Bristol Old Vic and Tom Green Hosted The Chefs’ Forum Bristol Summer Meet!

Originally opened in 1766, Bristol Old Vic is the country’s oldest continuously working theatre and a fantastic venue to host Bristol’s Chefs’ Forum’s summer meet. Top Bristol chefs, City of Bristol College students and quality suppliers gathered at the theatre for a day of culinary flare, knowledge-sharing and networking.

Students from City of Bristol College benefitted from some fantastic work experience, comprising of a ‘prep day’ the week before yesterday’s main event at the Fosters production unit, where they worked with Executive Chef Tom Green and his team to prepare elements of the canapés they would make and serve on the day.  This is how the prestigious Fosters Catering team work in their large-scale high-end outside catering business.

The students learnt how Team Fosters plan, cater-for and execute their corporate events, seeing first-hand how accessibility and logistics form a large element in delivering customer requirements for some very impressive clients.

Fosters Chairman Alastair Curie joined Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha to welcome the guests to the The Chefs’ Forum event at Bristol Old Vic, introducing the stunning Coopers Hall where the event took place.  He gave the chefs an insight into the kind of events catered for by Fosters including Bristol Old Vic, SS Great Britain, Merchant Venturers, The Orangery, Goldney Hall and talked about the importance of supporting the next generation of hospitality professionals.

A ‘Saturday Kitchen-style demo’ then took place on The Chefs’ Forum Demo Stage which saw Tom Green work with Head Chef Coco Barone to create a stunning pasta dish with garganelli pasta shapes.  Coco hand-rolled the garganelli and orecchiette pasta (specific to her home region in southern Italy) as well as beetroot gnocchetti, all hand-rolled on a slanted wooden ridge board – a traditional technique seldom witnessed in the age of machinery. Tom compliment the dish Tom made a sauce with an anchovy, caper, chilli, garlic and tender stem broccoli, topped with pangritata: a bread crumb made with sour dough and lemon zest.

Tom stated

“It was great working with the students, we have offered work to two students for future events as a result. It was also fantastic to be able to demonstrate live event catering and the logistical trails that go with it to deliver a sleek, professional event.”

As Tom and Coco’s demo was in full-swing, Alex Byrne from Walter Rose & Son gave a brilliant pork butchery demonstration on the Rowe & Sons Chefs’ Forum branded butchers block.

Alex told the chefs about the provenance of Norton Farm Pork, by award-winning pig farmer Cameron Norton.

Alex said

“Walter Rose and Son sources pork from award-winning Cameron and Muriel Naughton based at Bishops Cannings near Devizes. Cameron grows his own wheat and barley to feed his 500-strong herd of sows.  He also grows oilseed rape which is sold to make oil and margarine.  The Naughtons then buy back the ‘rape meal’ as this is a great addition to pig food.  All straw from the crops is used for bedding the pigs and co-products such as yoghurt-washings and yeast from the dairy and brewery industries are used in the pigs’ nutrition.  Walter Rose pay a premium to the Naughtons to get the pick of the herd, ensuring quality and consistency for our customers.”

Alex also invited the chefs for some butchery tuition at the Devizes cutting plant, which was very well-received indeed!

Sam Guarino then added some Latin American Pork Carnitas seasoning and a Keralan Curry and Santa Maria Sea Salt and Telicherry pepper.

Spice Nerd and Epicurean Aficionado, Sam Guarino said

“Today’s event was in a fantastic setting, the venue lent itself perfectly to the demos with fantastic acoustics in Coopers Hall. It was great to see top chefs and students engaging and being enlightened in different culinary ways, learning new skills”

An Introduction to Foie Royale was then given by University of West London Chef Lecturer Jonathon Bowers as he demonstrated his pork bon bon dish with confit chicken, Foie Royale, capers and a Foie Royale jus gras. A hot mushroom mousse accompanied, served from an espuma gun. Jonathon showcased the product’s versatility, explained it’s ethical USP and silky-smooth flavour profile – The chefs all participated in a tasting that followed and were very impressed.

Jonathon said

“Foie Royale is an evolution of a popular existing product, its clever modification in keeping with modern consumer demands of high animal welfare, eliminating force feeding. The product has now been adopted by Waitrose for this very reason and is currently on a roll-out programme in its luxury retail stores as featured in the Daily Mail last weekend – A great step in the right direction in an ethical alternative to foie gras.”

The day finished with a talk from Gemma Waters of Syft, presenting the brilliant app for temporary staffing described as the ‘Uber for Chefs’, where employers can hire rated staff, last minute to help them cover shifts in an emergency with great, rated hospitality professionals, safe in the knowledge that they’re hiring great people, recommended and endorsed by fellow employers.

The Chefs’ Forum brings together hospitality professionals and chefs in stunning venues every quarter and chefs wishing to attend the next Bristol event on the 7^th October at Bar 44 (Clifton) should contact rebecca@redcherry.uk.com

Chefs Enjoyed a Koppert Cressperience & Kamado Joe Grilling Experience at Eckington Manor!

