Thursday 19 September 2013

A busy few weeks!

The Gold Service Scholarship


Launched in 2012, the Gold Service Scholarship is a new annual competition aimed at front of house young talents within hospitality.
Created by a select group of leading hospitality professionals, the Scholarship offers the opportunity for a young front of house professional to refine their skills and knowledge through a years’ worth of mentoring, learning, travel and placement opportunities from a group of the most senior service professionals in the UK and internationally.

With the 2013 winner, Rebecca Dibben, firmly established in her year-long programme, the scholarship has already made a splash in the industry and received great support from across the spectrum of front of house service.




The 2014 competition will begin in the summer months so look out for more information on this website.



The competition is open to anyone who works in front of house service. Don't worry if you do not have the experience you think you should have or know everything you should know.

Encourage your FOH to enter our competition to win the opportunity of a lifetime

Enter now - closing date is midday 8 October.


Bray - County Wicklow


Had a great time in Bray, County Wicklow, I was invited by my good friend Rory Morahan to take part in the Bray  Summerfest on Saturday and Sunday July 27-28, the Food and Garden Pavilion was perched proudly on the stunning seafront, featuring talks, tastings, tips and canapés under a canopy offering food-lovers the opportunity to sample and savour the flavours all while soaking up the oasis atmosphere.


Over 40 exhibitors from all over Ireland showcased their food produce alongside local restaurants providing a peek of their menus.Rory co-ordinated the on-stage events. Among his guests will be star celebrity Jean Christophe Novelli, who began his career at the age of 14 in his home town of Arras in Northern France
TV Chef and Food Writer, Catherine Fulvio from the Ballyknocken Cookery School did a wonderful demonstartion of great Italian dishes
Rory is an amazing person, also goes under the name of the Druid Chef


At the very heart of the concept of Celtic Cuisine lies the 10 Celtic Cooking Concepts which were created by Rory to define the nature of the dishes that he creates through his inspirations.Take a few minutes to lookat the link below, you will rarely meet anyone who has a passion like Rory for promoting Ireland & its wonderful produce

 Drakes - The Clock House, High Street, Ripley, Surrey, GU23 6AQ  Tel: 01483 224777
Steve Drake, chef proprietor of Drake's. Steve is passionate about cooking and at his happiest in the kitchen of his restaurant, where he produces innovative, contemporary British food. The Michelin-starred restaurant has recently undergone a dramatic refit of the main interior which resulted in walls with exposed wood beams, the floor leveled and the room transformed into a distinctive, stylish and comfortable environment for couples and larger groups to enjoy the atmosphere and of course the food. 
http://www.drakesrestaurant.co.uk/discover-the-restaurant/ripley



"Creativity and simplicity of flavour" are two things which Steve likes to be associated with.
On Saturday evenings his innovative nine course 'flavour discovery' tasting menu is served – a fantastic opportunity to try a variety of dishes.
http://www.drakesrestaurant.co.uk/discover-the-restaurant/ripley
Steve is also a great fan of running; well running a little differently than we might think, taking part in the TOUGHEST FOOTRACE ON EARTH,Known simply as the MdS, the race is a grueling multi-stage adventure through a formidable landscape in one of the world’s most inhospitable climates - the Sahara desert

A cooking 52 degrees during the longest 48 mile stage, 10 kms of massive sand dunes took us 2 hours in the hottest part of the day to complete!

http://www.marathondessables.co.uk/

Grain Store - Granary Square 1-3 Stable Street King's Cross London N1C 4AB Tel: 020 7324 4466

A delicious, amazing & fun dinner with my good friend Jason the GM of the TheZetter, The Zetter Townhouse and the tarted-up Granary Square in King's Cross is now home to the Grain Store, a newbistro from Raymond Blanc's favourite protege Bruno Loubet, who has made a name for himself with his unpretentious French provincial cooking.
Baked beetroots, pickled onions, goat labneh, 

This is the second London restaurant from Loubet who already runs his own name restaurant at the stylish Zetter Hotel in Clerkenwell but the new venture is a more informal affair than Bistrot Bruno Loubet.
Having been awarded the 1985 Good Food Guide's Young Chef of theYear, he joined Raymond Blanc in Oxford as Head Chef at the two Michelin-starred Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

Good luck to my good friend Irina Atanasova,Irina has joined Georges Barbier of London Wines.

After a wonderful career running the floors of Jamie Oliver, Club Gascon,Arbutus & Enoteca Turi, Irina has joined the team at Georges Barbier

Georges Barbier are one of the finest wine importers in the UK and started their company in 1983 with the After a wonderful career on the floor with Jamie Oliver, Club Gascon,Arbutus & Enoteca Turi.

Georges Barbier are one of the finest wine importers in the UK and started their company in 1983 with the concept of sourcing wines from small, independent wineries who respect tradition and the environment.

This, inevitably, leads to quality wines with a distinctive regional flavour and individuality.  They decided to concentrate on wines from France and Spain as these countries offer a wealth of diversity, not only from the classic areas such as Bordeaux and Rioja but from lesser known areas where real gems can be found!
So start thinking about your wines for Christmasconcept of sourcing wines from small, independent wineries who respect tradition and the environment.
This, inevitably, leads to quality wines with a distinctive regional flavour and individuality.  They decided to concentrate on wines from France and Spain as these countries offer a wealth of diversity, not only from the classic areas such as Bordeaux and Rioja but from lesser known areas where real gems can be found!
So start thinking about your wines for Christmas









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