Australia Comes Calling for Hospitality Superstars to Move Down Under
Join the team at Australian Venue Co & earn $1,000 Welcome Credit
Register your interest: Click here
Australian Venue Co is the second largest hospitality group in Australia, with more than 180+ venues across the country. They own & operate leading pubs, bars, and restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, Perth, The Gold Coast, Brisbane & more!
Now is the time to move down under with the assistance of a top hospitality company, Australian Venue Co. who are on the hunt for hospitality superstars to join its team.
The hospitality company is passionate about training and development and will help turn your hospitality job into a career. They have a range of front & back of house roles available including Venue Manager, Chef, Cook, Bartender and many more! You can be an existing head chef or a student looking for a new start, Australian Venue Co. is interested in all in all levels of experience.
Executive chef Christian Abbott, who moved to Australia from the UK to join the group seven years ago, explained what they are looking for: “We are looking for recruits from the UK who would consider an opportunity to join us in Australia. We will help you with the process including visas and support with your flights on a case-by-case basis. You’ll be joining friendly and fun workplace culture.
“What I have enjoyed about living and working in Australia is how different the pace of life is. I had to learn to adapt because everything is much slower and more relaxed. There’s much more of a work/life balance. We exercise together and have a walk before work, for example.
“I understand what it’s like to move across the world, but with the Australian Venue Co Welcome Pack, we’re sure you’ll fit in easily.”
Don’t just take Christian’s word, here are what some of the employees at Australian Venue Co have to say:
“The business opportunities and work-life balance here are great – Head Chefs and Venue Managers have the option to work a 4-day week, and the progression opportunities and business-learning aspects of these roles are industry-leading. If someone wanted to manage their own venue one day, they have the opportunity at AVC to pick up those skills on the job. If you’re at a stage where you think you’ve done it all, there’s so much more to learn here.”
Kirra Parsons – Senior Head Chef, Middle Park Hotel
“AVC did a great job of looking after their staff during the lockdown. We made about 30,000 meals for Meals for Mates. That meant AVC staff members who weren’t working were able to put their skills to use with Job keeper,” he says. “AVC was also able to include sponsored workers in that program, which was a nice point of difference from other companies. The level of support we have here with head office and marketing is awesome.
One of the core values at AVC is agility, which is reacting quickly to changes, whether it be a pandemic or otherwise. I’ve learned the importance of understanding a changing demographic, understanding where society is heading, and reacting to those changes,” he says. “I’ve definitely come to appreciate agility as a skill while I’ve been at AVC, and I don’t necessarily think I did in the past.
The best part is, with be opportunities to move into behind-the-scenes roles if you’re proactive and apply yourself. It’s great if you love hospitality and want to stay involved in the industry from a different angle.”
Dylan Hewlett – Venue Manager, The Smith
“I’ve had a great team above me at every venue I’ve worked at. I would always push hard and ask to learn how to do things, and I was always given those learning opportunities as a result. Over the years, people within the company realised all the abilities I’d picked up and helped shift me into more leadership positions. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I’m supported here, and it’s been worth it. Over the years, people within the company realised all the abilities I’d picked up and helped shift me into more leadership positions. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I’m supported here, and it’s been worth it.”
Douglas Halls – Venue Manager, Fargo & Co
Move to Australia and cook with local ingredients and experience the exciting hospitality scene, while working in some of Australia’s most recognised venues. For more information on visa support, click here: Working Holiday Visa – Australian Venue Co. (ausvenueco.com.au)
If you are interested to come and work for The Australian Venue Co. Come and meet Christian and some of the team at the following recruitment roadshows in the UK on the following dates. These are free information sessions:
Register your interest: Click here
- Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th August: LONDON – The Ampersand Hotel, 10 Harrington Road, South Kensington, London SW7 3ER – 10am-3pm
- Wednesday 31st August: BRISTOL – Clayton Hotel Broad Street, Bristol BS1 2EQ – 10am-3pm
- Thursday 1st September: BIRMINGHAM – Clayton Hotel, Albert Street, Birmingham, Birmingham B5 5JE – 10am-3pm
Friday 2nd September: MANCHESTER – Clayton Hotel, Portland Street, Manchester M1 3HP – 10am-3pm
Calling All Chefs de Partie in Manchester – Indeed Flex Recruitment Open Day – 2nd & 3rd August
Looking to fast-forward your experience as a Chef?
