Wedgwood and Aussie Beef & Lamb Shine at St Patrick’s Day Student Dinner

100 guests at a special St Patrick’s Day dinner at West London College were wowed by the special 600-piece bone china dinner service provided by Wedgwood as part of a gift to the students.

The dinner, supported by The Chefs’ Forum, celebrated St Patrick’s Day but was, in reality, an exercise for the students to see how their food appeared on the best plates and bowls.

“This was a proud moment for The Chefs’ Forum,” said Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum. “This is what the Academy is all about. We were able to introduce Wedgwood and top quality produce to the College and in turn Wedgwood and Meat & Livestock Australia were able to see  how their special donation was used by the students. I can safely say the students were blown away with the experience.”

Denise Charles, Curriculum Manager at West London College, said: “We do a number of themed evenings every year at West London College and this is the first year we have been able to serve 100 guests and have all of them eat off the same dinner service. This was brilliant for us and brilliant for the guests. The students were amazed how good the food looked. It was a huge success.”

“We were able to maximise our supplier and professional chef database as well,” Catherine Farinha continued. “We had lamb and beef from Aussie Beef & Lamb and celebrity guests such as Luciana Berry, Eve Tudor, the BBQ Lads and many more. It was a great night.”

The dinner in full:

Canapes

  • Black pudding and scallop croquettes
  • Baked mussels with a treacle soda breadcrumb
  • Guinness battered white pudding
  • Colcannon cakes

Starters

  • Black pepper-crusted mackerel with a celery salad & Jameson’s whiskey drizzle
  • Green pea soup with brown soda bread

Intermediate

  • Irish stew

Mains

  • Hake with Mussels & Magners Cider
  • Roast Irish Rib-eye of beef served pink with Guinness gravy
  • Boxty Cobbler

Desserts

  • Apple cake & custard
  • Baileys cheesecake

Film & photography by New Era Production

Gower Students Get a Taste of the Good Life

120 school students from six schools around Gower College in South Wales enjoyed a hospitality taster day on Tuesday 14th March.

The special occasion, organised by The Chefs’ Forum and free to attend, enabled the college to host school students and give them a “taste” of what to expect from a catering course.

“We call it an insight into the world of the hospitality industry,” said Chefs’ Forum Director Catherine Farinha. “We had a brilliant line up of chefs and front of house professionals and the students lapped it up!”

Mark Clement, Learning Area Manager, Hospitality, Tourism, Hairdressing, Beauty & Complimentary Therapies at Gower College, said: “This is what our relationship with The Chefs’ Forum is all about. Opening up the college so schools can see what we do and who we work with is vitally important to our future. We couldn’t do it in the same way on our own. It was brilliant fun.”

The morning kicked off with a canapé and mocktail reception followed by pasta making with Orsola Muscia from The Tailor Made Chef.  Orsola invited students from the schools who attended to join her on stage, teaching them the timeless Italian mantra of 100g of flour ratio per whole egg!

Next up was interactive cooking with Leon Lewis from Cook with Lewis and MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 and Clive D’Angelo Smith from Four Seasons Catering.

Students assisted with the demos, then participated in an éclair filling and decorating competition.

All students who helped out on stage and the pair who won the competition all received a fantastic copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge, individually signed by the guest chefs they worked with.

Finally, a talk with local superstar Hywel Griffith from Beach House on what it takes to win a Michelin star. He was joined by his restaurant manager Christie Hayes who is also Restaurant Manager of the Year 2023.

We also heard from Jack, a student at Gower College who did a work placement at Beach House. He was able to tell the young guests all about his work at the restaurant and what to expect in the industry.

“It was a great morning” concluded Catherine Farinha. “A massive thanks to the College. All the students were well behaved and the demos were brilliant.”

 

Photography & film credit: Carlos Farinha

New Look HRC Set to Thrill at Excel Next Week

We’re excited to be a media partner at HRC on the 20-22 March and we caught up with Montgomery Events Manager Ronda Annesley to find out what’s in store for next week’s event at Excel.

“This is the first real HRC we’ve been able to do since lockdown,” Annesley told Chandos Elletson. “After last year’s event we took stock and decided that we needed to focus on customer insight. We learned that hospitality never returned to the way it was following the pandemic and there was still a good deal of uncertainty from operators. We took that on board and this year we’re going to see much more interactivity and networking opportunities where visitors can mingle and mix much more. To do that we’ve built a robust content programme that we’re really excited about.

