News Archives - Page 19 of 124

High Steaks Indeed

Something magical happens when great ingredients meet outstanding cooking methods and that’s what went down at Meat Feast in Manchester on Wednesday.

The special event organised by The Chefs’ Forum saw the best of Aussie Beef put through its paces by Bem Brasil in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Rui Rodrigues, Operations Manager at Bem Brasil was delighted to host his industry peers and showcase the restaurant concept, he said

“We were really impressed with the quality of the Aussie beef. As you can imagine, we get through a lot of meat across our three sites – About two tonnes a week. Our meat that we serve in Bem Brasil typically comes from the UK & Ireland, but its great to know that this quality product is now available alongside and it tastes delicious – I especially liked the dry aged version that we aged in the Klima, there was lots of marbling, and the dry aging gave it more of an intense flavour.

Its great that there’s now more choice of sustainable fresh produce for our chefs and the wider UK Market.”

Dry aged and wet aged steaks – sirloin, rib eye and picanha – from Jack’s Creek in New South Wales, Australia were cooked on skewers on a specialist grill with thirty hooks for multiple skewers to be cooked at the same time, to enable a steady flow of meat to be taken to the guests and carved at the table by skilled pasadores (waiters who carve the meat). Typical Brazilian sides including vinaigrette, fejoada (black bean and pork soup), garlic rice, cheese bread, farofa, batata frita and fried banana were also on the menu and everything was washed down with quality Australian wines from Brown Brothers, including Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris, Syrah and a delicious sparkling Moscato.

Talking about the event Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “The marriage of Australian meat and Brazilian cooking was spot on. We used a mixture of dry ageing and wet ageing and utilised the Klima dry ageing cabinet to perfection. The meat was amazing and the cooking at Bem Brazil really brought out the rich flavours. It was a top event with some really great chefs in attendance.”

Stephen Edwards, UK Business Manager of Meat & Livestock Australia, said: “This was a truly great event for us to be involved with. Not only was it a perfect showcase of Aussie beef but it was thrilling to see it being enjoyed by so many top chefs from the North of England. Aussie beef is world class and Jack’s Creek are the current holders of the World’s Best Ribeye.”

Steve Snow, Managing Director of MCS Technical Products was on hand to present the Klima dry aging unit and tell the chefs about the process of aging the meat in advance of the event.

George Edwards, Category Specialist – Fresh Meat Sales & Marketing from Jack’s Creek London echoed the positive synopsis of the day, he said

“This was a great event with Meat & Livestock Australia and The Chefs’ Forum as we looked at our incredible Jacks Creek Black Angus Range.

A highlight was being able to compare wet and dry aging techniques on the same beef. We would like to thank Stephen Edwards for organising and inviting so many talented and inquisitive chefs.”

Roux Scholarship 2024: Entries Open as Roux Family Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Competition

The Roux Family is delighted to reveal the details of The Roux Scholarship 2024, which sees some exciting developments set to mark the 40^th anniversary of the competition. Entries open today with UK-resident chefs, aged 22-29, invited to create their own recipe using a delicious range of ingredients.

Emily Roux joins the judging panel and Board of Directors

Chef Emily Roux is chef-patron of Caractère Restaurant in Notting Hill and trained for several years in some of France’s best restaurants before returning to the UK in 2016 and opening Caractère in 2018. She brings her knowledge and talent for cooking French and Italian cuisines to the judging panel, as well as her personal expertise and perspective to the Board of Directors. She said: “I am super excited to be joining the panel of judges. Being alongside some incredible chefs and previous winners is a real honour. The Roux Scholarship is a real trampoline for any young chef’s career.”

National final to take place at the Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn

The new Culinary School is set in Michel Roux OBE’s former home at The Waterside Inn and was created as a unique centre of culinary education and training for the restaurant’s own kitchen and front of house staff, as well as guests. The six national finalists will use state-of-the-art equipment on its six kitchen stations and will serve their dish to the judges in the adjoining Michel Roux library, which holds Alain’s late father’s extraordinary collection of books. Its interiors were designed by Laura Roux.

Alain Roux said: “The 2024 final will feel like a homecoming! We are literally bringing The Roux Scholarship home… to my father’s home and I could not be happier. There can be no better tribute, as we look to celebrate 40 years since the founding of The Scholarship by my father and uncle. The legacy of which he was most proud is The Roux Scholarship. Next year, in his own kitchen, we will choose our new Scholar to join the family.”

