaissance bone china plates for the main course by Dane Watkins of Bodmin Jail, this really works for everyone who attends, from a brand profile-raising perspective and the sheer enthusiasm from everyone who attended.”

All sponsors are hand-picked and vetted/endorsed by our Patrons and Chef Members  for being the very best in the business and we would very-much welcome applications from hospitality-targeted brands who would like to work with us, for more information, please contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Film & photography by Carlos Farinha

Winning by a Royal mile

On Monday 6th November Radisson Blu Edinburgh played host to a special culinary lunch, featuring four of the region’s top chefs along with a group of students from two local colleges.

The occasion was the launch of The Chefs’ Knowledge Lunch Scotland, organised by The Chefs’ Forum, one of the UK’s leading hospitality networking platforms. Students from Edinburgh College and West Lothian College were given the opportunity of a unique first-hand hospitality experience, working under the guidance of the finest chefs in the region.

Richard Mayne, General Manager at Radisson Blu, said: “This is a great opportunity for the students from two local catering colleges, and we are delighted to partner with The Chefs’ Forum on such a fantastic initiative. The experience the students will get from this is invaluable.”

The 238-room hotel centrally located on the famous Royal Mile in Edinburgh welcomed a room of 100 top Scottish hospitality industry professional to enjoy a mouth-watering menu created by chefs Andrew Spence, Gary Townsend, Jonnie Ferguson, Barath Kumar and Marco Drummond Nobrega.

“We’re overwhelmed by the star power in the kitchen,” revealed Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum. “We’ve come a long way and this year’s lunches have really caught the attention of our chefs and suppliers. Everyone that is contributing is really raising the bar of what we can achieve which is fabulous for the students who come to learn on the day.”

Barath Kumar, Head Chef at Radisson Blu Edinburgh, said: “It was great to welcome the guest chefs and students to our kitchens. This is such an amazing way to celebrate our partnership with The Chefs’ Forum and work alongside some of the best chefs in Scotland. It was wonderful to get such great feedback from the guests and for the students to taste the food. I was proud to showcase Radisson as a brilliant employer, fully invested in ongoing training and development of the team.”

What the guests ate…

Amuse bouche – Andrew Spence (The Boar’s Head) 
Andy’s seared Isle of Seil hand dived scallop, pickled shallots, parmesan crisp, sauce blanc, parsley oil, topped with Koppert Cress Moai Caviar & sea herbs

Starter – Gary Townsend (Hotel du Vin One Devonshire Gardens)
Aussie Lamb rump, Red Lentil Dahl – Cauliflower – Onions – Vadouvan Spice – Coriander

Fish course – Jonnie Ferguson (Roux Scholar 2022 & The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant)
Royal Greenland Cod, Fermented Celeriac, Oyster Mushrooms and Kanzuri

Main course  – Barath Kumar (Radisson Blu Edinburgh)
Aussie beef mignon, barbacoa brisket, roscoff onion, truffled mash, cauliflower Dubarry, duxelles and port jus

Dessert – Marco Drummond Nobrega (The Bonham Hotel)
Chocolate ganache & raspberry aquafaba Honeycomb & vanilla ice cream

The Chefs elected two ‘Stars of the Day’; one from Edinburgh College and one from West Lothian College, who really impressed on the day.

It was Callum Young from Edinburgh College and Dianne McGowan from West Lothian College who each won a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge.

Callum said

“I have really enjoyed the day and I am overjoyed to win a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge.  I have seen it at college, but to have my own copy is truly amazing.  I really enjoyed working with Roux Scholar, Jonnie Ferguson who I see as a real inspiration, I really have had a wonderful day today.”

Any Scottish chefs wishing to get involved with The Chefs’ Forum or the colleges who participated should contact brogen@redcherry.uk.com

Showcasing Hotel du Vin

The Hotel du Vin in Poole hosted The Dorset and Hampshire Chefs Knowledge launch lunch on Monday 30th October to great acclaim. Chefs from the wider Hotel du Vin and Malmaison Group took over the kitchens to produce a lunch to remember. The whole event was a celebration of the talent across the group as well as working with some of the world’s best ingredients such as Australian Rare Honey and Australian Beef & Lamb. The chefs went classical to showcase the ingredients as a glimpse of the menu reveals:

Starter – Rob Carr (Hotel du Vin Brand Support Development Chef)
Chicken liver parfait, brioche toast and raisin chutney

Fish course – Matt Darby (Hotel du Vin Poole Head Chef)
Severn & Wye smoked salmon classic, treacle soda bread and fromage blanc

Main course – Matt Powell (Hotel du Vin Group Executive Chef)
Aussie ribeye, béarnaise sauce & pomme pont-neuf

Dessert – Darren Rockett (Hotel du Vin Poole Sous Chef)
Pot au chocolat, classic chocolate mousse with crème Chantilly

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum said: “I love Hotel du Vin and it was such a great pleasure to organise a showcase of their talent. The simplicity of the menu, backed up by the quality of the ingredients and the wine, showed why Hotel du Vin is still a great hotel group. The event was a triumph.”

