CELEBRATE OKTOBERFEST THIS YEAR WITH THIS COLLECTION OF BEER GLASSES BY ARTIS
To coincide with Oktoberfest, leading distributor of glassware, Artis has brought together a collection of beer mugs. The collection comprises five different beer mugs with handles in a variety of different sizes.
THE OKTOBERFEST COLLECTION
There are five different styles to select from – Beer Stein; the Icon beer mug; the Paneled beer mug, Maxim beer jug and the Trigger beer mug.
Beer Stein – a traditional German style beer mug in half and one litre capacities, each with the option of a CE line.
Icon Beer mug – a plain sided mug with traditional curved handle. Available in two sizes, half pint and pint. The pint is offered with the option of CE lining and nucleation to maximise the head.
Paneled mug – this is already one of Artis’ big sellers. It is available in pint and half pint with the option of CE lining together with 12fl oz and 22fl oz capacities.
Trigger beer mug – this is a straight-sided mug with classic handle. It is available in 12fl oz size with the option of CE lining.
Maxim beer jug – a broad-base style with contemporary handle, available in 23 oz size.
List prices vary from £2.99 for the half pint Icon to £7.90 for the Paneled lined pint.
The Oktoberfest is one of many glassware options in the Artis portfolio. For your own personal copy of the 2018 Artis catalogue call 020 8391 5544 or go online at www.artis-uk.com to download.
Synergy Grill Announce Win, ‘FSAA INNOVATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR’ 2018
Chairman and Innovator Justin Cadbury and his British company, Synergy Grill, has again proved export clout by winning award at Australia’s biggest tradeshow.
Synergy Grill attended the renowned Australian industry event, ‘Fine Food Australia 2018’ and took home the top prize of ‘FSAA Innovation Product of the Year’.
The win in Australia comes at a relevant time, as Synergy Grill announced today on September 13th, their new strategic plan to export their products to more countries across the globe. This will be supported by global brand activity including the search for more global representatives. Leading Australian distributor, FSM Food Service PTY LTD represents Synergy Grill in Australia and is equally delighted with the prestigious award win.
Synergy Grill’s export strategy will also be bolstered by the product’s unique credentials: all Synergy Grill products are designed, sourced and invented in the UK, they use no fat tray and reduce ventilation strain whilst keeping them cleaner. Developed to create better tasting, healthier foods with low energy usage, Synergy Grill helps save money and the planet. With money saved on energy, Synergy Grill products often pay for themselves within a year allowing restaurants to deliver a better food product at a lower cost base…
Fine Food Australia welcomes over 1,000 exhibiting brands showcasing: general & specialty food, catering equipment, hospitality equipment, bakery, drinks, coffee, tea, dairy, meat & seafood, retail & technology, fitout & design, packaging, natural, organic & free-from and more!
Congratulations Are in Order
Justin Cadbury, Chairman of Synergy Grill, said: “I feel very proud. SYNERGY has received many awards around the globe over the last few years and this is further evidence that this product truly is innovative and fits the global market perfectly. Our sales of these units are gaining momentum as the word spreads.”
Despite personal opinion on Brexit, it is looming – and our industry needs to take advantage of what opportunities lay overseas and within exporting, and there are plenty! I look forward to challenging mainstream attitudes to wasteful energy usage within the food across the globe as well as promoting British technology”.
CAN A HEALTHY, SKINNY CHEF FROM WEST OXFORDSHIRE BE A WINNING CHEF?
As Kuba Winkowski, Head Chef of the award winning The Feathered Nest restaurant in the picturesque village of Nether Westcote, on the Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire borders, prepares to enter the finals of a prestigious national culinary competition, he has taken time out to reflect on the past twelve months of his life.
“Preparing for the 2017 National Chef of the Year Competition, on top of the hours I already spend in the kitchen at the Feathered Nest, left me feeling totally burned out,” Kuba explains. “I have worked extremely hard for the past fifteen years and over the past six years, my focus has been on making The Feathered Nest what it is today. I have developed the menus and we have taken The Feathered Nest from a bistro pub to a renowned 3 AA Rosette restaurant with a reputation for excellence.”
