Dorset & Hampshire Chefs Learn Festive Butchery and Gourmet Grilling at The Italian Villa!

Top chefs from across Dorset and Hampshire came together to enjoy an afternoon of cookery demonstrations, networking and a November BBQ ‘Grill-off’ at The Italian Villa (Poole) on Monday (November 27th). This event, last in the year for 2017, was a huge success for The Chefs’ Forum and saw Highbury College alumni, Tony Beales welcome students from the same college into his kitchen for a day of work experience and employer engagement.

The event gave chefs the chance to network in a stunning event venue and meet leading suppliers whilst showcasing Highbury College students, currently studying their level 2 and 3 in professional cookery. The visiting chefs were treated to a delicious canapé and beer reception where Dorset-based event caterer, Tony Beales and his team showcased produce from Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Walter Rose & Sons, Hutchings Brothers Seafood, Country Fare Foodservice and Koppert Cress in mouth-watering, signature canapés by Beales Gourmet.

Jack cook of Walter Rose and Son gave a brilliant festive demo of turkey ballotine with black truffle, chestnut and sausage meat stuffing, a winning dish sure to fly-off any Christmas menu!

Highbury College student Kevin Fell joined Tony on the demo stage to prepare the delicious Beales Gourmet signature stuffing for Jack’s turkey ballotine.

Tony said: “As an ex-student of Highbury College myself, it is brilliant to welcome the next cohort of young chefs to The Italian Villa to work with me today. All of the students have worked extremely well from the moment they arrived today, a great sign for the future of the industry! I had a very proud moment seeing how confident Kevin was on the demo stage, he very much impressed me with his work ethic today. I would happily welcome these students back into my kitchen to work future events with me. At Beales Gourmet, we are proud to cater up to 350 events per year, including wedding, corporate and private events, hence plenty of opportunity of the students to get involved.”

Fourth generation, expert butcher Jack Cook said,

“I really enjoy giving butchery demonstrations at Chefs’ Forum events. I have received very positive feedback from chefs here today. It is great to be able to inspire new dishes on chefs’ menus. Chefs are always welcome to visit us in Devizes, free of charge to enhance their skill set and watch our expert team at work. I would encourage any chefs wishing to further their butchery skills to contact The Chefs’ Forum to arrange a day with us.”

The event ended by giving guests the chance to see the best grilling equipment and new grilling technology imaginable as the market-leading synergy Grill, Monolith Kamado and Living Outside fire pit were showcased to encourage more chefs to cook on gas and charcoal respectively! The finest loin of Walter Rose pork, award-winning sausages and burgers and Country Fare vegetables were kissed with Santa Maria herbs and spices. The fire pit was used to cook stunning sea bass from Hutchings Brothers Seafood and garnished with gorgeous edible flowers and micro cresses from Koppert Cress. All grilling equipment showcased at the event is available from Living Outside.

Catherine Farinha said: “It was great to see Kevin assisting Tony in the cookery demo at The Italian Villa today. The Chefs’ Forum is all about showcasing the skills of the next generation of chefs and mentoring them. I think everyone would agree that today’s demo did just that. Highlights of today were the briliant turkey butchery from Walter Rose, informative coffee tasting from Clifton Coffee and the fabulous ‘grill-off’ in the afternoon, showcasing the finest produce and equipment on offer from our sponsors – It’s great to introduce professional chefs to top suppliers and showcase advanced culinary and butchery skills from the very best in the business. I would like to thank everyone for coming today, and especially our sponsors without whom these events would not be possible.”