“We’ve gone big in the chefs side, too. We’ve partnered with Chef Publishing to create Chef HQ with a stellar line-up on the demo stage with chefs such as Niall Keating, Ben Murphy, Steve Munkley, Paul Ainsworth, Nikita Pathakji, Tom Brown and Glynn Purnell all taking part.

In the Networking Hub it’s all about learning from likeminded peers with great sessions on training, quality of experience, mentoring and staffing. You can also Ask The Experts live with the FEA (Foodservice Equipment Association).

“You can check out the latest tech in The Launchpad and get the low down on table trends in Tabletop Village and if that’s not enough there’s The Lobby designed by Design Command where you can take a breather and catch up with friends new and old. It’s right in the centre of the show.

“Last but never least is the incredible Salon Culinaire which this year has 825 competitors! There’s a skills theatre, the salon display and a “know before you go” session which is chef curated.”

You can find us on stand H3501 – We look forward to seeing you there!

HRC Set to Return Packed with New Features and Industry Insights

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) returns to ExCeL London on 20-22 March to bring together the hospitality and foodservice sector for three days of networking, learning and new product discovery.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the very latest products across design & décor, foodservice, professional kitchen equipment, hospitality tech and pub & bar and meet the right suppliers to grow their business and elevate their offering.

Daniel Butcher, General Manager at La Nonna Pasta Fresca, comments: “I find these events to be a day of exploration, discovery, motivation and a developmental opportunity for any business owner or manager. I have visited HRC in the past and find it the best in the business. I am very much looking forward to networking across our industry with suppliers and other restaurateurs this year.”

This year’s event welcomes Monica Galetti as 2023 Chef Ambassador, and the acclaimed chef will be taking to the Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design, on Tuesday 21 March to discuss her career to-date and her take on some of the most important trends in hospitality and foodservice.

The show will open with an industry update from Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality, discussing the association’s latest talks with government and what 2023 might hold for the hospitality sector, followed by a global view of the industry from IGD, the Institute of Grocery Distribution.

Hospitality professionals will also have the opportunity to catch sessions from Hospitality Jobs UK, as the organisation reveals the results if the UK’s largest hospitality salary survey, Cornwall Insight, the energy market intelligence consultancy, will be providing advice on how the hospitality industry can tackle soaring energy costs, and the Sustainable Restaurant Association will be discussing how to set the standards for the food of the future with CH&CO, The Pig Hotels and Hawksmoor.

In the Networking Hub, in partnership with VisitEngland and AA Media, hospitality business owners and operators can network with likeminded professionals and learn from industry leaders in sessions from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the Foodservice Equipment Association, the Institute of Hospitality, the British Institute of Innkeeping and many more.

New for 2023

A new addition to HRC for 2023 is Chef HQ, curated by Chef Publishing, a networking area, demo kitchen and stage where leading chefs from the UK and Europe will be discussing the trends and products that they’re passionate about, while whipping up some delicious dishes for the audience.

Among the sessions taking place in Chef HQ are a demo from National Chef of the Year Ben Murphy, a presentation from Nathan Davies of SY23, fresh from wowing the judges on Great British Menu and securing his first Michelin star, and an interview with the chefs of The Future Plate, a collection of leading black chefs of African and Carribean heritage sharing their culture through tasting menus.

Chef HQ will also feature A. Wong Chef Patron Andrew Wong discussing the art of dim sum, a behind the scenes look at the Bocuse d’Or with team UK coach Tom Philips and Chair of the competition Andreas Antona, and a ‘getting to know you’ chat with Kim Rathoroen, who will discuss her journey from a stage at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to taking up the role of Head Chef at the chain’s London Chelsea premises.

For visitors looking to revitalise their drinks selection, new show section Drinks @ HRC & IFE combines the drinks offerings of HRC and sister event IFE, International Food & Drink Event, to create a single, centralised location to source a wide range of innovative drinks products.

For those looking for discover the very latest hospitality tech products and services, The Launchpad, located within the show’s Hospitality Tech section, is a showcase for tech providers to the sector which have been trading for less than 12 months.

To find out more about everything happening at HRC 2023, and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, visit hrc.co.uk

Wedgwood Steps in with Magnificent gift to West London College

Wedgwood, the celebrated ceramic supplier, has supported West London College with a huge gift of 600 pieces for use in the college restaurant.

The set, made up of the Gio range, will enable the restaurant to plate food in the restaurant to a standard only seen in the finest restaurants.

“This is a magnificent gift,” enthused Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum. “It means that students will be able to see their food as it would appear in a top restaurant or hotel. This is so valuable for them to gain this sort of experience.”