Top chefs gathered at Eckington Manor in Pershore for a brilliant ‘Cressperience’ with micro greens aficionado Paul Da Costa Greaves.

Guests were welcomed with a beer and a delicious Brindisa tapas selection of olives, anchovies, hams and cheeses, perfect for a hot summer’s day!

Ritter Courivaud followed with an array of mouth-wateringly brilliant mini eclairs, macaroons, chocolate truffles and financiers. As well as mini pastries cooked in the Falcon convection oven.

The beautiful venue perfectly-lent itself to a day of culinary inspiration as chefs from an hour’s radius of the venue came to learn more about Koppert cresses and microgreens and how they can be used as ingredients in dishes in various recipes and cooking techniques.

Paul Da Costa Greaves and development chef Jak Cresser-Brown teamed-up to show the guests how Koppert Cress eliminates the need for seasoning in using natural elements and flavourings within the cresses and microgreens to achieve delicious flavour.

Jak showcased the cresses in oils, jellies, salads and dehydrated forms, this just proves how versatile they are.

Paul da Costa Greaves, Koppert Cress EMEA Region Country Manager said

 “Education has always been at the forefront with Koppert Cress. It is great to see so many chefs here captivated by our educational session today.  All chefs here will receive and educational document on our cresses. This document consists of a combination of theory and practical understanding and food pairing combinations to act as a reference guide in their everyday lives”.

He continued

“Koppert Cress enables the best Chefs to be the best, enhancing their menus and enriching their recipes. The Koppert Cress culinary team has arranged for all chefs at the ‘Cressperience’ today to receive six month’s access to our partner menu-building tool Gastronomixs!”

Other highlights of the day were a tour of the spice truck by Sam Guarino of Santa Maria, a talk on Foie Royale – The ethical alternative to Foie Gras and a fabulous pork butchery demonstration by Alex Byrne of Walter Rose & Son.

The day finished with a delectable BBQ on the Kamado Joe grills.  South West Chef of the Year winner, Sue Stoneman, grilled Walter Rose pork belly to perfection and created a fantastic focaccia bread and chocolate brownie for the guests who attended.

GET A KAMADO JOE IN YOUR KITCHEN OR GARDEN & BE BBQ-READY!

The Kamado Joe is an ancient Asian-style grill, a thick-walled cooker that imparts rich, smoky flavour to meats, fish and vegetables and can also be used to cook virtually anything al fresco!

Joe UK is working with The Chefs’ Forum to spruce-up chefs’ terraces and enrich their kitchens, any chefs interested in an exceptional outdoor cooking experience at their restaurant by The Chefs’ Forum’s resident BBQ demo chef should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Devon Food Heroes Share Knowlege & Inspire Peers at Kitley House

On the menu at Kitley House – A summer gathering of chefs, hospitality pros and Devon Food Heroes for some Grilling, Chilling and Chocolate!

Devon Food Heroes Peter Gorton (International Chef Consultant) and Jim Fisher (Exeter Cookery School) joined their local chef peers, hospitality professionals and catering students from South Devon College and City College Plymouth on June 24th at Kitley House Hotel and Restaurant, near Yealmpton.

The special event, organised by The Chefs’ Forum, saw chefs and front-of-house professionals from across the county rubbing shoulders with catering suppliers and aspiring college students. Billed as ‘Devon Food Heroes’, the day offered inspiring butchery demonstrations and a great networking opportunity for hospitality professionals from Devon and neighbouring counties.  Kitley House PR and broadcaster Sharon Goble and Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha gave a welcome speech, offering insight into the beautifully restored Kitley House as a venue and the purpose of The Chefs’ Forum as an organisation in bridging the gap between education and industry.

Business Development Manager Laura Goodchild said:

“We were delighted to host The Chefs’ Forum here today and its fantastic that our new chef, Matt Dell could be part of it.  Complete unphased by twenty young chefs joining him in his brand-new kitchen, Matt really enjoyed the opportunity to work with two local colleges, forging relationships that will continue into the future, with one learner being offered a trial shift at the hotel, which was a great result.”

City College Plymouth student Paige Pawley (on the right in the photo) has been offered a trial shift by the team at Kitley House based on excellent performance on the day.

If successful, The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation will fund her first month’s travel to work.

Chefs’ Forum events build students’ confidence and break down barriers between top local employers and the next generation of hospitality professionals.

Guest chefs and Devon Food Heroes Peter Gorton (Master Chef of Great Britain) and Jim Fisher (Exeter Cookery School) joined new Head Chef Matt Dell to stage a highly inspirational culinary day!