“When you enter the catering industry nothing really prepares you for working the long arduous hours, coupled with the sheer hard work that is needed if you are ambitious and want to carve a successful career in the industry. Following the competition in October 2017, I was feeling totally burned out by the pressures my career had placed on me and I realised that I needed to make radical changes in my life if I was to continue building my career and enjoying my life.”
“Although I have a happy family life and try and spend time with my wife and young son whenever possible, I had got to the point that I wasn’t enjoying my work as much as I had been; I struggled to find inspiration and was losing enthusiasm and felt my head was in a cloud due to my negative attitude. Unless I did something drastic, I would not be able to achieve other culinary ambitions or give my family the quality time they deserve. It is very easy when you work in this industry not to take steps to lead a healthy life: finding time to exercise and eat a healthy diet is easy to overlook but it is crucially important to one’s long-term well-being. I realised the way I felt, I could not continue working the way I had been if I was to reach my 40th birthday without serious physical and mental health issues.”
“They say ‘Don’t trust a skinny chef’,” Kuba continues, “but I hope that having had a second chance of being a finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition with the final being held on the 2nd October at the Restaurant Show in London, I may have the opportunity to prove that a ‘skinny chef’ can cook! Over the past twelve months, I have lost over 4.5 stone and more importantly have changed my life completely. I started an exercise regime prompted by a physical test a personal trainer put me through. The results were shocking, so I considered my options. Working with a trainer was not one of them due to my limited time and the cost.”
“My exercise regime started with finding time in the afternoon to go for a 2 mile brisk walk around the village in which I work. This became interspersed with jogging and now I can run over 6 miles. Getting up earlier, I can do Pilates with my wife, swim and cycle to work two or three times a week. I also reduced what I eat. It is very easy when you are a chef to forget how many calories one eats each day when tasting the various dishes we prepare. When you finish your shift, you are unlikely to eat a healthy meal. Although I was eating good quality food through the day when checking the food being served in the restaurant, I was not eating a balanced diet. Initially I started by counting calories, now I eat a healthy diet having drastically changed what I cook for myself and my family.
Not only have I lost a lot of weight, I no longer suffer with a back problem which I had suffered for some time. My attitude to life has changed too. My increased energy levels have restored my enthusiasm and motivation and I have encouraged my young team to take time to join me on long walks around the Cotswolds and take part in afternoon gym sessions, as well as considering the long-term health benefits of taking a different life-style option. Since January 2018, the management at the Feathered Nest decided to operate only four days a week so we can give our team three days away from work, encouraging a healthy work-life balance. I know that there are many other chefs working in this industry who feel as I did twelve months ago, but perhaps do not understand how to take the first steps to make the transition. I am very happy to talk to them and can easily be contacted via The Feathered Nest website www.thefeatherednestinn.co.uk/contact-us, email Kuba@thefeatherednestinn.co.uk or Twitter @chef_kuba.
“Preparing for this year’s National Chef of the Year competition, whilst still very challenging, has been far more rewarding. The competition is open to all chefs over the age of 24 from across all sectors of the industry. The first stage back in February was to devise a creative lunch menu for two guests which had to be cooked within two hours. It had to have a plant based vegetarian dish using grains or pulses for the starter; a main course of lamb with two cuts and two cooking methods suitable for the summer season and a dessert of a modern approach to a classic ‘floating island’ including a seasonal fruit element.
A panel of leading expert judges then selected 40 chefs to take part in the regional semi-final when we had to cook our dishes. Competition was fierce, and I was delighted to be selected as one of the chefs who will be cooking the final on the 2nd October at the Restaurant Show in Olympia. Prior to the final, we attend a mentor day on 11th September which ensures the competitors are fully prepared for the task ahead. We are given a mystery basket of ingredients to use in the final and can ask any relevant questions. We must then devise a menu using a selection of these ingredients. On the day we have one hour to do any pre-preparation and two hours to cook a three-course meal for four people.”
“I am delighted to have reached the final for a second year and hope that with my different mental attitude and vastly improved physical stamina, I will do well this year. I am up against some fantastic chefs, so I know it will be a tough challenge. Whatever happens in the 2018 final, had I not been part of the 2017 competition, I may not have seen the light and seen how close I was to a totally physical breakdown. Now 12 months on I know a skinny chef is a happy, and hopefully, winning chef!”