Enjoy the challenge of working in different environments? Want the freedom to choose your own work schedule?
Take control of your Chef career with Indeed Flex – no CV required.
We’re Indeed Flex, and we provide jobseekers with the fastest way to find temporary work that fits their lifestyles, giving you the choice over where, when, and for whom you work.
We’re currently recruiting a core team of Chefs de Partie for a variety of UK venues, including cafes, restaurants, hotels, and other big events. You’ll be employed by Indeed Flex with shifts taking place at specific venues, including some of the most prestigious restaurants in the UK.
● Salary: £14.25 – £31.04 – Depending on skills and experience
● Shift Options: Varying shifts available (choose when to you want to work)
● Holiday pay accrued at 12.07%
You’ll be working alongside a team of professionals with the freedom to share your knowledge and help shape the team. You should ideally have experience in cooking dishes on a set menu in a similar environment. This could be in the restaurant or in the banqueting kitchen.
You’ll be proficient and confident working in all sections of the kitchen, as well as helping the junior staff during service.
Role responsibilities:
● Cooking dishes based on a set menu to an exceptional standard in high volume
● Working within a team environment to ensure everything is running smoothly
● Following strict health and hygiene standards, ensuring that junior staff are also following
● Following recipes and providing meals with quality, consistency and within timing standards
● Completing assignments provided by senior staff members
● Learning new skills and methods to improve overall team performance
Not a Chef de Partie? No problem. We’ll ensure that you’re matched to the best roles by assessing your skills and experience during the interview process.
Why join Indeed Flex?
As a Flexer, you’ll receive access to a range of exclusive benefits provided by us free of charge in partnership with Collective:
● Free insurance, from paid sick days to accidents and family leave
● 24/7 digital GP and mental health support
● Savings on food, fuel, technology, and more with dozens of deals and discounts
● Competitive wages are paid weekly
● Refer and earn – £40 for each friend you refer to Indeed Flex*
● Access to a fast-growing community of like-minded Flexers
● Holiday pay (accrued at a rate of 12.07%), sick pay, and pension
*Note: You will need to book a selected time slot to attend the office.
CLICK HERE to register.
Come along for an in-person interview at our Manchester office. Speak to the team and meet other potential Flexers.
Location: Manchester Office, 5 Parsonage, Manchester M3 2HS
Dates: 2nd August and 3rd August
Time slots: 9.30-11.00 / 11.30-13.00 / 14.00-15.30 / 16.00-17.30
The Poll that Shows Why Brands are Teaming up with The Chefs’ Forum
When the Japanese embassy were looking to promote a new cookery show highlighting the best in Japanese ingredients their first choice was The Chefs’ Forum. It was the same with international brand Redefine Meat who chose The Chefs’ Forum as its chef partner promote their New Meat™.
When a brand needs to research its place in the chef market or reach out to professional chefs The Chefs’ Forum has become the leading network to work with. This was underscored recent in piece of independent research that polled 300 working chefs. The Chefs’ Forum was voted the 2nd most recognised chefs association.
“After 10 years we have reached a critical point in the work we do with our partners,” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum. “We don’t just know chefs – we understand them at every level from student right through to the best chefs in the country and beyond.
“We have demonstrated, again and again, through our academy and our unique chef events that when you highlight education and the next generation then the very best chefs are only too happy to be involved in training up the next generation.
“This gives us a unique platform to assist brands both national and international in their quest to gain recognition and win market share. The independent poll demonstrates how far we have come and to be voted second most recognised chefs association is a real plus for us. It shows that chefs know us and trust us and that’s what we’re all about.”
For more information about working with The Chefs’ Forum please contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com or call Catherine Farinha on 07585 700030.
Engaging The Next Generation of Chefs at Langley College
The Chefs’ Forum was centre stage at the Langley College welcome day on 30th June as college applicants had the chance to get a taste of college life in September.
Future students from the local area were treated to an indoor festival of chefs, music, dancing and cooking in Langley’s event space ‘The Street’, with the hospitality and catering department leading practical cookery sessions in the training kitchens for this September’s cohort of budding young chefs, while guest chefs demonstrated how to make fresh pasta and sushi rolling.
The Chefs’ Forum stand was flanked by a plethora of attractions including a slushie station, sushi-rolling, pasta making, dancing chefs, live music, popcorn cart, doughnut stand and even a huge inflatable basketball shooting game!
