Bristol Chefs do ‘Harbourside Pork from Field to Fork’ at The River Grille

The Chefs’ Forum held a ‘from field to fork’ butchery event at The River Grille. The inspirational and educational day saw some great pork cookery demonstrations by Head Chefs Matt Lord (The River Grille) and Toru Yanada of the neighbouring Riverstation restaurant.  An impressive nose-to-tale pork butchery master class by Walter Rose & Son followed the cookery demonstrations giving the chefs real food for thought.

Fifty guests including Good Food Guide listed and AA Rosette chefs attended as well as City of Bristol College lecturers and industry movers and shakers – An extremely tough audience for the demonstrating chefs.  Matt, Toru and the butchers were fantastic, displaying the utmost in expertise and professionalism – The event was a real success.

Head chef Matt Lord said:
“I really enjoyed hosting The Chefs’ Forum today; working with Toru brought some great Japanese cooking techniques to our kitchen and these were showcased in his demo. It was brilliant to collaborate with a neighbouring restaurant for the good of the local chef scene. Overwhelmingly positive feedback told me the chefs all had a great day and the butchery was extremely valuable in broadening skill sets and sharing techniques.”

Ingredients for canapés and demonstrations at The River Grille were kindly donated by Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Walter Rose & Son, Total Produce, Forest Produce and coffee by Wogan Coffee.  This enabled them to showcase their quality produce to top chefs in the Bristol area.

Miriam Garstang, Curriculum Leader of Hospitality & Catering at City of Bristol College stated:
“We as a College are looking to improve our links with local employers in the catering industry and The Chefs’ Forum is a perfect vehicle to do this.  Our staff and students really enjoy contributing to its quarterly events where we can keep in touch with industry and benefit from improved communication with professional kitchens and Food & Beverage Managers on a local level”.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum added:
“Forging links between the colleges, apprentices, leading chefs and high quality suppliers is a key way for the industry to grow and get stronger.   Today, we were dubbed the ‘glue that binds them all together’ which is a fantastic compliment.  It is so rewarding when chefs, students and suppliers express gratitude for having had a great day and learnt new skills at our events”

The Chefs’ Forum launched four years ago and has since expanded to include highly accredited chefs, some celebrity chefs, catering colleges and top suppliers on a South UK-wide level.

Photography by Jon Craig: www.joncraig.co.uk