Bristol Restaurant Backs New City Fundraising Day!
The Florist on Park Street has become the first business to sign up to Bristol’s new city-wide fundraising event, Bristol Giving Day, hosted by Quartet Community Foundation. Bristol restaurants are invited to get involved and support an initiative that will directly benefit disadvantaged groups in the local area.
Bristol’s first ever Bristol Giving Day will be held on 10th October 2018. The Chefs’ Forum will celebrate this day in staging a special ‘Spanish Gastronomy’ event at Pata Negra, Clare St where the visiting chefs from all over the city will be asked to donate to the cause on the day or involve their restaurants in this fantastic initiative.
Businesses across the City will be showing they care about disadvantaged people by fundraising on the day for some of the thousands of local charities and good causes across Bristol.
The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation CIC, helping young people ages 14-25 make their way into the hospitality industry is just one of the many organisations designed to help and support local young people. The Chefs’ Forum welcomes this initiative and help raise the profile of Bristol Giving Day through its work with City of Bristol College and the Bristol hospitality scene.
From adding a voluntary £1 to guests’ bills to a sponsored bike ride, staff at companies of all sizes across the city are using their imagination to come up with ideas to “inspire generocity”.
Businesses can sign up to Bristol Giving Day via the website: www.bristolgivingday.co.uk where they’ll find helpful activity ideas and downloadable branding material.
Funds raised will be used to help people like Miss M – a woman in her 60s with severe mental health issues who spent six months scavenging out of waste bins to survive because she had no income and no-one to support her. Thanks to a grant from Quartet Community Foundation, local charity Age UK Bristol provided her with food, heating and support and stopped her from being evicted.
Sue Turner, Chief Executive of Quartet Community Foundation (which is organising Bristol Giving Day), commented:
“Thousands of small charities, voluntary organisations and community groups across Bristol spend less than £10,000 a year on the fantastic work they do for disadvantaged local people. They have no marketing or fundraising departments so they can’t appeal to the public for funds to support them. We’ve created the first ever Bristol Giving Day to give these local heroes a fair chance of getting support from our City’s generous businesses and their staff. We’re delighted that The Florist are using their flower power to help people and are the first to sign up to do something fun and raise money for local good causes on Bristol Giving Day.”
Christy Greaves, Sales Manager, The Florist, commented:
“We are delighted to be involved in Bristol Giving Day – an incredible event where we hope to show off the generous spirit of our city!”
For more inspirational stories of lives changed through “inspiring generocity” take a look at: https://quartetcf.org.uk/stories/ Bristol Giving Day provides the unique opportunity for each and every business to make a difference, giving more people here a fair chance of a good life.
Quartet is infinitely grateful to the Bristol Giving Day sponsors: Bank of Ireland UK, Burges Salmon, Unite Students.
Calling All Budelicious Chefs!
The Chefs’ Forum demo stage is set to star at Budelicious Food Festival (Cornwall) on the 22nd and 23rd September 2018.
There will be a special, not-to-be-missed Chefs’ Forum on Monday 24th September called ‘Budelicious Chefs’ which will feature butchery with Gavin from Two Brothers Foods, stock and seasoning masterclass by Major International, chocolate masterclass by Bake Off: The Professionals winner Mark Tilling and fabulous chef cookery demos!
The Budelicious ‘culinary weekender’ will see the Grand Launch of Budelicious, an exciting new food and drink festival for Bude. Chefs joining Peter Gorton on the demo stage over the weekend will include Dez Turland (Brend Hotels) Nick Hodges (The Greenbank), Dave Seargent (Sargies), Dave Sibley (Life’s a Beach), The Olive Tree (Tom Kearse).
This inaugural Cornish food festival will showcase the very best and varied restaurants that Bude has to offer along with wonderful, local, artisan food and drink producers.
The ground-breaking event will involve the whole community with schools, colleges and shops being encouraged to take part as well as a good food trail around local restaurants. It will culminate in a fantastic weekend of food and drink at the Falcon Hotel on 22/23 September, and a trade-only Chefs’ Forum on 24 September.