“We had everything going on today,” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum. “We had Chris Hannon, executive chef from nearby super-hotel Cliveden, making fresh pasta and a cracking arrabiatta sauce which was really terrific. He was joined by Keiko Urakawa giving a sushi rolling masterclass. Both chefs will be part of the new Chefs’ Forum Academy which will be up and running for next term.
“Attracting the next generation of chefs has become one of our top priorities and it was great to use dance and music to inspire the students. And one young lady told me she was too nervous to enter the sushi-rolling but I convinced her to stand next to Keiko as she demonstrated and she got a one-on-one lesson. She was delighted. That’s what these days are all about.”
Speaking about the welcome day Gillian May, Group Principal and CEO at The Windsor Forest Colleges Group said: “A special thanks to the whole team from The Chefs’ Forum. We had a super day and so many new students really enjoyed the fun element of it -while learning new food techniques from expert teachers and chefs. I was delighted to see our hospitality team at the centre of activities welcoming their new cohort of students for September.”
The Windsor Forest Colleges Group are still taking applications for courses starting in September to find out more and explore your options visit www.windsor-forest.ac.uk.
Chefs’ Forum Judges School Product Development Competition
In a first for The Chefs’ Forum our editor, Chandos Elletson, was on the judging panel at Ilkley Grammar School for the school’s Enterprise Scheme. The event tested year 8 students who had to create a new sports drink and present it Dragon’s Den style.
The students, who were formed into tutor groups has 2.5 hours to design and present a new sports energy drink. The work was created to demonstrate team building and enable creativity within a framework as well as test students ability to present as a team.
The invitation demonstrates the growing reach of The Chefs’ Forum as more and more schools and colleges take an interest in hospitality and catering.
Catherine Farinha, director of The Chefs’ Forum said of the invitation to judge: “It’s incredibly exciting to be involved much earlier in a student career and start to learn about the choices that younger school students are making.
“We were thrilled to be asked to judge the competition especially as Ilkley Grammar School is one of the feeders into Bradford College where we have a Chef’s Forum Academy.”
Chandos Elletson said: “The competition was fascinating and the level of creativity was very impressive given that each individual group only had 2.5 hours of preparation time in total. The presentations showed how radical some of the students were with the winning groups creating a new energy drink called Joost – a mixture of boost and juice.”
“With Greene King pub boss Nick Mackenzie calling for more and more graduates to consider entering hospitality it is important to get catering on the minds of younger students as they progress through school – and this is one way of doing it. The whole group of students who participated were clearly interested in the subject and took it seriously. We look forward to doing more in this area.”
How The Chefs’ Forum is Breaking New Ground at Casa Brasil
The Chefs’ Forum is growing with new campaigns and fresh initiatives that are enabling international brands, regions and individual countries to reach new audiences. As trade marketing and culinary event specialists, more and more brands and global event teams are approaching us to work with them.
Apex Brasil, the main Brazilian trade promotion organization, is staging Casa Brasil in London’s Covent Garden this summer. This fantastic event is set to be a true celebration of Brazil’s best ingredients and vibrant cultures, working with The Chefs’ Forum to get its message out to chefs, students, the wider hospitality industry as well as buyers and foodservice professionals. The two-week gastronomic extravaganza take place between the 25th August and the 7th September and is being held at The Stables in Covent Garden. It will showcase never-seen-before Brazilian ingredients and cooking methods in a new format that will change the way hospitality members approach the old trade show model.
Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum explained: “The business of hospitality is changing,” she began. “We are seeing more and more foreign investment not just in terms of new restaurants but also countries and regions that have targeted the UK for growth.
“Our work with Casa Brasil is not the first work we’ve done in this area. We ran the chef demo stage at the London Produce Show for six consecutive years before the pandemic, as well as working successfully with the Japanese Embassy to promote Japanese products at The Dorchester in 2019. We were also appointed to do the heavy lifting when Redefine Meat™ launched in the UK this year. They are based in Israel.
“However, with Casa Brasil we can see that this trend has legs and we are perfectly placed to partner with brands and embassies to help showcase the best that is on offer. Our unique platform which balances media and marketing with chef education is just the sort of web and event business that foreign brands are looking for.
“We have been tasked with arranging the chef demonstrations and attracting the right suppliers to visit Casa Brasil and we’re excited for the launch. Working with our friend, Top Chef Brazil winner Luciana Berry has been a joy from start to finish.
