Kent Chefs’ Lunch at The Yarrow Hotel

The Yarrow Hotel at East Kent College was the latest venue to host a Chefs’ Lunch to raise vital funds for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. The assembled chefs and industry experts had the chance to sit back and relax for a change as they tucked into a delicious ‘Pay as You Can’ lunch which raised over £1400 to support 14-25 year olds entering the hospitality industry.

The event was held on Monday, November 20th, at East Kent College in Broadstairs at the luxurious Yarrow Hotel on campus. The Yarrow is a unique concept in the UK and gives the hospitality industry’s future leaders the opportunity to work alongside highly skilled professional staff while receiving the technical training of their course.

The Chefs’ Lunch gave hospitality students at the college the opportunity to work with some of the best chefs in the country and an impressive number of East Kent College alumni were present, showing their support for the college and The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation.

Guests were able to meet some top suppliers including Walter Rose & Son, Santa Maria, Synergy Grill, Welbilt and Clifton Coffee as they enjoyed a drinks reception before sitting down to a meal prepared by and all-star line-up of with the help of the students.

The meal began with Scott Goss (I’ll Be Mother) cooking a fantastic starter of pigeon tartar, apple and foie gras.

A spectacular fish course by Will Devlin (No Fixed Abode) then followed.  Will cooked Mackerel with beetroot and horseradish.

Cooking the main course was Bobby Brown, Head Chef of The Kentish Hare with a delicious breast of duck with potato fondant, celeriac and Roscoff Onion.  This seasonal and hearty dish showcasing Creedy Carver duck from Walter Rose & Son was a real hit with the visiting chefs.

Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Petrus Madutlela created a beautiful pre-dessert of Buttermilk and Calamansi Iced Parfait, White Chocolate and baobab, he told the guests that this impressive dish was influenced by his South African heritage.

Petrus’ pre-dessert cleansed the palate nicely before John Bingley of the Hythe Imperial Hotel rounded-off an excellent lunch with a stunning Lemon Tart.

Sam MacCuaig of Clifton Coffee served-up the finest house filter (version two) from Peru as the perfect end to the perfect lunch.

Roger Phillips, Head of hospitality and catering at East Kent College said: “We are delighted to have The Chefs’ Forum here at the college for the second time since it launched in Kent in 2014. We, as a college have supported the forum at several events in both London and Kent, having so many industry professionals here at college gives us the opportunity to showcase the talent and professionalism of our teaching team, our students and our outstanding facility in The Yarrow Hotel.

As a college we continue to work closely with industry bodies and employers to develop our curriculum offer, and be proactive with industry needs working to keep East Kent College a world class and unique training provider. Our students’ professional development is enhanced by working in The Yarrow Hotel, through partnering activities, local industry events and culinary competitions such as World Skills, achieving great results and outstanding feedback from employers and restaurant guests alike.”

Scott Goss added: “It was a pleasure to be back in my old college and to be able to share some of my skills and knowledge with these young people.  The future of the industry depends on these students and based on the talent I saw today, I am very impressed.”

Bobby Brown concluded: “I too am back in my old college to cook with the next generation of young chefs coming through.  It was also great to work with the other chefs, I think we all made new friends today.  I thank my lecturers for giving me the best possible start in my career and look forward to helping nurture the next generation.”

Founder of The Chefs’ Forum Catherine Farinha said: “The Chefs’ Forum was created with the aim of making a positive change in the hospitality industry. It aims to connect chefs with education, suppliers with chefs and education with suppliers to help the industry unite and work towards the shared goal of showcasing the incredible talent we have here in industry whilst raising money for young chefs via The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation.

“Today’s event has proved just how much can be achieved when chefs, suppliers and students all work together, and I hope that everyone who attended would agree that it is inspiring to see.

We are looking forward to staging four more events in 2018, supporting East Kent College and cementing its employer relations with local restaurants and hotels in Kent.”

Photography by: www.fleurchallisphotography.com