Clare Rockett, GM at Hotel du Vin, Poole said

“We’ve been proud supporters of The Chefs’ Forum in Dorset for nearly a decade, it is great to be hosting this fantastic lunch showcasing our group. Chefs and brilliant Taste du Vin menu. My husband is the Sous chef here and our son, James is also a chef and attended today as a guest, we’re a hospitality family and today really celebrates this!”

Any chefs or hospitality professionals interested in learning more about career opportunities with Hotel du Vin can check out latest vacancies here: https://www.hotelduvin.com/careers/

Film and photography by Carlos Farinha.

 

Blu Skies for Bristol Lunch

100 invited guests sat down to a fabulous five course lunch at The Radisson Blu on Monday to celebrate the Bristol launch of The Chefs’ Knowledge.

Students from City of Bristol College joined chefs Muraliraj Narashimaraj, Aida Carrasco, Will Dean and Mark Chapman in the kitchen at the lunch to see firsthand how a celebration lunch is put together.

Ryan Fernandes, Chef Lecturer at City of Bristol College said

“It’s really important that we enable the students to come out of their usual training environment and out into industry.  It was brilliant to see how much they enjoyed the day and produced an excellent menu with the guest chefs today.  The feedback we have had from the local employers has been excellent and the event was very well organised by The Chefs’ Forum and the team at Radisson Blu.”

As The Chefs’ Knowledge Lunch tour reached the West Country Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum said

“We’re back where we started! We have such fond memories of the early days of The Chefs’ Forum when we launched in 2010 in Bristol. Now we’re back launching The Chefs’ Knowledge here. Today has been a crazy good event. Brilliant chefs, amazing ingredients, delicious wines and top students in a superb hotel.  It was great to catch-up with so many chefs who have supported us since the beginning and wonderful to be working with City of Bristol College for the thirteenth year!”

The menu:

Amuse bouche
Dan Moon (Development Chef at Foie Royale)Foie Royale tartlet with tomato and onion

~

Starter
Muraliraj Narashimaraj (Talwar Express)
Fillet of Aussie lamb rump marinated with smoked peppersm & aubergine and minced Aussie lamb thokku chettinad style

Fish course
Aida Carrasco (Radisson Blu)
One Royal Greenland cod for my “bruschetta”, por favor

Main course
Will Dean (The Ox)
Aussie beef ribeye, bourguignon cottage pie and seasonal greens

Dessert
Mark Chapman (Cor Restaurant)
Tarta di Santiago, burnt lemon cream, salted almonds and thyme

Wines Sponsored by Brown Brothers
Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris and Innocent Bystander Syrah

Thank you to our sponsors MCS Technical Products, Lovejoys, Richkins Woodcraft, Chef Works, Aussie Beef & Lamb, Somerset Charcuterie, Adande, Foie Royale, Off to Work, Brown Brothers and Royal Greenland.

Any employers wishing to engage with City of Bristol College should contact brogen@redcherry.uk.com and we will make an introduction.

Film credit: Carlos Farinha

The Lord Mayor’s Lunch

On Monday (9) October The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Bablin Molik joined in the fun at the latest Chefs’ Knowledge launch lunch in the Welsh capital – and enjoyed some fine Halal meat supplied by Aussie Beef & Lamb.

The Lord Mayor joined 100 distinguished guests, chefs, restaurateurs and suppliers at the latest lunch for The Chefs’ Knowledge. Chefs Cindy Challoner, Justin Llewellyn, Keith Clash and Andrew Minto designed the menu at The Coal Exchange Hotel in Cardiff on Monday. Students from Coleg Gwent gained valuable experience working with the chefs.

Councillor Molik said in her welcome speech: “I was delighted to be invited to this wonderful lunch, bringing together the cream of culinary talent from Cardiff and the surrounding area.

“My family have had many Indian restaurants in Cardiff, so hospitality is a sector that is very close to my heart.

“It is wonderful to celebrate the vibrant restaurant scene and experience top level cooking and service.

“It is great to see the students working with top local chefs to create a wonderful four course meal for us all to enjoy.

Our restaurants are a major tourist attraction and attract spend and investment into Wales and my attendance today is a show of my utmost support for the local hospitality sector as we recover from the worst few years in living memory.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “This was a great event and a feather in our cap. We were able to serve true Halal meat from Australia and host an important local dignitary into our celebration. All the ingredients on show were world class and it was a wonderful opportunity for our talented chefs to be able to showcase them.”