Michel Roux Jr said: “In life, there are ‘pinch me’ moments and to be able to hold the 40th anniversary Roux Scholarship final in what was my uncle’s house is definitely one of them. Both brothers would be so proud to see the school and that we are holding the final there.”

Recipe challenge 2024

The Roux Scholarship 2024 competition invites chefs to create a recipe for four people using the following ingredients and criteria:

One short loin of free-range gilt pork from the shoulder end, weighing anywhere between 1.6kg and 1.8kg maximum, untrimmed with four bones in.
In addition, use two fresh pork kidneys, together plated with crackling and two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments. One of them must include sweet potatoes and the other can be a garnish/accompaniment of the contestant’s choice. One of these can be served separately, if preferred.
A sauce must accompany the dish.

Entrants have until midnight on Monday 22^nd January 2024 to submit their recipes via the online application system. For additional rules and stipulations, see rouxscholarship.co.uk/how-to-enter/rules/

Chairman Alain Roux said: “The short loin of gilt pork is one of my favourite cuts and, like the kidneys, offers great value and inspiration to create a fantastic dish. The loin is super versatile with the juiciest, most succulent meat and exceptional subtle flavours. The Roux family loves offal and we will be looking for careful preparation and technique to best preserve texture and flavour. There’s so much scope here to use different styles, flavour combinations and techniques, it should prove a fascinating challenge for our would-be scholars.”

Chairman Michel Roux said: “Short loin of pork, especially from the shoulder end, is a tremendous cut; lots of marbling, skin and the kidneys to regale the palate. This recipe challenge has so much potential for creativity and different styles of cuisine.”

What else is new for 2024?

The Roux Scholarship is delighted to welcome two new sponsors: The Macallan, renowned worldwide for its extraordinary single malt whiskies; Showerings Cider, a family-owned business that has making award-winning cider for 180 years.
This will be the second year that the winner will choose from two star prizes: the two-month stage at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world, or a bespoke training plan tailored to the chef’s skills and knowledge gaps.
As the first step of the application, chefs must register their entry via the website. If they meet the application criteria (eg. age, UK resident, correct qualifications), they will be sent the invitation to complete online the recipe application form.
For the two years after the pandemic, the age limit was increased to 31. However, the upper age limit for the 2024 competition will be exactly 30 years old. Therefore, if a chef turns 30 on or before 1^st February 2024 they qualify for entry.
The Roux Scholarship continues to be dedicated to encouraging chefs of all genders and ethnicities to enter the competition, with diversity and ethnicity monitoring included in the application form. To read the White Paper produced in 2022 following the Round Table discussion, visit the website at: rouxscholarship.co.uk/diversity-and-the-roux-scholarship/
The 2024 competition will be the fourth time the Mentorship Award is offered as a prize. As well as the £6,000 awarded to the winner for their career development, an additional £6,000 is awarded to them on completion of 15 months’ service with their current employer after they win. Should they take up a new role in that time, the funds will be awarded to the original employer to help in the development of the remaining brigade.
The Honorary President of Judges will be announced in due course.

The Judges

In addition to Emily Roux The judging panel will remain the same for the 2024 competition and is as follows: Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Sat Bains (Scholar 1999), André Garrett (Scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (Scholar 2003), James Martin, Clare Smyth MBE, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett OBE.

Important dates:

22^nd January 2024: Deadline for applications.

7th March 2024: Regional finalists compete, each cooking their written recipe plus a mystery basket dessert recipe challenge. Regional finals take place at University College Birmingham and University of West London. Six national finalists shortlisted.

8th April 2023: National Final at The Waterside Inn Culinary School. Award ceremony venue TBC.

Prizes

In addition to the two options for the star prize, the winner receives up to £12,000, to support their career development as well as a host of fabulous prizes from our sponsors.

Ace Charity Dinner Raises Roof for PM Trust

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ruston Toms said

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

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

Photo credit: Demir Ozyurt

The Chefs’ Forum Gets a Taste of the Hospital Food of the Future

Team Chefs’ Forum, led by Director Catherine Farinha, spent the day at Lainston House in Hampshire on the 25th October watching day 2 of the NHS Chef 2023. This important competition brings hospital chefs together from across the UK to showcase chef talent and allow different hospital trusts to compete against each other.