“We have proven over many years that we can not only deliver world-class chefs but also the next generation of chefs that are just coming through. Our team is well-drilled and our contacts are second to none.
It’s a very exciting time to be working in hospitality and with our content arm growing all the time with the likes of The Great Game Guide and the forthcoming The Chefs’ Knowledge we are in a great position to kick on and break new ground.”
Bubala 2 Heading for Soho
Middle-Eastern restaurant Bubala will open its second site on Poland Street, Soho, on Monday 11th July. The new vegetarian restaurant will be the sister restaurant of Bubala in Spitalfields which was opened by Marc Summers in 2019.
Inspired by the modern cafes of Tel Aviv the 50 seat restaurant will also have an eight seat counter which looks into the kitchen as well as private dining downstairs. Executive Chef Helen Graham is at the helm.
The menu is made up of seven sections: pickles and house ferments; dips; skewers; snacks; mains; sides and desserts. The new menu will include a number of the classic dishes from Bubala Spitalfields.
The snacks and dips section will feature dishes like Baba Ganoush with Curry Leaf Oil and Pine Nut; Smacked Cucumbers with Tahini and Chilli Crunch; Corn Ribs with Black Garlic Pilpelchuma and Labneh with Confit Garlic and Za’atar. The skewers section, from the restaurant’s yakitori grill, will offer the likes of Leeks and Amba; Chinese Cabbage with Preserved Lime and Maple and the ever-popular Oyster Mushroom with Tamari and Coriander Seeds.
Main dishes will include Cauliflower, Bkeila, Velvet tomato with Yoghurt and Braised Hispi, Seaweed, Dried Orange and Sesame. Sides will feature Bubala’s renowned Potato Latkes with Toum and Smashed Cornish Mids with Silken Tofu and Smoked Harissa Salsa Macha. Finally, a dessert section will present a Baklava Semifreddo and Malabi, Sour cherry, Peanut and Black Sesame Brittle alongside Chocolate Truffle and Tahini Fudges.
The drinks list will comprise cocktails such as Blood Orange Margarita and Peanut Old Fashioned as well as Gazoz house sodas, a homemade seltzer combined with natural, carefully sourced fruits, flowers, spices, herbs and syrup inspired by Benny Briga and his cafe in Tel Aviv. The 35-bin wine list will see natural low-intervention wines, as well as five wines on tap with prices starting from £6/glass and £30/bottle.
Website: www.bubala.co.uk
Address: 15 Poland Street, London W1F 8PR
Opening times: Monday-Saturday lunch 12pm-3pm and dinner 5.30pm-10.30pm
Butchery Takes Centre Stage at The Game Fair
The place to be at The Game Fair this year will be The Game Butchers’ Block at The Great Game Guide stand. Top class game butchers and suppliers will team up with ace chefs to demonstrate how to get the best out of game this season.
The Game Fair will be held at its usual site at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire from 29th -31st July and The Great Game Guide will be there with a completely new stand lay out from last year.
Three game butchery experts will be on hand: Willo Game, Hanks’ Meat & Game and Curtis Pitts Deer Services. They will be joined by chefs Charlie Hibbert, James Pilcher, Exose Grant, Ashleigh Farrand, Darren Cooper, Becky Jam, Munayam Khan, Martyn Watkin and James Goss.
Each butcher will work with a different aspect of game and each chef will demonstrate the best way to cook it.
Catherine Farinha, director of The Chefs’ Forum, explained the new set up for this year: “After the success of last year we wanted to go big this time round. We know there is a lot of interest in the butchery side of things, and it made sense to team up with chefs to do double presentations. That way our visitors can experience a bit of both and really get a deep understanding about game and how to prepare it.”
All Chefs’ Forum members receive discounted tickets – simply enter discount code GREATGAME22 at the checkout – CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets NOW!
Come and see us on stand KO61 – The full line up is:
VIPs and Chefs Celebrate New Bakery Kitchen at The Manchester College’s Harpurhey Campus
MPs, local councillors and other important invited guests enjoyed a special dinner at The Manchester College on Tuesday to launch the new bakery kitchen.
The dinner, held in the Harpurhey Campus Restaurant, was arranged and created by The Chefs’ Forum Academy in partnership with culinary students enrolled at the college.
Four chefs cooked individual courses aided by students: Darren Cooper, Exose Grant, Doug Crampton and Daniel Aladics were in the kitchen.