The chefs made canapés with the students and TV Chef, Ben Forte showcased the famous Kamado Joe ceramic grill, cooking-up a feast of Two Brothers pork belly, ‘tri-tip’ of beef and Kernow Sausage haute dogs, accompanied by delicious marinated grilled seasonal veg from Total Produce.

Ben mentored South Devon College students Dylan Roberts and Daniel Chichro, giving them a day’s masterclass of live fire cooking on the Kamado Joe.  The young chefs relished the opportunity and contributed to a delicious outdoor feast for the professional chefs who attended.

Jim Fisher gave a fantastic chocolate-making demonstration to promote his Exeter Cookery School and the day finished with an afternoon tea prepared by the students, served in the beautiful surroundings of Kitley, which has recently undergone extensive renovation and refurbishment under new ownership.

The Forum and proprietor Mike Logut discussed the versatility Foie Royale, an ethical alternative to foie gras and chefs Richard Valder (at Angela’s Restaurant) told the room how he creates delicious terrines and serves it in his hugely popular Exeter restaurant.

Richard said:

“I make a guinea fowl, pork, pistachio and Foie Royale terrine.  I make the terrine farce in the traditional manner with minced pork diced guinea fowl and pistachios with plenty of seasonings from Santa Maria. I use a touch of the hunters mix with rock salt and Tellicherry black pepper.  The terrine is wrapped in fine unsmoked pancetta. Served with a celery pickle and brioche.

I use the 125 grams goose liver Foie Royale – this fits neatly in to a terrine dish.  It’s been very well received by our restaurant guests in Exeter”.

A hugely successful day was had by all in stunning venue set in beautiful grounds – Kitley House is well worth the visit if you get the chance!

The Chefs’ Forum has now become an official dealer for Kamado Joe ceramic grills and any chefs interested in a live-fire-cooking demo at their restaurant by their resident BBQ chef should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

On seeing how much the young chefs enjoyed working with Ben Forte yesterday, The Chefs’ Forum now plans to incorporate a Kamado Joe Grilling lesson into The Chefs’ Forum Academy scheme of learning in catering colleges all over the country.

Photography by: www.andrewplantphotography.com

Welsh Chefs Enjoyed Foie, Flair & Flavour at Park House Restaurant & Bar

At The Chefs’ Forum’s biggest Welsh event to date, nearly one hundred guests gathered at Park House Restaurant and Bar, Cardiff.  It was great to celebrate the lively Welsh food scene of culinary excellence with so many esteemed chefs in attendance from Cardiff and beyond.

Head Chef Matt Waldron welcomed students from Coleg Gwent to create stunning canapés for the chefs and front of house professionals who attended the event.  The Chefs’ Forum plans to work even more closely with this fantastic college in Newport to send chefs in to teach at the college via The Chefs’ Forum Academy to be implemented this September.

Mike Logut from Foie Royale gave an introduction to the ethical alternative to Foie Gras.  Chefs all over the UK are eagerly adopting this new culinary treat and Mike has been working with chefs to develop new recipes including foie Royale ravioli and Foie Royale Creme Brulée!  Chef Matt Waldron told the audience that he had recently switched from traditional foie gras to Foie Royale as the flavour is sublime and works extremely well in his amuse bouche of Foie Royale Crème Caramel that he demonstrated, then served to the guests.  It also makes a statement against the force-feeding and low animal welfare practices with which foie gras is associated.

Mike Logut of Foie Royale stated

“It works, this really works – what an amazing flavour combination?!  I love the finesse of different chefs and hugely appreciate their creativity in incorporating Foie Royale into so many delicious dishes.”

Matt then performed a second demo of Wagyu beef with white asparagus, grelot onions and puffed rice – the chefs really enjoyed sampling his dish and gained inspiration from it.

Adam and Claire Pledger, owners at Park House provided a welcome drink and three fine wines for tasting, paired to three delicious cheeses from Harvey & Brockless.  It was great for the front of house element of the Forum to learn about the cheeses as they will be the ones serving them to guests in the restaurant.  Adam was joined by sommelier Alexandre Saby and Restaurant Manager, Alex Cole to sample the wines and talk guests through the pairings.

Adam said

“It’s great to see so many hospitality professionals here today and a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we do here at Park House Restaurant and Bar.  We have high hopes in aiming for a third AA Rosette as Matt is now heading-up the kitchen here and it has been great to invite chefs to sample wines from our extensive, award-winning wine cellar.  We look forward to welcoming students from Coleg Gwent back for work experience in the near future.”

The students then got to participate in a brilliant cocktail-making competition where they learnt stirred, shaken and thrown cocktail-making skills.  Level three students Chloe McCarthy and Ben Pope won the competition to net themselves a weekend of work experience in Park House’s award-winning bar – This is a great opportunity for the two winning learners as it will make them more work-ready and employable on leaving college.

The Chefs’ Forum is looking forward to working even more closely with College Gwent as plans are afoot for a fifth Chefs’ Forum Academy that will see top Welsh chefs delivering guest lectures at the college and participating in Hospitality Industry Taster Days to encourage GCSE students to consider Hospitality and Catering as a post-16 option in the next stage of their educational journey.

Together we are stronger in bridging the gap between education and industry and encouraging more young people enter into hospitality as a career choice.  Together we will combat the shortage of chefs and do our utmost to promote our fantastic industry as the brilliant career choice it is.  No other industry offers such brilliant mentorship and global employment opportunities.

Top Chefs Celebrate Stokes Marsh Farm Beef from Pasture to Plate!

Walter Rose butchers played host to the Chefs’ Forum at Stokes Marsh Farm in Coulston, Westbury. Top chefs from across the UK gathered in the sunshine to see the farm in all its splendour and learn about the complex processes employed by the Johnson family to produce the best possible beef for its customers.

Tim Johnson, started the day by welcoming the hundred or so guests to his farm, giving them an insight into the long-standing relationship he has with Walter Rose & Son.  Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha and Gloucestershire College School Lead Mark Hyde-Catton then relayed the importance of working together to enrich learning of the students.

Michelin-starred Executive Chef Hywel Jones (Lucknam Park) lead a brigade of talented young chefs from Gloucestershire College to produce some excellent canapés in the ‘Chefs’ Forum Field Kitchen’ in the farm’s barn to showcase Stokes Marsh Farm beef: Steak tartar with beetroot on a rye cracker and a corned brisket, Bramley apple and horseradish.

Chris T-bone chops of DJ BBQ fired-up the Kamado Joe grill and served up a delicious ‘plank’ of dirty platted beef fillet with coal roasted oysters and mushrooms.  He also made delicious ‘dirty steak and eggs’ where a bavette steak was cooked and blackened on the charcoal and fresh quail eggs were baked in the Falcon counter top convection oven.

Hywel Jones then took to the demo stage along with Sous Chef Alex Green and Junior Sous Richard Henderson to performed a fantastic cookery demonstration of fillet of Tim Johnson’s beef, Oxtail, Smoked Roscoff Onion and Caramelised Sherry Vinegar.  The trio also invited student Sophie Clough to help cook the dish in front of an audience of chefs and she did a great job!

Tim Johnson, third generation farmer then led chefs on a tour of the farm. Tim gave an excellent talk and tour, the cattle are allowed to potter in and out of the barn and field as they please. The specialist diet includes a mix of straw, grass silage, maize silage and barley to finish the cattle off to market standard, ready for slaughter.  Typically, twenty-five to thirty months old, Stokes Marsh Farm beef is produced from UK native breeds crossed with Angus or Hereford to give the flavour and conformity required for truly great tasting beef.  The beef is allowed to hang and mature naturally in the local abattoir before being passed onto Walter Rose & Son to hang in their fridges Chris Clark, Beer Master General at The Three Daggers Brewery gave a fascinating talk on how beer is made at the local brewery.  Hops was passed around for the audience to touch, taste and smell whilst they enjoyed delicious beer on tap, served from the Three Daggers Beer Bus!for a further four to six weeks.  Walter Rose then take great pride in carefully preparing the vast range of cuts requested by top chefs.

The Chefs’ Forum sponsors Bath Audi, Total Produce, Koppert Cress, Lovejoys, Valentine Equipment, Ritter Courivaud, Kamado Joe, Fish For Thought, Santa Maria, Williams Refrigeration, Falcon Foodservice, Prowrap and Foie Royale all took the opportunity to join Walter Rose and Son down on the farm to showcase their excellent produce, services and professional kitchen equipment in a mini trade show that took place in a large barn, with a Kamado Joe BBQ and Three Daggers beer bus in the farmyard.

A great day was had by all on the farm and it was fantastic to see the provenance of such high-quality meat whilst giving the chefs a chance to network with peers and suppliers, whilst learning about finest quality Wiltshire beef.  Any chefs wishing to talk to Walter Rose & Son about supply of Stokes Marsh Farm beef should contact Jack Cook on 01380 731058.

Photography by www.andrewplantphotography.com

Top Chefs Mentor Students from Bournemouth and Poole College and Basingstoke College of Technology at Neo Bournemouth

When the original host venue had to be changed at two weeks’ notice due to circumstances beyond their control, the Chefs’ Forum team had to act quickly to ensure that the students from two catering colleges received the promised day of employer-led work experience that had been in the diary for the last six months.

The new venue for The Chefs’ Forum’s spring event was Neo Bournemouth, owned by the Oceana Hotels Group. The Bournemouth hotel group has eight venues, The Cumberland, The Suncliff, The Ocean Beach Hotel and Spa, The Best Western Hotel Royale, Mayfair, Hermitage, Trouville and Neo.  As a prolific local employer with just under 600 rooms across the group, it was great for the group to host this important industry event, serving to bridge the gap between education and industry.

Operations Director Pat Green and Events Manager Helen Bull valiantly came to the rescue and offered the beautifully-designed circular bar as the new host venue for The Chefs’ Forum and kindly offered the use of their kitchen for the students work with TV Chef Mark Lloyd, Matt Budden (Executive Chef, Hilton Bournemouth) and Christophe Baffos, Director of Learning for Service Industries at Bournemouth and Poole College.

Helen said

“We are very proud and excited to be hosting The Chefs’ Forum and welcoming the students to Neo. We have already taken several apprentices from Bournemouth and Poole College and it was great to meet teaching staff and students from Basingstoke College of Technology.”

The event was a resounding success with Christophe Baffos commenting

“Today has been excellent for the students.  There was nothing prepared, so we had to make everything from scratch.  The combined experience and leadership of Mark, Matt and myself in the kitchen made for a calm and well-organised learning environment from the moment the students arrived and they have enjoyed a great learning experience.”

Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha added

“It just goes to show what can be achieved in the face of adversity; I am truly humbled to be working with amazing hospitality industry professionals.  A last-minute venue change meant that everyone had to work together to rescue an industry event that had been planned for months.  The students, guest chefs and teaching staff were all extremely instrumental in contributing to and pulling-off an excellent event today.  It is this hard work and team approach that shows our industry is in great hands, both today and tomorrow with the next generation.”

The students had a very inspirational day, creating lamb Wellington and a canapé menu in the kitchen with Mark, Matt and Christophe.  They were also invited to take part in both a breadmaking competition led by Demo Chef, Ron Hedicker of Falcon Foodservice and a cocktail masterclass led by Bar Manager Przemek Seczkowski and Assistant Alexandru Base.

Przemek created two Neo signature cocktails; A twist on the Negroni and a Bakewell Martini.  The chefs enjoyed tasting the cocktails made by the talented pair and the students then made very berry mocktails with crushed ice being used as a cradle for fruit!

Piddle Brewery installed their legendary ‘event pop-up bar’ at the event and served the chefs with brand new and unique Dorset pilsner, Breaking Wave and best-selling Amber Session ale.  Both drinks were expertly-selected by Piddle Beer Sommelier and Director, Jon Lavers to compliment the beautiful Walter Rose spring lamb on offer.

Mike Logut of Foie Royale invited Chef Ollie from RaviOllie to demonstrate how the ethical alternative to Foie Gras can be used to make fresh ravioli.  The chefs were then invited to come up to the demo stage and taste the delicious Foie Royale ravioli with freshly grated parmesan or olive oil to their taste – the general consensus was that this was delicious and many chefs were inspired.

Other highlights of the day included a fascinating lamb butchery demonstration in which Jack Cook of Walter Rose broke-down a whole Spring lamb and showcased various cuts.

Mark Lloyd then used the fillets to create a magnificent lamb wellington with nori, sea kale, asparagus, rosemary and redcurrant sauce.  The students assisted on stage as Commis Chefs and expertly rolled the perfect Wellington to be cooked in the Falcon counter top convection oven.

The rest of Jack’s expertly-butchered lamb cuts were transformed into a delicious BBQ showcasing both the Synergy Grill and the Locher Electric Steak Grill Rustica from Valentine Equipment.

The Chefs’ Forum is proud to hold four events a year in Dorset and forty on a national level.

Any chefs or suppliers wishing to get involved should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Photography by www.andrewplantphotography.com

Cyrus Todiwala’s Show of Spice at Café Spice Namaste!

On Monday 13th May, The Chefs’ Forum held its London quarter two event at Café Spice Namaste. TV Chef Cyrus Todiwala works closely with the colleges in his Asian cookery competition ‘Zest Quest Asia’.  Mentoring and nurturing students is very close to Cyrus’ heart and he donates his time to young chefs on a regular basis.

Cyrus attended the launch of The Chefs’ Forum at Westminster Kingsway College in 2014.  Pierre Koffman, Arthur Potts Dawson and Ruth Rogers also attended the inaugural event.  Five years on, The Chefs’ Forum were delighted to hold an event at Cyrus’ oldest site – Café Spice Namaste.  The event served as an opportunity to bring together top chefs from across London, teaching staff from colleges and top suppliers to showcase their produces, products and services.

Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha teamed-up with Denise Charles of West London College to welcome the chefs to Café Spice Namaste and explain the work The Chefs’ Forum does to enrich students’ learning at the college.

Guests were welcomed with a canapé and Sake & Beyond drinks reception prepared by Cyrus Todiwala (Café Spice Namaste) and the students from West London College and Westminster Kingsway College.  The students spent the morning in the kitchens at Café Spice Namaste, creating a fabulous canapé menu including Malabari beef samosas, pork vindaloo with garlic rice bowls, galinhas cafreal chicken, hake koshimbir poori, smoked mackerel kevaabs, Kerala nyannd masala, dhaniawalla jhinga.

Cyrus was very impressed with the students from both colleges and when asked to pick a ‘star of the day’, couldn’t choose between Amelia Hsu from Westminster Kingsway College and Nweti Pinto from West London College who both impressed him.  The girls each received a signed copy of Cyrus’ book ‘Simple Spice’ and a day in the kitchen with Chef Cyrus to enjoy an intensive Indian cookery masterclass at Café Spice Namaste.

Cyrus said

“Its very important that we mentor and nurture the next generation of hospitality professionals and keep introducing them to wonderful food and cooking styles from all over the world.  Its great to welcome West London College and Westminster Kingsway into my kitchen today, they have been a real credit to their colleges.”

Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son joined forces with Cyrus for a Butchery Masterclass.  Jack broke down half a pig, whilst Robot-Coupe Brand Ambassador, Cyrus, used the new Robot Coupe Robot Cook to create his famous pork vindaloo and explained that Vindaloo is actually a Portuguese word!  He also told the story of how the various spices became mainstream in Goan cuisine.  Sam Guarino of Santa Maria provided some spice samples to Cyrus and he was very impressed with the quality!

Cyrus invited Ron Maxfield, former Michelin-starred chef and current veg expert from First Choice Produce onto the demo stage to talk about his fabulous seasonal produce being used in the demo.  Cyrus created a fabulous coconut rice with fresh asparagus, wild hops, Tahoon Cress™ and a wide range of delicious mushrooms including cordy ceps, royal chestnuts and baby eyringi.

Paul Da Costa Greaves and Jak Cresser-Brown then joined forces for Koppert Cress cookery master class. Jak created two dishes focused around the main two ingredients mushroom and Tahoon™, with the Tahoon™ in various forms. The second dish was focused on using the Yka Leaves™ in various textures and a beautiful rhubarb jelly was given to the chefs to sample. The cress experts also touched upon how best to extract flavours from microgreens to incorporate them into a recipe.

The Chefs’ Forum stages forty chef events each year, across ten regions in the UK, bridging the gap between education and industry.  Each event has a different theme and chefs and hospitality students are exposed to the latest cooking trends and key ingredients.  The next London event will be held at the Waldorf Hilton in Aldwych on Monday 22^nd July 2019, any chefs or suppliers wishing to participate should contact rebecca@redcherry.uk.com

Photography by www.kentfoodphotographer.com

Top Chefs Celebrate Newquay Surf and Bodmin Turf at The Headland Hotel

Famed for the filming of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’, The Headland Hotel and the dramatic and stunning Newquay coastline formed the backdrop for The Chefs’ Forum’s Newquay Surf and Bodmin Turf event at The Headland Hotel on Monday (29) April.

Top Cornish chefs, Cornish suppliers and Hospitality students from both Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith College gathered for a celebration of Cornish food, hosted by The Headland’s Executive Chef Chris Archambault.

Chris has been working with The Chefs’ Forum for the past six years to inspire the next generation across the South West. He hosted the Devon Launch of The Chefs’ Forum in April 2014 at Southernhay House (Exeter) and he then hosted a subsequent event at The Headland Hotel in 2016.

The aim of the day at The Headland was to encourage top Cornish chefs to showcase local and foraged produce in their menus with Chris Archambault and Sous Chef Dan Hyams showcasing dishes from their tantalising menu, which does just that!

Students from Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith got the opportunity to show off their culinary skills, working alongside Chris and his talented brigade to create beautiful canapés incorporating top-drawer Cornish produce for the culinary experts who attended.

Chris laid-on a fantastic canape menu of beef shin with pico de gallo and guacamole, devilled eggs, squid with a crab roulade, raspberry macarons and churros with chocolate sauce.

Local fish supplier Fish for Thought opened the show with a brilliant multi-species fish filleting demonstration by Matt Jorey. Matt ‘canoed’ a gurnard and filleted a plaice as well as a huge cod sourced from the Shetland Isles to allow Cornish stocks to recover.

Director Paul Trudgian said

“At Fish for Though, we pride ourselves on only supplying sustainable species and educate chefs to buy sustainable fish with no plastic or polystyrene packaging.  If we all do our bit to reduce plastics and conserve fish stocks in our oceans, then together we can make a change.”

A student filleting competition then followed with Cornwall College and Truro and Penwith College going knife-to-knife to create the neatest fillets from a whole farmed sea bass.

Level three student, Hope Webster beat off all of the competition to win a day at Fish for Thought for a day-long filleting course.

She said

“My brother’s a butcher, so knife skills must run in the family! I really enjoyed my time working with Chris and the team at The Headland and the highlight of the day had to be winning the filleting competition – I’m really looking forward to learning more on my course!”

Sam Guarino, ‘F.O.O.D.I.E & Spice Nerd’ at Santa Maria maintained the sustainability theme, explaining that Santa Maria now use recyclable packaging for all of their products, minimising plastics, whilst maintaining optimum flavour.  Sam offered to visit the chefs in their own restaurants to showcase the full range of market-leading herbs and spices.  He also invited them to board the legendary spice truck, a regular and popular feature at Chefs’ Forum events.

Gavin Roberts from Wadebridge-based Two Brothers Foods then followed with a fantastic pork butchery demonstration, breaking down a pork rib, creating perfect chops, a rack of French-trimmed ribs and a pork tomahawk.

Gavin also showcased the quality of his produce in a BBQ cooked on the terrace– The chefs devoured the succulent burgers and haute dogs in Baker Tom’s bread rolls and baps and Gavin became the most popular kid at the party!

Chris Archambault and Dan Hyams then performed two fantastic cookery demonstrations of his signature dishes – Cornish Lobster with squid and blood orange, then a perfectly-cooked cod portion with the skin on in in a cool pan, dressed with freshly foraged sea spinach and samphire, peas and beans.

Chris said

“Chefs walk in here all the time saying that they can cook portions of fish with the skin on.  If I don’t see them using a cool pan to start with, I know they don’t really know how to cook fish.  I was taught this technique by Marco Pierre White’s chefs in London and its something that I pass on to every chef that joins my brigade.  Butter is then added at the end and a lovely crunchy sandpaper-like crispy skin is achieved – The only way to cook fish with skin on in my book!”

At the end of the demo, the audience was invited to come and taste Chris’ wonderful dishes, which they very much enjoyed – Chris received a great deal of praise for his beautifully-presented plates of Cornish food!

The Chefs’ Forum stages quarterly events to enhance top chefs’ skill sets and strengthen links with local catering colleges to inspire and enthuse the next generation of young chefs.

Chris Archambault stated:

“I was extremely impressed with the students’ performance – It is extremely important that they get experience like this whilst studying. It’s vital to keep our young chefs in the industry as hospitality makes up the largest employment sector here in Cornwall.”

Catherine Farinha, concluded:

“The Chefs’ Forum aims to enhance the skill sets of top chefs in industry and students through showcasing the latest techniques being used in industry – This time it was Newquay Surf and Bodmin Turf, all from the fair county of Kernow – We love doing events here in Cornwall, it was great to see the first Tregassow asparagus from Total Produce and fantastic to learn how to fillet and cook the perfect fish dish in a cold pan with Chris.  We look forward to two more events in the county in 2019.”

Josh Foley from Fish for Thought TV captured the day perfectly:

Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice at Swinfen Hall

Swinfen Hall Hotel in Lichfield, Staffordshire is a magnificent Georgian manor set in one hundred acres of park land incorporating formal gardens, a kitchen garden, a private deer park, livestock, wild hay meadows and woodland – A beautiful location to spend a sunny Monday in April!

Head Chef Bruce Cheyne was the perfect host and gave students from University College Birmingham and temporary workers from online part-time work app Syft a great day’s work experience in his kitchen.

The event started with a networking session where canapés and Iconic Gin and tonic was served as a welcome drink.  Bruce’s canapés were very well-received by the guests and comprised:

• Mushroom wafer, Bacon Jam, Gouda Custard
• Swinfen Radish, Chive emulsion, Burnt Onion Powder
• Chicken Crackers, Sage & Onion salt

All ingredients for the canapés were kindly supplied by Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Ritter Courivaud, Oliver Kay, Walter Rose & Son and Koppert Cress.

Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha gave the welcome speech and introduced the UCB Masters Degree students and ‘Syfters’ to the employers who attended.  It was great to see these young people put themselves forward to work the event as it was the Easter holiday and they didn’t have to be there – A great sign for the next generation of chefs and front of house professionals!

Michal Nowak then took to the stage to showcase Santa Maria herbs and spices, talking the chefs through the benefits of sourcing top quality pepper, herbs and spices and their provenance.  Santa Maria juniper berries were handed around the audience and then Iconic Gin linked perfectly to the delicious ingredient that legally must make up at least 40% of botanicals used in gin distillery.

The Iconic signature serve was finished with a Jasmine flower from Koppert Cress, served in Artis Coupes – what a great start to the event?!

Dressed in a very smart Bragard Gorgio Jacket, Bruce then took to the demo stage, supported by UCB Student Garima Podder as Commis and produced a fabulous demo of white Chocolate delice, pineapple sorbet and a malted milk foam.  Bruce talked the audience through is journey as a chef which has taken him from South Africa, to New York, to London with Tom Aikens and now The Midlands.

The students and Syft temps or ‘Syfters’ also assembled delicious afternoon tea canapés to showcase what Swinfen hall is famed for and Bruce’s patisserie skills were greatly appreciated:

• Apple Pie Financier, Zephyr Caramel, Cocoa nib
• Macaron, Goats Curd, Lemon sorrel

Next-up was a brilliant laser-clay shooting session in which Bruce’s Sous Chef Ethan Mills fended-off all of the competition to win a medal for the highest score and a bottle of Iconic Gin!

The day finished off with a fantastic tour of the impressive kitchen garden and newly-restored greenhouse by head groundsman Scott Gardner, where a fantastic array of produce from grapes, flowers, cucumbers, herbs and tomatoes are grown to supply Bruce’s kitchen and the wider estate.

As a result of yesterday’s event Garima has applied to Chef Bruce for some work in her holiday as she greatly enjoyed the day and we will follow her progress with him.

The Chefs’ Forum is proud to stage four events in Birmingham and Midlands a year and all chefs or suppliers wishing to get involved should contact alexandra@redcherry.uk.com

Photography by www.jamesaphotography.co.uk

Kentish Chefs Enjoyed Butchery and Braai with Petrus Madutlela at The Poet

Monday (8) April saw a fantastic Butchery and Braai (South African Style BBQ) event take place at The Poet at Matfield in Tonbridge.  Chef-Patron, Petrus Madutlela and his business partners Chris and Andy proved the perfect hosts as they welcomed chefs from across Kent into their stylish beer garden for a celebration of South Africa. The purpose-built Braai was fired-up with wooden logs and Berkmann Wines prepared an alfresco South African wine tasting to accompany!

Students from North Kent College and West Kent College joined Petrus and his team in the kitchen to create delicious canapés showcasing his menu, including Winterdale Cheddar croquettes with a marmite mayo, marinated duck hearts, spicy chicken wings and an artichoke tart fine.  It was the first time West Kent College had worked with The Chefs’ Forum and they very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet employers and their peers from North Kent College.

The guests arrived at midday and were treated to a delicious welcome drink of Bolney Estate English Sparkling Wine and the canapés prepared by Petrus and the students.  Networking and introductions to the finest suppliers is an integral function of Chefs’ Forum events. Event sponsors at The Poet included Hilliard Bros showcasing finest fresh produce and Koppert Cress, Foie Royale with an ethical alternative to Foie Gras, Santa Maria with the Spice Truck, Falcon Foodservice showcasing Lainox Naboo combi ovens, Prowrap, Walter Rose & Sons and Bright Hygiene.

There was a great vibe about the day and an overwhelming sense of friendship and camaraderie amongst the chefs who attended.  Petrus invited chefs to ask questions on his journey as a chef and were so impressed with his humble and gentile manner. Petrus explained as he started as a KP in South Africa, coming from very humble beginnings in Pritoria.  His sheer hard work and determination since then has seen him work his way up including a stint at The Savoy and a turn on Masterchef: The Professionals. At home he was judge of South African TV show Ultimate Braai Master, all of which are very impressive credentials indeed!

Petrus holds respect for everybody and excellence in customer experience in high regard in his kitchen, he said

“We don’t swear in our kitchen. We don’t do big egos. Our focus is on the customer and preparing delicious food to the very best of our ability. Respect is of paramount importance and we make sure we treat each other with respect and humility, regardless of position.  I am truly blessed to have such a talented hard-working team.”

When asked about the students’ performance, again Petrus was highly complementary, he continued

“The students have been excellent today – their professional attitude and willingness to learn was a joy to see.  I really liked welcoming students from both North Kent and West Kent College to The Poet and seeing how well they worked together as a team, despite never meeting before The Chefs’ Forum event. “

A wonderful South African wine pairing session with Berkmann Wine Cellars kicked-off festivities in the garden as the students served more canapés to bring out the zingy flavour notes in three wines showcased – Lievlander – Old Vine Chenin Blanc with smoked mackerel tacos, Babylon’s Peak,

Viognier/Roussanne with chicken oyster ravioli jus gras and Buitenverwachting, 1769 Muscat with hazelnut deluxe. Rob Gordon of Berkmann talked guests through his rationale for the tastings and the upsurge in the popularity of South African wine in general.

The guests were then treated to a fantastic Creedy Carver chicken cookery demonstration by Petrus showcasing Walter Rose & Son chicken.  Petrus jointed the chicken and talked chefs through his brining and aging process using Santa Maria herbs and spices.

Chefs then enjoyed an authentic boerewors haute dog made to Petrus’ recipe by Walter Rose & Son washed down with perfectly-chilled cava courtesy of Williams Refrigeration who showcased its space-saving HJC2 undercounter refrigeration unit at the event.

A lamb butchery masterclass with Walter Rose & Son then followed and chefs looked-on, fascinated and engaged by the master butchery skills of boning, rolling and tying being showcased to them by Director Jack Cook and New Business Manager Alex Byrne.

The Chefs’ Forum events bring chefs together, inspire student chefs and offer a chance for chefs to share knowledge and best practice.  Any chefs, college or suppliers wishing to get involved should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Photography by www.kentfoodphotographer.com