Budelicious will include ‘street-food’ vendors outside the Falcon Hotel and an Artisans’ Hall, where local area producers will showcase their wares. There will also be a Marquee where our fantastic local chefs will demonstrate their skills.
The event is being led by celebrity chef Peter Gorton (Master Chef of GB) and Chefs’ Forum Committee Member
Peter commented:
“I have been keen to build an event in Bude for some time now, as the town has a lot to offer by the way of some great food and drink artisan producers and eating places. Our aim is to grow the Budelicious event over the coming years to become an established annual food festival in Cornwall.”
Budelicious is being sponsored by the Falcon Hotel, Chadds Foodsmiths and St Austell Brewery through their Proper Job Cornish IPA.
Trade Marketing Manager at St Austell Brewery, Marc Bishop commented:
“We are delighted to support Budelicious, the town of Bude is a very important trading area for us so it’s great to be involved with the new event at its inception.”
Coordination will be provided by the Falcon Hotel. Owner of the Falcon Hotel, Rupert Brendon, added:
“We are proud that we are able to provide the considerable human resources required to plan and execute this complex event for Bude”.
Nick Chadd said:
“We are proud to supply the catering trade around the Bude area and throughout Cornwall for the last 70 years. This event will feature the diverse food offering we have here in the local community and give an additional reason for people to visit Bude – where Cornwall begins!”.
Budelicious is supported by the Bude Area Tourist Board, whose Chair, Linda Winstanley, added: “Like the Bude for Food Festival, we expect Budelicious will help to reinforce Bude’s reputation as a high quality‘foodie destination, and we look forward to welcoming lots of visitors to the town to enjoy all that Bude has to offer.’.
To book your place at Budelicious Chefs! on Monday 24th September please email rebecca@redcherry.uk.com
BRITISH-ASIAN HOSPITALITY AWARDS: THE WOMEN’S TAKEOVER!
Amongst the mounting reports of backhanders and biased judging within the industry’s award shows, this week has marked an important shift in the British-Asian hospitality award sector.
The Asian Restaurant Owners Network (ARON), renowned for their proactive and honest platform, are upholding their commitment to #PressForProgress until equality for all is achieved.
Rehan Uddin, founder of ARON and South Devon restaurant owner, has been working tirelessly with his team to address these awards, which often fail to recognise or support inspirational business woman.
After repeatedly tackling the lack of equality online and during public events, very little has changed, so ARON have decided to do something about it – creating the “only 100% free and 100% fair” award show in this sector – ARON Awards 2019.
With ‘ARON Brand Ambassador’ Sarah Ali Choudhury and ‘Miss Dorset & Hampshire 2018’ Steph Wyatt storming the latest promo video – ARON is calling on businesses to nominate women in an “industry that lacks female representation”.
Sarah Ali Choudhury praised the ARON Awards for encouraging businesses to support equality and empowerment; “we have so many incredibly talented and inspiring individuals in this industry – with a truly equal platform, it’s time for the women’s takeover!”
Nominate now and support #GenuineMerit > www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9RMR3VX
Watch ‘ARON Awards 2019: The Women’s Takeover!’ here:
www.facebook.com/asianrestaurantownersnetwork/videos/2101096523476504/
Filmed by Short Stop Videos
Tickets/tables are not available to purchase for the ARON Awards as there is no charge for entry, instead invitations will be sent to award nominee finalists and empowering individuals.
Entries must be submitted by 24th September. The 2019 ARON Awards will be held at the Harbour Hotel, Bristol on January 14th
Please fully complete each section of the survey to ensure your nomination is successful.
OLLIE DABBOUS AND EX-SQUARE BRIGADE TO JOIN WELLBOURNE BRASSERIE FOR SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE DINNERS
This autumn Wellbourne Brasserie will host two bespoke dinners that will see Ollie Dabbous reunited with his former team and the ex-brigade from The Square join forces once again.
Wellbourne Brasserie was opened by ex Dabbous Head Chef, Ross Gibbens, and Senior Sous Chef, Michael Kennedy earlier this spring and offers a unique all-day dining menu.