Denise Charles, Head of Hospitality at West London College, said: “We’re thrilled and hugely grateful to Wedgwood. There’s no way our budget would ever stretch to this and to be able to serve food on these beautiful plates and dishes will mean the world to our students and impress our guests.”

The set includes 100 of each and makes a complete dinner service: Dinner plates, salad plates, side plates, soup bowls, dessert bowls and dessert plates.

Explore the Gio and other Wedgwood collections HERE

Christie Hayes Wins Institute of Hospitality Restaurant Manager of the Year 2023

An emotional Christie Hayes, won the coveted Restaurant Manager of the Year 2023 (RMOY) title, sponsored by The Hari on Monday night, at a glittering reception at the Hotel Café Royal, London.

Christie, Restaurant Manager at Beach House, Oxwich, Swansea, Wales, fought off tough competition from 15 other semi-finalists to scoop the title and claim her position as the Institute’s 13th winner of the Restaurant Manager of the Year competition.

Along with the RMOY title and trophy, Christie also receives 12 month’s IoH membership, invitations to all IoH events, and a series of coaching sessions from the prestigious Dorchester Collection Academy.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Wednesday (8 March 2023), Christie joins the ranks of other female RMOY winners and other leading female front-of-house talent, who work in the hospitality industry and raise the profile of women in hospitality.

Speaking about her win, Christie commented: “I’m shocked and so emotional to have won this fantastic award. I’m so very grateful to my team and for this opportunity. The other competitors have been amazing.  I’ve really enjoyed completing all the tasks and I’ve met some wonderful people, throughout the day. It’s been so much fun. I’m incredibly proud and so happy that my sister was here to share this experience with me.”

This year’s runner up, Liam Simpson, from The Strathearn, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland said: “I am very proud to be runner up in the RMOY 2023 competition. It was an incredible day of networking and great fun. I’d like to congratulate the winner Christie on a hard-earned victory and the rest of my competitors on getting this far. If this year’s competition is anything to go by, hospitality in Britain is in very good hands. Hopefully, I’ll return next year!”

To support their career development, all this year’s semi-finalists receive a year’s IoH Membership and free tickets to the IoH events, to help them access a vast range of the IoH’s resources and to encourage them to network. For the first time, they will also receive mentoring from one of the judges.

Sarah Peters FIH, IoH Head of Events said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to all the incredible semi-finalists, our incredible judges who gave their valuable time to help us access such amazing talent and to our panellists who joined us at the Winner’s Reception. None of this would have been possible without our headline sponsors The Hari, London who have generously committed to being the headline sponsor of this competition for the next three years, to The Hotel Café Royal, for looking after us so well, to Spirit Cartel and Prosecco DOC for supplying our guests with amazing drinks and to Foodbuy, our Gold Business Partner for their support.”

Luciana Berry Aims for Top Chef Top Spot

Filming has wrapped on Bravo’s Top Chef Champion of Champions and Chefs’ Forum favourite Luciana Berry is flying the flag for Brazil. Having won Top Chef Brazil in 2020, Luciana was asked back to become part of new show Top Chef Champion of Champions which saw her represent Brazil in the popular US TV chef show.

Luciana told us exclusively: “It was wonderful to be asked back onto Top Chef but this time to represent Brazil. We filmed in London and a crack team came over from America and there were also teams from France, Italy and Spain. We were able to add our own touches and cuisine to the challenges and I had a great time spreading the word about the wonderful cuisine of Brazil.”

Top Chef Champion of Champions airs on Bravo on 9th March and can be watched in the UK online. We wish Luciana all the best and will be catching up with her to find out more behind-the-scenes details after the event.

Top Chef is one of the most successful US TV Chef shows and we are excited that one of our very favourite chefs made it all the way to the finals this time round, again.

Luciana has been passing on her knowledge and skill to the next generation of chefs in supporting our Chefs’ Forum Academies at both West London College and Langley College.  Luciana gets a great deal of satisfaction out of teaching the students everything from traditional Brazilian dishes like Rabada (oxtail) to pancakes with a twist to wow their families on pancake day!

Tune-in to Bravo on the 9th March to see how Luciana gets on – We wish her all the very best of luck and can’t wait to see the Top Chef Brazil winner in action!

School Students Get a Taste of Manchester Hospitality

200 students from 10 Manchester schools joined local top chefs at The Manchester College on Tuesday to learn about hospitality, cooking, cocktails and what they can expect from a catering course.