Philip Shelley was hosting the event with NHS Chef Ambassador Nick Vadis and Net Zero Programme Manager, Tim Radcliffe. Philip said

“This competition is now in its third year and its great to see how much the finalists, mentors and sponsors are enjoying the day. It is a great opportunity for all of us, with the common purpose of improving hospital food, to get together, celebrating and rewarding the brilliant culinary talent we have within NHS England. The competition hasn’t yet run its course this year, but already we’re seeing the bar being lifted higher and higher for creative menus and innovative culinary concepts, we are really delighted with the dishes being showcased by our chefs.”

The Chefs’ Forum is all about celebrating all chefs throughout all sectors and the NHS is not only a fantastic career option for a chef, but there are also great prospects for career progression, leading to catering department management roles, as well as mentoring and training roles throughout multiple trusts and regions.

“It was great for us to spend the day at the competition,” Catherine Farinha said. “We saw plant-based dishes in the morning and 24/7 meals in the afternoon. We watched as dishes were cooked from scratch as they would be in hospitals. Each one of the dishes we saw is cooked at hospital sites for regeneration later at any time of day for patients, staff and visitors.

“We were thrilled to meet the team from Churchill and hear how colourful bistro-style crockery is being trialled both on the ward and in food retail outlets in hospitals to improve the dining experience.”

The visit to NHS Chef 2023 also gave us a chance to see many of the people we’ve interviewed for our upcoming book in partnership with the NHS Hospital Food Review.

As a sequel to The Chefs’ Knowledge published last year, The NHS Chefs’ Knowledge will be all about hospital chefs, stakeholders from the food review and a celebration of all of the wonderful people and brands who are bringing about positive change in hospital menus, across all food offers, for patients, visitors and staff.

Catherine concluded

“It was such an amazing opportunity to see the mentoring chefs in action, supporting the finalists. Our next visit is to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport to see first-hand the whole food journey, from kitchen to ward.”

Any chefs wishing to know more about careers and job opportunities within NHS England should email catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Photo credit: Simon Kearsley, Creative Camera Media.

Compass chefs wow at Culinary Competition

Chefs from across the Compass Group UK & Ireland business joined together for the company’s annual Compass Chef of the Year (CCOTY) competitions, last week. Held at a Cookery School, in Winchester, the contest shows off the company’s best-in-class culinary talent with an opportunity for learning, development and networking.

In the Senior Chef of the Year category Gary Wolfe, from Restaurant Associates received gold, followed by Bruce Morrison from ESS Energy who took home silver and Izabela Ginter, ESS Energy was awarded bronze.

George Charles-Pulfer from Restaurant Associates won the overall Young Chef category, taking gold. Silver went to Aga Bernaciak of Restaurant Associates and bronze to Isabel Cureton, ESS Defence.

Finalists in the Senior Chef of the Year category prepared three dishes in just over two hours. The winning courses that were prepared by Gary, included a delicious Tartlet of artichokes; Dayboat Southcoast Turbot; and Norfolk Royal Russet Apple Pie.

The Young Chef of the Year competitors (chefs to the level of Chef de Partie), were required to prepare two dishes – a starter and a main course in two hours. Judges were wowed by George’s dishes of leek, yeast and cashew starter, followed by Herdwick lamb and carrot.

For participants to make it into the final, they have either been selected or have taken part in heats. The process is judged on several factors including the sustainability of menus, including seasonality and keeping waste to a minimum, with competitors tasked to produce one plant-based course.

The chefs were judged by National Chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, Matt Owens; Chef Consultant, Simon Stocker; Head of Ingredients and Workplace Managed menus, Foodbuy UK, Bob Brown; and Culinary Director at Compass Group UK & Ireland, Nick Vadis.

The Senior Chef winner, Gary Wolfe said: “The Compass Chef of the Year competition has been a brilliant process to be involved in and I have learnt a lot on this journey. It’s a huge honour to win this award, thank you so much to the team for their support.”