The two pop up dinners at their White City restaurant will take the form of a six-course tasting menu with dishes created by each guest chef and served from Wellbourne’s open plan kitchen. Diners will also be able to select an optional wine flight to pair with the dinner.
The first in the series of dinners will see former chefs from The Square come together on Friday, 28 September.
Ross Gibbens has worked at some of the UK’s leading kitchens including Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Launceston Place, The
Vineyard and The Square and it was here he met talented chefs Rob Weston, Gary Foulkes and Mark Kempson.
The trio have gone onto work as head chefs at their own venues and have all been awarded Michelin stars for their cuisine. Rob Weston is at La Trompette the modern British restaurant in Chiswick, Gary Foulkes oversees the kitchens at seafood favourite Angler in Moorgate and Mark Kempson is at Kitchen W8, Kensington’s Michelin starred neighbourhood restaurant.
The tasting menu will start with Wellbourne’s signature vol-au-vents and Champagne followed by a six course menu featuring modern British cuisine created using the freshest seasonal produce and all delivered with expert precision and style.
On Thursday, 1 November Ross and Michael will welcome their former boss and mentor, Ollie Dabbous, for the second bespoke dinner.
Ollie and Ross met at Le Manoir and when Chef Dabbous opened his first solo venture he was keen to bring Gibbens on board as Head Chef, Michael Kennedy soon followed as Senior Sous Chef.
Dabbous opened in 2012 and won praise from critics and diners alike, tables were soon impossible to come by with a two year waiting list and the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star within a year of opening.
Dabbous closed in 2017 and Ross and Michael went onto set up Wellbourne, opening neighbourhood restaurant Wellbourne in Clifton Village in August followed by Wellbourne Salardu, a seasonal apres ski and fine dining restaurant in the Spanish Pyrenees and Wellbourne Brasserie in spring of 2018.
Ollie recently opened Hide restaurant and bar in Piccadilly with Hedonism Wines.
The dinner will again feature six courses and combine the refined style that has become synonymous with Dabbous.
Ross said: “I have so many fantastic memories from my time at The Square and Dabbous. Both were incredible places to work and I found the chefs I shared the kitchen with an inspiration and they have helped to shape my career and influence my culinary style.
“We have all remained firm friends and we are all truly excited to work together again.“
The dinners will start at 7pm, where vol-au-vents and Champagne will be served followed by the six course dinner. Non-alcoholic options will be available. Cost for the dinner £65 with optional wine flight at £50.
For more information visit https://wellbourne.restaurant/
Feature photo of Ollie Dabbous – credit: Joakim Blockstrom
Synergy Grill will Help Connect the Foodservice Industry with a Just-announced, ‘CEDA Silver Partnership’!
Synergy Grill have today announced a collaboration with the Catering Equipment Distributors Association (CEDA) joining the organisation as a Silver Partner. CEDA is a member-led group that is made up of the most professional, innovative and creative companies in the foodservice industry.
As a Silver Partner, Synergy Grill will be working with CEDA and its members to stimulate industry interest in their advanced grills but also, to generate further recognition of the essential value of saving money from energy wastage. This will follow on from Synergy Grill’s announcement in July, that their latest brand priority is to help kitchens reduce energy output.
Synergy mainly deals with tops Chefs who value food quality, but this is permeating through to the fast food sector where diners are becoming more discerning.
Added to this, diners are aware of environmental responsibility. Fatbergs are no longer acceptable. With no fat tray to clean Synergy is leading the environmental technology changes.
The Synergy Grill is the world’s first and only fat-atomising commercial char grill. Its key attributes lie within its patented design, that reduces fuel consumption on average by 59% (BSI Tested), eliminates the need for a fat tray, therefore offers substantially reduced cleaning costs and has no fat of which to dispose. At the same time, it delivers an enhanced quality of cooked food in terms of taste, succulence and reduced shrinkage. The internationally award-winning grills are to be found in over 600 commercial kitchens in the UK and are increasingly finding a home overseas. The launch of the new “outdoor mobile cook station” for outdoor events has been very well received this summer and is an example of Synergy’s continual search to innovate and provide world leading products into the market.