The special “Hospitality Industry Taster Day”, organised by The Chefs’ Forum Academy is now a well-oiled template for introducing school students to college life. The two-hour session, which was free to all year  8,9,10 and 11 students, ran from 10.30am – 12.30pm

“Our taster days are unique,” explained Chefs’ Forum director Catherine Farinha. “They are an insight into the world of the hospitality industry with top local and national professionals giving up their time to introduce schools students to their profession. They are always popular and always full and we have our brilliant Event Executives Brogen and Alice to thank for that – It is the hard work that goes on behind the scenes that makes these events so special.  It was humbling to be complimented by the Manchester College teaching team and schools who attended on how professional and well-run the event was today – We look forward to many more with this brilliant college and absolutely love what we do”.

The event was punctuated with live singing and dancing by LowKeyLimit, Exose’s music artist brother, flanked by four amazing dance students from the Arden Centre – The performing arts department of UCEN, also based at the City Centre Campus.  Lowkeylimit performed his new single, Manchester Vibes, which launched last Friday.

Everything we did during was designed to showcase the world-class facility across five campuses of The Manchester College and the wonderful opportunities available for Manchester Schoolchildren to further their education.

Maxing Gunning, Head of Curriculum Hospitality & Catering and Travel & Tourism “The taster days organised in partnership with The Chef Forum are an excellent way for us to introduce our courses to students who, otherwise, might not realise the extent of the exciting career opportunities that exist in the hospitality and catering sector. Coupled with our brand-new industry standard facilities, our partnership with The Chefs’ Forum Academy which provides access to top local and national chefs who come and deliver alongside our highly qualified teachers, ensure our students are career ready once they complete their course.”

The event:

  • Canapé & mocktail reception
  • Interactive cookery demos
  • Daniel Rodriguez (MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 and Sous Chef at Hilton Manchester Deansgate)
  • Scott Munro (Executive Chef at Ducie Street Warehouse)
  • Pasta making with Exose Grant (MasterChef: The Professionals 2019) and a cookery demo by Andrew Green (Executive Chef at Mottram Hall)
  • Lunch
  • Éclair decorating competition – This was won by Maka and Makayla, two year ten students from Middleton Technology School  who wowed judges Exose Grant and Revae Marley with their creative flair and perfectly-filled and decorated éclair – The girls each won a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge, our new book, signed by Exose who features in the publication in a feature entitled ‘What type of chef do you want to be?’

The Chefs’ Knowledge is packed with 100 recipes all student and junior chefs need to know, with a whole wealth of information about becoming a chef – Click in the link below to purchase your copy today!

https://thechefsforum-payments.co.uk/

Film and photo credit: Carlos Farinha

A Grand Way to Buy Your Ricotta

We’ve teamed up with Lactalis Professional to bring you an opportunity to win £1,000 simply by buying a 1.5kg tub of Galbani Ricotta from a list of prescribed suppliers.

ENTER THE DRAW HERE

All you need to do to enter is a buy 1.5kg tub of Galbani Ricotta from this list of suppliers below and take a photo of the receipt. Send this into us via the email at the bottom and your name will go into the prize draw to win £1000 in cash!

You can enter as many times as you like. You just need a fresh receipt for each entry.

Ricotta is a unique product and actually means “re cooked” in Italian as it’s a bi-product of the cheese making industry and made from the leftover whey.

“Ricotta is indispensable,” Italian chef Maurizio Bocchi of La Locanda in Lancashire told us. “I use it in my ravioli of spinach and ricotta and you can find the recipe in The Chefs’ Knowledge.”

VIEW RECIPE HERE

Order your ricotta from one of these fantastic foodservice suppliers:

  • A DAVID & CO LTD
  • ALLAN REEDER LTD
  • BFS GROUP LTD T/A BIDFOOD
  • BIDFRESH LTD T/A OLIVER KAY
  • CASTELL HOWELL FOODS LIMITED
  • CN FOODS DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED
  • CONTINENTAL WINE & FOOD LTD
  • DIVINE IMPORTERS LTD
  • DO & CO EVENT & AIRLINE CATERING LTD
  • FRESH DIRECT (UK) LTD
  • HARVEY & BROCKLESS LIMITED
  • HOLLAND BAZAAR LTD
  • JAMES BURDEN LIMITED
  • LONGMAN CHEESE SALES LTD
  • WINGS FOOD SOLUTIONS LTD

An uploaded photo of a valid itemised till receipt/ invoice from a recognised wholesaler as outlined above, clearly showing the purchase of a minimum of one (1) pack of GALBANI PROFESSIONAL RICOTTA 1.5 KG purchased between the promotional dates and prior to entry as proof of purchase, on https://lactalispro.co.uk/best-of-italian/win-1000 is required

Complete the application registration by entering first and last name, personal genuine email address, business name and official job title.

On submission of the entry into the prize draw entrants will see an onscreen message confirming their entry.

Terms & Conditions

UK catering & hospitality business personnel only 18+. Promotion open 00.00 on 20.02.23 to 23:59 on 20.03.23. Purchase necessary. Internet access & registration required. To enter the prize draw online, purchase GALBANI PROFESSIONAL RICOTTA 1.5 KG from selected wholesalers then upload proof of purchase and name, personal email, business name and job title at https://lactalispro.co.uk/best-of-italian/win-1000. Retain each receipt for entry/ claim. Employee/employer consent required. Prize of £1000 to win (via BACS). For full T&Cs incl. exclusions see https://lactalispro.co.uk/terms-conditions#prize-draw

 

University of West London Triumphs in Zest Quest Asia 2023

University of West London have won Zest Quest Asia 2023. This marks the third time since the launch of the student culinary competition ten years ago that a team from the university’s London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism has taken first place.

The results of the live cook off and knowledge presentations that comprise the finals of Zest Quest Asia were announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards Night held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre London Heathrow on Friday, 17th February 2023. Some 250 guests, including representatives from colleges, industry, and the media attended the glittering evening, which included a raffle and auction to raise funds for the Todiwala Foundation.

For their efforts, Nekeshia Alcee, Olivia Parker-Smith and Prema Rebekah Kaur Sembi-Harding and their tutor, Nathan Vasanthan, bagged a trip of a lifetime – a week-long culinary and cultural journey to Bangkok, Thailand. Nathan is a seasoned Zest Quest Asia tutor, having coached and accompanied previous University of West London Zest Quest Asia champions to Manila and Hanoi.

This year, the judges were impressed by the team’s Vietnamese-inspired 4-course menu consisting of an amuse bouche of Dorset clam dumplings with Sriracha and mixed herbs; a starter of Tomato and mushroom Pho with tomato brittles; a main course of Banh chung – a Northern Vietnamese rice dish served during the Lunar Year, Lemongrass and Chilli Chicken with stir-friend broccoli stems and cabbage served with carrot, daikon and Kohlrabi pickle; and a dessert of Honteri-miso glazed sticky rice banana cake with creamy coconut sauce, roasted peanuts.

Cyrus Todiwala, co-founder with Pervin Todiwala of Zest Quest Asia, said, “This was a truly magnificent evening. After 10 years, Zest Quest Asia continues to fire the creativity and imaginations of young student chefs. People are taking Asian cuisine seriously as an artform and the performance and dedication of our finalists proves that Zest Quest Asia is making a positive difference in the perception of Asian food. Congratulations to University of West London for their fabulous hat-trick and to all the finalists who have emerged as winners as well.”

The finals drew compliments from the hospitality establishment:

Sheila Dillon, presenter of the BBC Food programme, commented on Twitter: “So heartening. So admire @chefcyrustodiw1 @mrstodiwala. They stick at it and change what needs changing – pushing high standards, creating jobs.”

Robert Richardson FIH MI, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, who attended the Gala Dinner and Awards Night, tweeted “A pleasure to celebrate the talent, skills and outstanding knowledge of Asian cuisine at Zest Quest Asia…congratulations to each and every finalist this evening. You are all winners!”

Other winners of the evening were:

  • Best Menu Planning and Presentation Award sponsored by Ian MacLeod Distillers – The Sheffield College
  • Best Use of Tormek Knife Sharpener Award – North Hertfordshire College
  • Minimum Wastage Award sponsored by McCormick – University of West London
  • Andrew Bennett MBE Team Work Award – University College Birmingham
  • Spice it Up with Schwartz Award – Cheshire College South and West
  • Best Use of Hallde Food Processor – North Hertfordshire College
  • Best Use of Panasonic Accelerated Combination Oven – University of West London
  • Best Use of of Mizkan Japanese Seasonings – UHI North Highland
  • Best Use of Tilda Rice – North Hertfordshire College
  • Most Sustainable Menu Award sponsored by Meiko UK – North Highland UHI (Dornoch)
  • Runner-Up of Zest Quest Asia 2023 – University College Birmingham

Zest Quest Asia was founded in 2013 by Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, with the support of The Master Chefs of Great Britain, to address the gaps in skills and knowledge of classical Asian cuisine and to stimulate interest in Asian cookery as a viable, long-term career.

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