Nick Vadis, Compass Group UK & Ireland Culinary Director said: “Every year I am bowled over by our amazing chefs. They show dedication, creativity and skill. They are mentored by others within the business and throughout the process I watch them grow and develop. It’s been a great day – a massive well done to everyone involved.”

Top London Chefs Show Versatility of Aussie Beef & Lamb

When you’ve got top ingredients it’s easy to create amazing flavours and stunning new dishes. A selected group of top London chefs took part in a Menu Development Day at West London College to showcase Aussie Beef & Lamb.

Stephen Edwards, UK Country Manager for Meat & Livestock Australia gave a brilliant presentation on Aussie beef and lamb, teaching the chefs about the strict welfare standards and global distribution management.

Stephen said

“It was great to see so many top-tier chefs in the college kitchens today, working with the students. It was back to school for the professional chefs and a great day of knowledge-sharing and menu development for the chefs who participated. It was great to hear such positive feedback on our Aussie beef and lamb, after the chefs had cooked with the products.”

The students really benefitted from all of the visiting chefs coming in to their training kitchens today and we were so impressed with the way they helped to produce such wonderful plates of food. All recipes and dishes will be available on our website – A wonderful celebration of UK chefs cooking with Aussie beef and lamb!”

Chefs such as Saito Daichiki, Roy Ner, Aaj Fernando, Chris Woodford and Soham Sonawane were asked to create a new dish that included a specific cut of either beef or lamb and then cook the dish with WLC students before serving it at a special tasting.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, the organiser of the event, said: “We used our network of international chefs based in London to arrange a special focus day for Aussie Beef & Lamb. 12 chefs took part and each of the dishes they created were not only different but highlighted the versatility and adaptability of Aussie Beef & Lamb. I was particularly impressed with the range of flavours and techniques that the chefs used. It was also brilliant for the students to work with incredible ingredients and talented chefs,”

Denise Charles of West London College said: “This event was extra-curricular in every way. For our students to get access to these chefs, ingredients and ideas was incredible. There was such a lot of talent in the kitchen and the dishes they created were amazing. Thank you to The Chefs’ Forum, once again, for coming up with a top event for us to host.”

Those dishes in full:

Saito Daichiki – Aussie beef and black mushroom rice maki grill with egg yolk sauce
Roy Ner – Aussie Aberdeen Angus assiette
Francisco Martinez – Aussie lamb rack 2-ways
Shanti Bhushan Lal – Rogan Josh Pot Pie
Ioannis Grammenos – Reverse seared Australian bavette with Argentinian chimichurri sauce
Jai Shaikh – Aussie Aberdeen Black ri eye, Bombay potato terrine, penny buns and butter beans with pan jus
Chris Woodford – Peruvian marinaded Aussie lamb with smoked quinoa
David Lagonell – Pan roasted Aussie sirloin, green peppercorn, pickled kumquat and smoked garlic salsa served with triple cooked yuca fries and a warm salad of grilled runner beans, mange tout, burnt Lebanesecucumber, tomatillo, pistachio and preserved lemon dressing
Aaj Fernando – Grilled Aussie lamb chumps with Korean spicy BBQ sauce
Soham Sonawane – Aussie lamb rack, pot marrow puree, grelot onion, confit Jerusalem artichoke, spiced kale, lamb lettuce & jus
Gurpreet Dham – Rosemary, garlic and thyme marinated chumps of lamb with, soft parsley mash, asparagus, Chantenay carrots and wilted baby spinach with minted jus

Classic Showcase Wows Chefs at NEW Southwest Hub Launch

Classic Fine Foods pulled out all the stops at their South West showcase event at the Courtyard by Marriott in Exeter on Monday.

Exquisite ingredients such as Sturia caviar, Valrhona chocolate, Westholme Wagyu and local wood pigeon were on display and used in masterclasses by top chefs from the South West as well as butchery masterclasses from Richard Sanders of Classic Butcher.

Michael Caines trained private chef Jade Shorney used his favourite caviar from Sturia in her stunning scallop dish, plated on Wedgwood.

Sturia was set up near Bordeaux 20 years ago and has pioneered sustainable sturgeon farming in France. It produces around 12 tonnes of caviar a year, which is sold all over the world. Sturia’s caviar is lightly salted, which releases all of its long hazelnut flavours on your palate.