What the guests enjoyed:

  • Starter – Cindy Challoner (Great British Menu Contestant) – Herb crusted Aussie lamb chump, celeriac and puffed pearl barley
  • Fish course – Justin Llewellyn (The Parkgate Hotel) – Royal Greenland halibut Veronique
  • Main course – Keith Clash (The Coal Exchange Hotel)- Seared sirloin of Aussie beef, braised beef, Bara brith and Perl Las bonbon, confit potato, butternut squash puree and jus
  • Dessert – Andrew Minto (Chef Patron at Minto’s Patisserie and Winner of Bake Off: The Professionals 2021) – Autumn apple crumble with salted caramel ice cream

Castell Howell supplied all of the finest quality Welsh ingredients, Royal Greenland sponsored cold water prawns and snow crab for the canapés, and delicious Royal Greenland Halibut for the fish course. Wedgwood supplied stunning Gio bone china plates for Andrew’s dessert.

Also on display were beautiful canapé boards from local chef-turned-woodcrafter, Martyn Watkins, industry standard in induction, dry aging and FlashGRILL technology MCS Technical Products,  Foie Royale, Chef Works chef wear, Off to Work temporary and permanent hospitality staffing and Adande Refrigeration.

Any Welsh chefs wishing to participate in future events or who are interested in teaching at Coleg Gwent in our Chefs’ Forum Academy should contact brogen@redcherry.uk.com

Photo & video credit: Carlos Farinha

Taking the Initiative at Raja Monkey

Birmingham’s Raja Monkey is hosted a lunch yesterday to celebrate Chef Patron Munayam Khan becoming Patron of the Chefs’ Forum Academy at South & City College, Birmingham.

Owner and chef Munayam Khan, of the Lasan Group, a former winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Fword, is committed to engaging and mentoring the next generation of chefs and has supported The Chefs’ Forum since its launch in Birmingham in 2016.

The day served as a double celebration as The Chefs’ Forum firmly-launched its recent publication, The Chefs’ Knowledge – A Modern Culinary Repertoire, a book of 100 recipes all junior and student chefs need to know.  Munayam contributed various recipes to the book, passing on his in-depth knowledge of Indian cuisine from all parts of the Indian subcontinent.

“It’s all about eating to make a difference,” Khan told us. “I want to show students and young people where food comes from and to head-up The Chefs’ Forum Academy at my local catering college is a real honour. We’re looking to increase awareness of provenance, traceability and sustainability coupled with trips to farms and fresh produce markets for students. We’re also keen on teaching business studies to all hospitality students as well as employer engagement and curriculum enrichment. This lunch is our way of introducing ourselves to the current student year and we really hope to make a difference.”

Munayam believes that it is really important to give back to the industry.  He champions sharing his knowledge and nurturing the next generation of culinary talent.

Aussie Beef and Lamb was showcased in both the starter and the main course and Munayam was so impressed with the quality of the produce that he would love to feature it on the menu at Raja Monkey.  Stephen Edwards, Business Manager UK, Meat & Livestock Australia said

“The beef and lamb is from Thomas Foods International, it’s Augus Pure Branded beef that has been grain-fed for 150 days resulting in fantastic marbling, this also ensures the beef is more consistent quality.” The Lamb is a pasture raised product that comes to the UK as a chilled product.”

The sponsorship of ingredients by fantastic suppliers enables The Chefs’ Forum to stage these inspirational industry networking events.  It is very important for hospitality and culinary professionals to get together on a regular basis over excellent food to discuss the industry and forge relationships with the college and top suppliers alike.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “It’s really important for us to work with committed partners like Raja Monkey and Munayam Khan. His engaging personality and knowledge of restaurants will really help students to see how far they can take their craft when it’s coupled with extra-curricular activities like this.”

 What was on the lunch menu?

  • Starter – Khaled Khan
    Bihari Aussie lamb boti kebab – A delicious signature lamb dish  – tandoor cooked, that simply melted in the mouth
  • Fish course – Munayam Khan
    Shorsher maach – A mustard fish dish with Royal Greenland Nutaaq Cod– Bengal style
  • Main course – Fraser Walton
    Australian grain fed strip loin, bone marrow risotto & truffled chimichurri
  • Dessert – Munayam Khan
    Beetroot Halwa pista kulfi

The students from South and City College Birmingham, were a mix of Level 2 and 3, VRQ diploma in Professional Cookery, it was the first time that they have participated in an external Chefs’ Forum event.  Their teacher, Rochelle Bailey and Ben West accompanied the students to the event, Rochelle said

“This is an excellent and exciting opportunity for our students to get some real hands-on work experience of a high-profile industry function.  It is really important that they see how a professional kitchen operates.  For our front of house learners, it is a real opportunity for them to showcase their skills to local prospective employers.”

Level 1 Front of House student Gregoria Moreno impressed the most on the day, winning a signed copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge, she said

“I’m so very excited and happy to have won a copy of this brilliant book, I absolutely love cooking and cannot wait to try out some of the recipes. I have had a brilliant experience at Raja Monkey today and cannot wait to come back for the further work experience that has been offered to me by Munayam and the team.”

We are incredibly grateful to Munayam and the team for hosting such a marvellous event, bringing together the cream of culinary talent in Birmingham.  Special thanks to all of our sponsors for making these events possible:

 

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