John Thornhill, CEO of the LTE Group welcomed the distinguished guests to the event and told them of the fantastic progress made in growing and developing high level opportunities for skilled and specialist talent, being honed by the college.
He said
“Giving our students the opportunity to work with top local employers really raises their aspirations. We have seen three of our students make it to the national final of Pastry Chef of the Year and others being offered jobs by many of the employers here this evening. I am delighted to be here and so pleased with the relentless support network offered to the college by everyone here this evening.”
Principal Lisa O’Loughlin co-hosted the evening with John and dubbed Manchester, the ‘new Manhattan’ as she lauded the growth and success of the city, praising the chefs and students who cooked the fantastic dinner and thanked the local Councilors for coming
She said
“We really have a great partnership with The Chefs’ Forum, that has seen many of our students secure fantastic jobs on the back of the weekly masterclasses in our training kitchens – It is a true escalator to success. At Manchester College, we are proud to create careers, not just courses and the work we are doing is so clearly working for all involved.”
“The evening was a great example of how The Chefs’ Forum Academy and The Manchester College have been working together,” said Chefs’ Forum director Catherine Farinha. “It was all so seamless because the students are used to working with our chefs and vice versa. What we are beginning to see is the fruit of all the hard work we’ve put in. We’ve established a genuine culinary corridor from college through to professional kitchens across the city.”
The chefs and students were all delighted to take part and this was so apparent by their obvious pride and passion displayed both through the delicious food they produced and even more so when the chefs were asked to talk guests through their dishes at the end of the evening.
Doug Crampton, Head Chef at James Martin Manchester, said: “My dish of elderflower glazed duck came out perfectly. It was the first time that the students had prepped a whole duck, but they did an excellent job and broke it down exactly as they were shown. The students were all enthusiastic and keen which was great to see and we shared a good bond in the kitchen. These evenings really demonstrate college and industry working together.”
However, it wasn’t just food on display. There was music, too, by Lowkey Limit, who sang specially created music designed for The Chefs’ Forum Taster Day held recently at the Harpurhey Campus for 300 students from local feeder schools. This was a great opportunity for the guests to see first-hand the ways in which the college uses hugely creative and thoughtful ways to engage with young people.
The guests were very impressed with the evening and were highly complimentary on the whole event.
As we work together for longer and longer, it’s easy to see what the benefits are of being a Chefs’ Forum Academy and evenings like this sum it up.
The students had a wonderful experience; They worked with top ingredients, served local VIPs and worked alongside award-winning chefs.
Any Manchester chefs wishing to get involved in teaching in The Chefs’ Forum Academy at The Manchester College should email alicia@redcherry.uk.com
Goosemoor Eye Bristol after Stadium Launch
The Goosemoor stand at The Source Roadshow event held was busy with chefs last week at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol.
Formerly known as Dart Fresh Trade, Exeter-based Goosemoor Foodservice have been stepping up their rebranding with a strong move into the Bristol hospitality market.
A specially repurposed lorry was sprayed dark green and was used to display an amazing amount of fresh produce.
John Pritchard, Director at Goosemoor Foodservice said
“We’ve loved being up in Bristol and meeting the local chefs at The Source Roadshow. We’ve made a huge impact at the show with an eye-catching display of seasonal produce in a repurposed Bedford lorry filled to the brim with wonderful locally sourced produce. It was also a great opportunity for the visiting chefs to meet the Goosemoor sales team who will be looking after them.”
Working across all catering sectors, Goosemoor supply southwest chefs with fresh fruit and vegetables, dry store, cheese and dairy, bread and bakery, meat and poultry as well as fish, pasta and bread.
Bristol has a vibrant dining scene, which is sure to benefit from top quality produce sourced from the finest producers across the south west.
Pacific West joined the Goosemoor stand to showcase their seafood with Ravi Ollie and Exploding Bakery also showing off their fresh pasta and bakery goods – All available at Goosemoor Foodservice Ltd. The team also took the opportunity to catch-up with fantastic suppliers like Bristol-based Real Olive Co (pictured left).
Catherine Farinha said: “It was a great day and we were so happy to help promote Goosemoor. They are really going from strength to strength in the Bristol area now and all the chefs who came by were so impressed. It was great to see The Source Roadshow back to its busy best.”
Goosemoor Foodservice deliver to the Bristol area six days a week and any chefs interested in supply should call the sales team today on 01392 873036.