Faustine Daudier de Cassini, Caviar specialist and Export Area Manager at Sturia was on hand to sample the product to the chefs and tell them all about the ‘egg to egg’ production process, ensuring every part of the sturgeon harvested is used once dispatched.

Jade’s dish – Scallops, apple, pork ‘popcorn’ and samphire with a chive oil split white wine sauce.

Scott Paton Exec Chef and John Brimicombe, Pastry Chef at Àclèaf at Boringdon Hall created Valrhona Chocolate & Honey Bonbon using Valrhona’s Guanaja which included a masterclass on how and why do we temper chocolate.

Next up was Classic Butchery’s in-house butcher, Richard Sanders with a brilliant presentation on how to achieve the perfect big steaks, you guessed it – Tomahawk and T-Bone.

He then cut some sirloin and rump steaks that were seared to perfection on the market-leading FlashGRILL, which rendered the chefs silent as they gleefully sampled the juicy Westcountry beef – A wonderful product indeed.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said:

“Chefs all over the world love Westcountry beef for its extraordinarily rich flavour, marbling, consistency and versatility.

It’s great that Classic also sell specialist products like Australian Wagyu alongside domestic product and even New Meat product Redefine Meat, which was also on display – It’s so great that chefs can benefit from the full range.

We’re doing a lot of work this year with Meat & Livestock Australia, staging a whole string of events all over the UK to champion top-quality Aussie wagyu and beef.

Wagyu is a specialist product and we can be assured that Westholme champion sustainable production methods and high animal welfare.”

MCS Technical Products have supplied a fantastic FlashGRILL and CookTek induction hobs to The Chefs’ Forum demo stage and this market-leading equipment meant the chefs were able to create their exquisite dishes to perfection.

Chef Richard Hunt from the Exeter Courtyard by Marriott cooked up a storm with his Sirloin of Westholme wagyu, potato Galette, celeriac and truffle purée. Beef dripping panko-crusted asparagus, beef jus and aged balsamic, all produced on the FlashGRILL with the help of David Jenkins, our Grill Master for the day!

Darryl Collins from Mullion Cove Hotel then followed with a Valrhona eggless hazelnut cake, which really was a thing of beauty. Having developed an egg allergy over recent years, he has really become an expert at thinking outside the box, making delicious desserts available to all.

Vania Piomboni, Valrhona Country Manager for UK & Ireland told the chefs about the origin of the Hukambi 53% milk chocolate, which is a relatively new product from the world-leading chocolate producers.

L-R – Anthony Theobold (Head Chef at Mullion Cove), Darryl Collins, Vania Piomboni and Denis Drame

She said

“Hukambi is a chocolate that brings together all the indulgence and pleasure of rounded cocoa notes. The intense cocoa and milk aspects with dark flavour notes and the powerful aromas of Brazilian cocoa – A real crowd-pleaser in that it offers the best of both worlds – Black (“Hu”) and milk (“Kambi”) as its name translates in Tupi-Guarani, a language spoken by one of the indigenous peoples living in Brazil’s Mata Atlantica. It’s great to be here today meeting all of the fantastic chefs from the southwest, I am overjoyed that Classic have now expanded to this wonderful region and look forward to working with the chefs ongoing.”

Denis Drame – Head of Culinary and Development at Classic Fine Foods presented The TasteLab by Classic Fine Foods London. The TasteLab is a place to meet, share and learn in a relaxed environment and the southwest chefs will be invited to come and enjoy some menu development days at the fantastic facility.

Chris McClurg from Paul Ainsworth at No6 created “All of the Pigeon (No6 Hay Aged)” – Umeboshi condiment and Black Cardamom. The meticulous, delicious and impressive dish was put together by Head Chef Mason Winwood.

The chefs were delighted to present French farmed pigeon, available from Classic, that Chris says is simply the best.

Krishna Quarrell, Classic Fine Foods Sales Manager said:

“It was a great day and all our guests had a chance to see what a fabulous array of top ingredients we bring with us – It was also brilliant to see how the chefs incorporated them into delicious dishes cooked live on The Chefs’ Forum demo stage . We can supply some of the world’s very best ingredients, as well as local specialities that make Classic Fine Foods one of the best specialist suppliers in the Southwest.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said:

Charlotte Penwill

“We had so much fun today, running the demo stage at Classic’s Southwest Hub launch. Devon and the Southwest is already a rich area for world-class ingredients but we saw a different level today with ingredients coming in from all over the world – Such a beautiful display of ingredients, products and produce put together by Team Classic and the brands who partnered with them. With this much excellence, chefs in the Southwest really can shine and get hold of brands and ingredients previously only available in London and the larger cities.”