Foodservice for the future
Synergy Grill Chairman, Justin Cadbury said, “We are proud to win this appointment with CEDA and will continue to bring the innovation grill technology to our colleagues in the industry for which we are recognised. We believe that the challenges of rising costs for the restaurant owners and more discerning diners combine so we can give the key specifiers the products and technology more suited to the future. Restaurants are increasingly recognising that combining food quality, better cleanliness, lower energy costs is the best way forward.”
John Burton-Race Resigns From the Richardson Hotel Group
Renowned celebrity and former 2 star Michelin chef, John Burton-Race, is looking for his next venture within the catering industry, and has recently resigned from his role as Group Executive Head Chef Consultant at the Richardson Hotel Group.
Only twenty months after the Richardson Hotel Group reinvented the former ‘The Grosvenor’ hotel into the ‘John Burton-Race Restaurant with Rooms’ – including a large scale refurbishment and re-branding, Burton-Race has resigned from his position and is now looking for new opportunities, within the trade globally.
Burton-Race, who has held 2 Michelin stars (Quat’Saisons, L’Ortolan, and The New Angel), and has 35 years of professional chef experience, including running, opening, and training in a multitude of restaurants, has made this decision in order to find his next executive role. Burton-Race has commented,
“I am saddened that I have had to make the decision to leave the group, but I am excited about finding my next venture and look forward to seeing what the future holds for me. I have shown that I can rebuild an average restaurant into a fine dining establishment within a short space of time- if I am given the opportunity and the backing’’
The John Burton-Race Restaurant with Rooms will now need to be re-branded without him, as John no longer has any involvement with the Richardson Hotel Group.
Enter a life changing cookery competition to win a prestigious three-year Specialised Chefs Scholarship & more!
The Teflon™ Diamond Standard Awards 2019 is open for entries from amateur chefs of all ages. This highly regarded cookery competition offers the chance for non-professional cooks to gain recognition for their cooking ability at home and for those attending school and catering college, the opportunity to showcase what they’ve learnt.
Launched in 2012, the Teflon™ Diamond Standard Awards has quickly assumed a prominent position and the organisers at Dupree Creative are delighted to see the competition firmly establish itself as an annual calendar event that’s not to be missed.
The exciting cooking challenge has three categories which are:
- Keen Young Cooks 12-16 years – to submit and cook a favourite baking recipe
- Aspiring Student Chefs 16-19 years – to submit and cook a chef inspired classic with a twist
- Keen Home Cooks 17 years and over – to submit and cook their signature dinner party menu
Head judge and celebrity chef, Lesley Waters who has championed the competition since it began, will be leading the panel of esteemed chefs to select this year’s winner.
“I shall be looking for the right attitude and passion for their subject. Originality and basic skills are essential along with determination and flare.”
The winning student and young cook will be put forward for a prestigious three-year Specialised Chefs Scholarship, arranged by the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and is managed by The Bournemouth & Poole College. For the keen home cook winner, they will win a hands-on day cookery course at the Lesley Waters Cookery School for 2, including overnight accommodation and dinner. In addition to these prizes, bundles of Teflon™ non-stick coated cookware from the sponsors are awarded as well as cash prizes of up to £500. The Teflon™ Diamond Standard Awards are delighted to have the continued support of sponsors Anolon and NoStik.
So much more than just a cookery competition, the opportunities that the Teflon™ Diamond Standard Awards provide are endless, not only for the winner, but, for all finalists. Out of the 12 Keen Young Cook finalists in 2017, the annual competition saw 5 of them re-apply for the 2018 competition, with 3 of them reaching the final and one of them going on to win the coveted Specialised Chefs Scholarship at the Bournemouth & Poole College.
Entries are currently open for the 2019 Teflon™ Diamond Standard Awards and can be submitted individually or via schools and colleges. Entries close on 31st October 2018 with the national final for the Keen Young Cooks & Keen Home Cooks scheduled for 23rd January 2019 at the Waitrose Cookery School, London and the national final for the Aspiring Student Chefs scheduled for 4th February 2019 at Bournemouth & Poole College.
For more information on the competition and to enter please visit www.teflondsa.co.uk
