The Chefs’ Forum Collaborated with The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel, University College Birmingham and Birmingham Fresh Produce Wholesale Market in New ‘City of Food’ Initiative

On Monday (2) October, talented Head Chef Olivier Briault welcomed over fifty of his culinary peers from across Birmingham to sample his wonderful sweet creations at The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel.

The day started with a networking session where hospitality professionals shared knowledge and caught up on the latest industry trends.

Students form UCB joined Olivier in the kitchen to produce some delicious canapés.

Olivier said

Olivier with student“The students worked very had from the moment they arrived with me today.  I am very impressed with the standard of their work and really enjoyed mentoring them today.  I am very much looking forward to working more closely with UCB as well as other catering colleges via The Chefs’ Forum Academy.”

The students relished the opportunity to work with such a talented chef, gaining valuable experience at the same time.

UCB students will have a second opportunity to work with Olivier as well as other great local chefs at a Market Breakfast this Friday.  Chefs joining Olivier on the Chefs’ Forum demo stage will include Masterchef Professional finalist Louisa Ellis, Michelin-starred Simpsons Restaurant Senior Sous Chef Leo Kattou and Synergy Grill demo chef Claire Mansfield.

UCB foh studentNeil Rippington, Dean of The College of Food at UCB said

“It is a great opportunity for my students to work with such an esteemed chef as Olivier.  The Edgbaston has won multiple awards in prestigious competitions, which further-proves that our students are truly learning from the best.  Our lecturers and students really enjoy quarterly Chefs’ Forum events from both a CPD and learning enrichment stance.  We’re really looking forward to joining forces again later this week at the Market Breakfast, working together to affirm Birmingham as a City of Food.”

The Birmingham Chefs’ Forum was launched in 2016 to bridge the gap between education and industry as it does across the UK.  Staging thirty-six chef networking events a year, across nine areas of the UK, it offers a unique platform in the industry for chefs to speak to market-leading suppliers face to face, while sharing knowledge, best practice and inspiring the next generation.

Highlights of the inspirational Chefs’ Forum event at The Edgbaston included Major International demo chef, Fergus Martin taking to the Chefs’ Forum demo stage to prepare some afternoon tea delights, Olivier demo 2showcasing the fantastic range of stocks and sauces for the professional kitchen.  Next, Sam Guarino of Santa Maria gave the chefs a talk on herbs and spices in the professional kitchen.

Olivier then demonstrated a beautiful dessert of blackberry crème patisserie on financier biscuits, a famous French recipe handed down to his by his father, also a renowned pastry chef in Normandie.

The event culminated in Bar Manager and cocktail aficionado Tommy Mathews and assistant Toby Heap giving a brilliant cocktail master class using their fabulous and impressive rotary evaporator machine to make a non-alcoholic champagne cocktail, and then an Edgbaston Hotel rum-based signature cocktail Miami Nights.

Tommy Cocktail demoThe pair recently won Midlands Best Cocktail Bar 2018 in the Midlands Food Drink & Hospitality Awards, a fantastic achievement and its clear to see why.  It was a great opportunity of the UCB front of house students to learn more about cocktails and mocktails!

The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel team will join The Chefs’ Forum Academy scheme of learning that will see students from other colleges, both front and back of house benefit from curriculum-enrichment through Olivier teaching pastry in their college kitchens and front of house teams visiting the luxury boutique hotel to learn about hotel and event management and mixology.