Any chefs interested in learning more about Classic Fine Foods and the fabulous range of over 3,000 specialist lines offered should contact Charlotte Penwill, South West Account Manager at Classic Fine Foods – Charlotte.penwill@classicfinefoods.co.uk

Tune in to Bluefin Tuna

Would you like to learn more about bluefin tuna, see it being cut, taste it and drink some champagne? True World Foods and tuna brand Balfego – which comes from Spain – is having a special event on the 25th September from 11:00am to 2pm at Soldeli and is inviting chefs along.

The main event is a cutting demonstration that shouldn’t be missed. How to break down a large fish is a skill that takes many years and True World Foods production experts will be on hand to take you through the meticulous cutting process. How you cut the fish can dramatically improve its taste.

Guests will get to taste premium quality bluefin tuna which is already being used in some of London’s best restaurants and sushi restaurants – think Endo at the Rotunda, Amazonico, Barrafina. There will also be a complementary glass of Moët & Chandon champagne to go with it.

Amazonico’s Group Executive Chef Europe & USA at Amazonico London, Vitelio Reyes, absolutely loves this product and has used it in Madrid for the past seven years and the London site for four years, he said

“This product it of optimum quality and consistently brilliant – Super good! It gives us the confidence to produce the best possible sushi in London, Madrid and soon to be on the menu in our latest opening in Monte Carlo too. I am really looking forward to the event on the 25^th and think it is really important for my chefs to keep learning new cutting techniques and acquire knowledge about the top quality produce they are working with.”

True Worlds Food CEO, Bongjin Jung, said

“We are thrilled to present this fascinating tuna cutting show. We take great pride in collaborating with Balfego, as we wholeheartedly embrace their commitment to providing the finest tuna in the world, championing sustainable and traceable fishing practices to safeguard and protect the future of our oceans”.

This unmissable event is free to attend and open to all senior chefs, sushi chefs and restaurant owners.

To register, please email: info@trueworldfoods.co.uk

A Taste of Things to Come!

School and College students got a taste of the future on Tuesday at South & City College Birmingham. The latest college to sign-up for a Chefs’ Forum Academy hosted a fantastic Hospitality Industry Taster Day for students with top chefs, suppliers and Front of House experts on hand to show what hospitality is all about.

The insight into the world of the hospitality industry with top local and national chefs, featured a canapé & mocktail reception followed by a pasta-making masterclass with Exose Grant – MasterChef: The Professionals Finalist 2019 and Head Chef at Ikaro.

Exose invited enthusiastic year 10 students, Sasha Guest-Scott and Sherene Day onto the stage to help make fresh tagliatelle and a delicious creamy Royal Greenland prawn sauce.

Royal Greenland kindly sponsored cold-water prawns for Exose’s canapé – A Royal Greenland cold water prawn bruschetta which he made with the level two college students.

Solene Labarere, UK Market Development Manager took to the stage to tell the students all about their world-famous prawns and how they are harvested and transported to the UK.

Exose said

“I have done quite a number of these fantastic taster days as a frequent guest lecturer in The Chefs’ Forum Academy at lots of UK colleges and I really enjoyed meeting and working with the students at SCCB. It was also great to cook with Royal Greenland prawns on the brand new CookTek induction hobs, recently donated to us by MCS Technical Products. I was particularly impressed with the way that Sherene created perfect tagliatelle with hardly any help, she also helped me create the sauce and kept stirring it while I was helping Sasha with the pasta machine – A great young chef in the making! It was also honoured to sign a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge for them both and I’m sure they will enjoy reading about all of the Chefs’ career stories, including my own!”

Rapper Lowkeylimit and Chefs’ Forum dancers Kit Sells and Princess Van-Der-Larbi punctuated the cookery demos with impressive dance routines and brilliant music – They really put on a show that the young audience really enjoyed!

Following on, Munayam Khan, Chef Patron of Raja Monkey showed the students how to make and fill the perfect samosa.

Year 10 student, Mia May was on hand to learn how to roll-out, fill and fold a samosa in the traditional Punjabi way, expertly led by Munayam.

Mia said

“Samosas are one of my favourite street foods and it was great to learn how to make one. I have the recipe in my goodie bag and I fully intend on making this for my family and friends when I get home. I’m really grateful to Munayam for giving me the opportunity and was delighted to receive a signed copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge containing more of his recipes to try!”

Munayam also made a Bhelpuri, made with puffed rice, chinni sev (thin fried noodles) and pomegranate seeds as a canapé and served them to the room – The students absolutely loved it!

Next up, Chris Emery of Orelle Restaurant in Birmingham talked students through his career, whilst making his signature dish of Roast Peking Duck, Confit Beetroot, Maitake (hen-of-the-wood mushroom) and Confit leg pie. Chris prides himself on using all local, seasonal ingredients and championing local farmers. He also invited year 10 student, Bohdan Yekimov onto the stage to mirror him in plating-up the dish, he did very well indeed!

Toffee Apple Éclair filling and decorating was next with Tom Everard-Fairburn – Owner of Two Brothers Bakery in Warrick.

Level 2 student Ruta Gizach and Year 10 student, Dan Snow both had a go at recreating Tom’s toffee apple eclair and Tom was really impressed with their efforts.

Tom also made a toffee apple choux bun version as a canapé for the audience to try.

Ex-SCCB student, Tom has worked with The Chefs’ Forum to inspire young chefs for the past decade and is a regular in Chefs’ Forum Academy masterclasses and at various events.

Tom is an excellent pastry chef and it was great to be able to tell the students about his journey that has led to him recently opening his own business.

Also on stage was Connor McAlpine of ‘Connorcierge’ – One of London’s hottest concierge services – which arranges tables at top restaurants for celebrities and VIP’s. Connor’s unique insight into hospitality and his highly successful career story had the students enthralled.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “It was a great way to start the year. SCCB is a brilliant college and our chefs loved being here and are looking forward to teaching masterclasses and inspiring the catering students as the year unfolds. We’re also looking forward to an exciting business studies challenge for hospitality students this January, which will see Munayam taking the students to a wholesaler and helping them to buy ingredients and create a seasonal menu, all within a designated budget, to sell to their peers and teachers. The winning student will receive a fantastic dinner at Raja Monkey!”

Adam Porter, Head of School: Hospitality & Catering at SCCB said: “It was the dream start to the year for us. We staged this event at South & City Academy to show students what Hospitality & Catering courses are all about over at the college and they loved it. Partnering with The Chefs’ Forum is going to revolutionise what we do with our students and those that will be coming in future years.”

This event has helped the college satisfy multiple standards on the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance in linking the curriculum to careers, enabling students to encounter employers and facilitating encounters with further and higher education.

Catherine concluded

“The Chefs’ Forum Academy employer engagement programme also offers experience of work places with regular work experience opportunities and personal guidance for each student. We are frequently interviewed by OFSTED to this end in helping colleges get the recognition they deserve for extensive curriculum enrichment work with us. We really love what we do and it is great that the colleges we work with can benefit from our work as well as helping employers identifying and nurturing the next generation of culinary and hospitality talent.”

Alex Naik Opens Thirteen with a Bang

There’s a new addition to the Dorset culinary landscape. Award-winning chef Alex Naik, formerly head chef at Shell Bay restaurant in Swanage, is opening Thirteen today in Parkstone, Poole.

Thirteen is a small family run restaurant with a stylish ambience and brings together exquisite food and great service.

Head Chef Alex Naik will create contemporary British cuisine combining seasonal locally sourced and freshly foraged ingredients with innovative cooking techniques.

Thirteen opens on Wednesday 13th September.

The Chefs’ Forum Director Catherine Farinha said:

“We were delighted to be invited to the soft launch of Thirteen restaurant by Dorset’s award-winning chef Alex Naik on Friday night! It was great to see his sister Frances, mum Elizabeth and dad Hem.

A wonderful evening had by all and it was also great to catch-up with friends old and new – Chefs’ Forum Sponsors – Country Fayre and Kris Hall from The Burnt Chef Project.”

Alex’s menu from the soft opening: