Making the Most of STEM

The Chefs’ Forum put on a special 3 course menu at Bradford College on the 22nd February for their Women in STEM dinner. The Chefs’ Forum organised Manchester-based chef Caroline Martins to create the menu at The Grove Restaurant at Bradford College to celebrate women working in STEM fields, in both education and industry.

The free event was dedicated to celebrating and empowering women in the fields of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – and The Chefs’ Forum played an important part in making the evening special.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “Our international network of chefs and suppliers can be put to very good use and occasionally we step outside the boundaries of student education and support great causes such as women in STEM. It was a pleasure for us to get Caroline Martins to represent us. She is such an exciting chef having represented the North West at the 2023 Great British Menu. She has worked in all levels of restaurants and her menu was an inspiration.”

Caroline Martins said: The evening was a great success and it was a total pleasure to cook for the Women in STEM at Bradford College. I have a science background myself and have a phD in Plasma Physics from The Technological Institute of Aeronautics in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  I later decided to train to be a chef because I wanted to follow my passion, but my scientific knowledge and expertise greatly helps me with many elements of my cooking.  I am all for supporting successful women in industry.  What a fantastic  group of inspiring people! I felt really challenged to create something special with the students.”

Zainab Himdan, Head of School for Computing and Ophthalmics at Bradford College welcomed guests and shared her story from engineering into the world of IT and Science, about her journey into her current role and her role to inspire and pave the way for the next generation. She said The more I was told I couldn’t do something or wasn’t taken seriously, it propelled me even more to pursue my career and expand my knowledgeFemales have a place in all these sectors and can make a significant contribution.”

What was on the menu?

Starter:

‘A Taste of Brazil’:

  • Mushrooms & Brazil Nut
  • Smoked Salmon & Brazilian Cream Cheese
  • Venison Tartare & Smoked Açai Mayo

Main:

  • Picadinho de Carne, Buttery Cassava and Brazilian Cheese Bread

Dessert:

  • The Mushroom: Dormouse Brazilian Chocolate Cremeux, Passionfruit Sponge, Chocolate & Maldon Salt Crumb and Cachaca Infused Berries

Vegan options:

  • Starter: Vegan Falafel and Brazil Nut Houmous
  • Main: Vegan Vegetable Stew, Casava and Sourdough
  • Dessert: Vegan Chocolate Mousse and Cachaca Infused Berries

A Tribute to Hairy Biker, Chef Dave Myers who has Died Aged 66

The UK has had a love affair with motorbikes and food for what seems like decades. It all started with Two Fat Ladies in 1996 when Jennifer Patterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright famously roared round the British countryside terrifying and delighting everyone in their path. The series was immensely popular but only ran for four seasons and with its passing left a hole in the public consciousness.

Whether The Hairy Bikers was meant to be the replacement is now lost in TV folklore but there is no question that Dave Myers and Si King definitely took up where Jennifer and Clarissa left off. Their first show – a ride through Portugal – was aired in 2004 and the final series is still running.

The delight of The Hair Bikers is that it was not born out of trying to find a replacement duo. Myers was working as a makeup artist on a TV drama where he met King. They became firm friends and shared a love of food, travel and bikes. They were a hit from the start.

Myers never lost his Cumbrian touch. He was born in Barrow-in-Furness in 1957 and had a soft and charming character that warmed the heart of anyone who watched him. The pair became household favourites and travelled extensively together and opened-up many new locations and recipes to audiences who were drawn in by their mix of simple charm and love of good food – and bikes. Together, The Hairy Bikers produced 25 cookery books along with their numerous series. Myers will be much missed and we will miss him, too. He had the ability to reach ordinary people in an extraordinary way.

Dave Myers 8/9/1957 – 28/2/2024.

The Beginning of a New Era – RATIONAL Introduces a New Product Category

The Beginning of a New Era – RATIONAL introduces a new product category: the RATIONAL iHexagon delivers the highest food quality in the shortest possible time.

RATIONAL is starting the new year with a World Premiere: With the new iHexagon, the world market leader has succeeded in coordinating steam, hot air and microwave technology so intelligently that the highest food quality is possible in the shortest possible time, evenly across all racks in the 6-1/1 unit. After introducing the combi-steamer and the iVario, this marks the third instance in the company’s history where it has pioneered a new product category.

At the end of February, Markus Paschmann, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at RATIONAL, presented the iHexagon in an online keynote speech together with RATIONAL experts from Research & Development and the project team. The focus of the presentation was on the core element of the new model: iClimateBoost. The cooking assistant intelligently adjusts steam, convection and microwave heat to the respective food. This allows operators to produce the highest food quality in the shortest possible time.

Markus Paschmann says: “With the iHexagon, we are the first on the market to succeed in combining hot air, steam and microwave heat in the cooking cabinet so intelligently that the energy is distributed evenly across all six racks.” This means that the user achieves consistently excellent results across all levels and can even simultaneously cook various types of food. Despite our culinary expertise in the market, achieving this milestone presented a formidable challenge for us.”

“We weren’t satisfied with the quality of the food at the beginning,” Paschmann continues. But the product developers quickly found the solution: The microwave has been set against the most powerful heating power that RATIONAL has ever developed. This has restored the balance of power. Together with the fresh steam, the two types of energy are intelligently controlled to produce succulent food with the desired browning and rich roasted flavours. “It fills me with pride to present such a technical masterpiece and launch it on the market. With the iHexagon, we are demonstrating that we recognise our customers’ challenges and are responding to them with innovations,” explains the CEO.

The iHexagon is aimed in particular at customers whose business concept is focussed equally on quality and speed. The iHexagon is capable of generating substantial quantities, it is ideal for preparing meals for large gatherings or catering events, such as buffets. Secondly, thanks to its speed, it is able to quickly serve fresh food or heat up snacks in just a few seconds, even during rush hour. This translates to an end of queues and a boost in sales instead.

The iHexagon is of particular interest for kitchens that are geared towards standardised dishes and processes. This is where ConnectedCooking, RATIONAL’s digital kitchen management system, really comes into its own. MyDisplay, for example, which shows the most important functions individually on the display, can be set up via ConnectedCooking and distributed to all cooking systems, enables operation at the touch of a button and makes life easier, especially in kitchens with lower skilled staff.

The concept of the iHexagon is rounded off by autonomous cleaning with iCareSystem AutoDose. Cleaner and care cartridges are integrated into the cooking system and therefore securely contained. There is no contact with chemicals, and incorrect dosing is prevented. Instead, you’ll experience enhanced workplace safety and reduced costs.

All in all, it makes the iHexagon an intelligent specialist for certain applications; RATIONAL continues to see the iCombi and iVario as the primary solution for all other professional kitchens. For this reason, the company has also decided to employ product and application specialists for sales who can provide expert advice and identify whether the iHexagon is the right choice.

The iHexagon is now available in Germany, the UK and the USA, with other countries to follow gradually.

Markus Paschmann sums up the market launch as follows: “With the iHexagon, we have created a new, intelligent product category with performance features that are unique on the market. We are already speaking of a New Era.” Detailed information is available at rational-online.com, where you can also watch the keynote speech again.

Cheers to Beers: A Brew-tiful Day for an Educational Visit to Attic Brew Co.

This week, level 2 and 3 front of house students at South & City College in Birmingham, proud home of a Chefs’ Forum Academy, visited the largest independent brewery in Birmingham for an in-depth tour of the brewing facilities.

Organised and hosted by The Chefs’ Forum Academy Coordinator and Event Executive, Brogen, the students participated in the day as part of The Chefs’ Forum Academy, now in it’s second year at this fantastic Birmingham College.

Brogen said

“This was a fantastic opportunity for front of house students to learn about how and where beer is made and it was lovely to showcase a local brewery and the beer-making process; from grain to glass.  It is wonderful to be able to support our colleges with our national network of producers and manufacturers.”

The Attic Brew Co. site, in Stirchley, currently brews nearly 1 million pints a year, and the students experienced in person the journey from wheat and barley to the brewery’s bestselling ‘Intuition’ 4.4% Pale Ale.

“It was nice to be able to get out of the college and experience the brewery first hand. I found it unexpected and surprising to see the different steps that go into making beer, and very interesting to see the process from start to finish” said Poppy Jane Booth, a Level 2 student.

The Chefs’ Forum Academy delivers masterclasses and sessions that make all areas of the industry accessible to the next generation of hospitality talent, both in the college and off site. This, in turn, shows them that the world of hospitality and catering is truly their oyster, and showcases the many career opportunities that are waiting for them after they complete their education.

“It was great to welcome the students to Attic and give them a tour around our brewery. Hopefully the visit has inspired some students to consider a future career in the brewing industry!” said Harry Gwilliam, Head Brewer, who kindly led the tour on the day.

Sheri Cadwallader, Senior Technician for Hospitality and Catering at South & City College said: “Attic Brew Co. were very welcoming of us and our learners. It was a very informative day and reiterated what the students learn about beer making. It was fun for them to see the process first hand and to experience the sights and smells of a brewery. Thank you, The Chefs’ Forum, for organising another great session for our learners to help them with their qualification and thank you Attic for having us.”

Having recently taken a trip to Birmingham Wholesale Fruit market last month, to yesterday’s brewery trip, the students are now looking forward to a visit to The World of Wedgwood to see how fine bone china tableware is made.

Curriculum enrichment and employer engagement are a top priority for South & City College Birmingham and we know it is making a difference in boosting students’ grades and keeping them motivated and engaged.

Adam Porter, Head of School: Hairdressing, Barbering and Hospitality & Catering said

“The Chefs’ Forum Academy masterclasses, trips and visits have had a massive impact on the development of our students’ technical and wider skills. The masterclasses, menu development days, business market challenges and trips and have added great value to our students’ learning – Our students feel supported, engaged and motivated. The impact has been massive, where students have developed skills, attitudes and behaviours that are valued by employers and we have seen a significant positive increase of higher grades achieved by our students in craft assessments.”

Perfect Pastry & Asian Culinary Excellence on Display at Coleg Gwent

The Chefs’ Forum put on a display of pastry perfection at a taster day for school students at Coleg Gwent this week. 200 school students watched on as Thibault Courtosier of Patisserie Verte, who won Bake Off The Professionals in 2020, put on a masterclass.

However, he was joined by another award-winning chef Jubz al Manna of Grubz by Jubz, who gave an interactive cookery demo. Mocktails made by Mixologist Drew Patley and an interactive cocktail competition completed the ensemble and all the students went home happy.

Thibault said:

“I love events like this and getting young people talking about food and where it comes from.  Honey from Dean Magna School really impressed me with her skills in making our vegan Valrhona Amatika chocolate and Sosa passionfruit crispy Tartlette. We had Alex Saunders from Valrhona here today, telling the schoolchildren and students all about where the top tier chocolate comes from; From bean to bag, we also watched a fantastic film on the whole journey.  I think the industry needs more events like this and I am really happy to be both teaching at Coleg Gwent in The Chefs’ Forum Academy and participating in the Taster Day today.”

Thibault has invited the patisserie students to come and visit Patisserie Verte HQ in Cardiff for an enrichment visit and the college will make arrangements for this in the near future.  He was also very impressed with the CookTek Helios induction hobs from Chefs’ Forum sponsor, MCS Technical Products, where precision and market-leading power come as standard – Exactly what top pastry chefs demand.

Dole Foodservice and Valrhona kindly provided fresh produce and delicious chocolate for the students to create canapés for the young guests, as well as ingredients for the demonstrations.

Our break-dancing chef, Kit Sells was also on hand to give a body-popping masterclass to some of the schoolchildren and their teachers, this was very entertaining indeed and made for an electric and upbeat atmosphere in the room.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said afterwards:

“Our position as the leading chef platform dedicated to education enables us to bring in heavyweight industry professionals across the UK. We are about to embark on our third book – The Pastry Chefs’ Knowledge –  and Thibault showed why pastry is so important as part of the chef curriculum. However, he was ably supported today by an outstanding deconstructed Bengali Seabass Curry demo from Jubz al Manna who really captivated the students.”

The schoolchildren were really impressed and engaged with Jubz’ curry and asked lots lots of questions and year 9 student, McKenzie Camp from Caldicot School assisted with the demo.  He did such a good job that Jubz awarded him ‘Star of the Day’ and a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge book.

Helen Lawless, Head of School for Hospitality at Coleg Gwent said: “The Chefs’ Forum really pulled out the stops for us today and it was easy to see how inspired the student visitors were. These taster days are so important for showing school students what they can expect on a catering course at Coleg Gwent.”

The visiting schoolchildren from five local feeder schools had a great time at the event, year 9 student Honey Griffiths from Dean Magna school said:

“I didn’t really know what to expect today, but I have really enjoyed all of the cooking, dancing and live competitions.  I’m now really thinking about coming to Coleg Gwent for the next stage in my educational journey and cooking really appeals, it was amazing to discover so many new ingredients and meet such inspirational chefs.  Thibault has offered me work experience at Patisserie Verte and I will definitely take him up on it – I really enjoyed making the chocolate tartlettes on stage with him, and have discovered that I’m a dab-hand with a piping bag!”

Bedwas School in Caerphilly was also very impressed by the day, a spokesperson said:

“We look forward to this annual foodie event every year, we have attended for the past three years and have it firmly in our diary going forward.  It’s so lovely for the students to have enjoyed such an immersive and interactive event.  You could see from the smiles on their faces how much they loved the event and their feedback has been amazing – Thank you to Coleg Gwent and The Chefs’ Forum for a hugely inspirational day!”

Film and photography by Carlos Farinha.

Ground-Breaking New Kit From RATIONAL

The Beginning of a New Era: RATIONAL introduces a world first online.

On 26 February at 3 pm (GMT), RATIONAL will once again demonstrate its innovative strength worldwide: Markus Paschmann, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at RATIONAL, together with colleagues from Research & Development and the project team, will unveil a world first during this online event. The company announces that it will be unveiling something the market has never seen before and promises to introduce a new product category alongside the iCombi and iVario. Markus Paschmann says: “The new product will be faster, more flexible and capable of more than anything we have ever developed before.”

If you want to be one of the first to see how RATIONAL is once again revolutionising the world of professional kitchens, you can watch the free English-language keynote presentation online – with subtitles in many other languages: rat.ag/new-era

Contact:
Vanessa Millard, RATIONAL UK Limited
Tel:       01582 480388
Mob:     07879 552017
E-mail: v.millard@rational-online.com
Web: www.rational-online.com

Duncan O’Neill Steps-up

Duncan O’Neill, one of the NHS experts who took part in our creation of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge – due to be published in March – has taken on a new job at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). Duncan O’Neill has become Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager at MFT. His previous position was Support Services Manager Catering at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.

MFT is one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the country with 10 hospitals and two local community organisations and the new role will see Duncan O’Neill support different styles of hospital food delivery.

“MFT is a fantastic opportunity for me,” O’Neill told Catherine Farinha. “I have a wealth of experience working in NHS catering and will be utilizing that knowledge in my new role as Food Safety and Quality assurance manager here at MFT which is a challenge I`m relishing. I’ll be looking to work alongside teams from around the Trust to improve the mealtime experience for all our service users and ensure this is done safely. It’s an absolute privilege to be working for the biggest Trust in the country in this role. It’s a different model of operation at MFT vs Stockport which was one of the attractions of the role here  broadening my knowledge across the sector. At MFT we have a mixture of delivery methods across the twelve sites which include ward-level regen kitchens, catering kitchen regen and individually tailored methods of delivery. I’m keen for the Trust to have a presence in all conversations around catering services at a national level and hope to actively contribute to this via the relationships I have built and colleagues I have met through working alongside NHS England.

I`m always keen to challenge stereotypes and perceptions around health service catering and believe this platform gives me the opportunity to continue this work.

I have had a warm welcome from colleagues here at MFT and look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Catherine Farinha said: “Duncan played a big part in the research for The Healthcare Chef’s Knowledge and everyone at The Chefs’ Forum wishes him well in his new job. What we have learnt is that hospital catering is done differently at every NHS Trust and our book is a way of formulating best practice and showing, in one volume, that there can be a central way of working that every trust can buy into. Duncan’s new role at MFT will be part of that process.”

Putting on The Ritz

200 school students in West London were treated to a taste of the top drawer of London on Monday at a Hospitality Industry Taster Day, packed with live demos and entertainment – Show us a stage and we’ll give you a show!

West London College played host to the special student spectacular, with 11 invited schools getting a sneak peak of what a life in hospitality is like.

The worshipful Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham Patricia Quigley and former student of West London College came to open the event.  She spoke of the importance of being able to cook and how lovely it was to see students from her constituency represented in such great numbers.

The demos were interspersed with fantastic music and dancing from Manchester rapper Lowkeylimit, Kit Sells and Jake Morgan – Our young audience really enjoyed the performances, and this is how we use music and dance to engage this age group.

Valentina Maschio from Gordon Ramsay Burger at Harrods built gourmet burgers, but not the sort most were used to.

Valentina invited students to help her make a smash burger on the FlashGRILL, a new edition to our demo stage from MCS Technical Products.

She also broke-in our brand new Unox Bakerlux convection oven that has been generously supplied by the market-leading oven manufacturer in creating some beautiful brioche buns, garnished with seeds and grains.

Aaj Fernando from The Ministry then took to the CookTek Helios double induction hobs to demonstrate how to make Asian gyoza dumplings, before Luigi Cagnin from The Ritz Hotel made perfect crêpe Suzette – the orange-flavoured pancake which is normally flambéed at the tableside.

Aaj also gave the students a butchery demo in the kitchen prior to the event using Aussie wagyu picanha which he has used in the Middle East and now at The Ministry in London. The young guests were able to try the wagyu beef in delicious canapés which were kindly sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia.

As the demos were being performed, canapé-sized versions of the dishes were handed out to the students in the audience.

They also got to try pineberries, physalis and seasonal root vegetables butternut squash and celeriac kindly sponsored by First Choice Produce and Valrhona chocolate.

A final mocktail competition with Nathaniel Morales, Assistant Restaurant Manager at Gouqi London completed the two-hour session that also included lunch, kindly sponsored by Premier Foods.

Jo Wyke, Brand Manager – Foodservice said

“I really enjoyed the event today.  There was lots to taste and learn about. Premier Foods were delighted to sponsor pasta pots for lunch with our Homepride brand.  As the event spanned over lunchtime, it was important to ensure that our young visitors has a substantial, nutritious lunch as well as all of the lovely canapés, mini sliders, fruit, chocolate and mocktails.”

Head of Curriculum at West London College, Denise Charles, said: “We love these taster days that are organised by The Chefs’ Forum. They give school students an opportunity to come and visit and see what we do at the college and to get an insight into the sort of establishments we work with. It was great to work with Luigi from The Ritz and to sample Gordon Ramsay’s burgers. The cocktail competition with Nathaniel was also great fun.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “A huge thank you to all our participants and to West London College for their continued support. Aaj Fernando and Nathaniel Morales rounded out a brilliant morning and we love it when we can bring in such dedicated professionals from the best hotels and restaurants to work with schools and students. It’s what having a Chefs’ Forum Academy is all about.”

All the students who helped-out with the demos won a subscription to CKBK, a fantastic online recipe repertoire of the finest cookbooks and the winners of the cocktail competition won dinner for two in Taste restaurant at the college.

There were past students showcased as success stories, as well as current students who had previously attended our Taster Days at the college in previous years.  What we are doing is definitely working in driving-up college registrations year on year, making a valuable contribution to solving the chef shortage.

The Chefs’ Forum is looking to expand its network of Chefs’ Forum Academies across the UK and would be more than happy to stage similar events at FE colleges around the country.

Next week sees the demo stage and Hospitality Industry Taster Day event travel to Coleg Gwent, with Cambria and South & City College Birmingham hosting in March and April.

Photography & film by Carlos Farinha.

 Top Chefs Love Bragard!

When it comes to chef jackets, Luciana Berry (winner of Top Chef Brasil 2020) knows a thing or two about how to make them look good. But, it turns out, the tailoring is only half of the benefit of going Bragard.

“It’s really important when we perform cookery demonstrations at big shows, spanning over a few days, that we are comfortable, smart and cool. With Bragard I know I always will be and I don’t wear anything else. I’ve just been in Berlin for Fruit Logistica where I showcased fabulous Brazilian cuisine on the Abrafrutas stand, showcasing amazing Brazilian produce. Thank you to Bragard for sponsoring by jackets.”

Next month I’m going to be on the BelOrta stand at IFE showcasing Belgian Ruby Red tomatoes. So, I’ve got to look and feel my best as Executive Chef of The Chefs’ Forum’s BelOrta demo stage, both organising the chefs who will showcase tomato recipes as well as demoing myself each day.”

Luciana has always worn Bragard and has bought over thirty jackets from them over the past decade for various events and shows as a celebrity chef.

Chef Works UK have a full-service embroidery service, so can produce bespoke, branded jackets for any occaision and supply all jackets for Chefs’ Forum events and the chefs absolutely love them!

Luciana continued

“With Bragard I can always be sure of the tailoring. It’s perfect and the Impulse jacket enables me to move freely whilst giving a cooking show to the audience of show visitors.”

“The Chefs’ Forum is incredibly proud to be working with Bragard, showcasing their beautiful chef tailoring at all of our Chefs’ Lunches.” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum.

 “Bragard will also be supplying all of our demo chefs with jackets for our demo stages in the IFE and co-located HRC taking place next month at Excel- 25th-27th March. We’re all going to be looking fabulous!”

For more information on Bragard chef jackets and specialist embroidery services, please contact ben@chefworksworld.com

Joké Wins Big as Michelin Recognises Chishuru

Adejoké Bakare, known affectionately as “Joké” has become the first black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK and only the second in the world.

Joké is the founder of Chishuru restaurant which opened in its new location in Fitzrovia last autumn having had a run in Brixton. The cuisine is West African.

Interestingly, a second West African restaurant Akoko, also in Fitzrovia, was also awarded with a star.

 “It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Bakare told The Guardian. “Until this morning I was just focused on enjoying the accolade itself, which I’m hugely honoured by. But seeing reactions on social media today, I’m starting to feel a weight of responsibility on my shoulders too, it’s lovely.”

The menu includes dishes such as sinasir (fermented rice cake), moi moi (bean cake) and ekoki (corn cake).

Denise Charles

“We make our own rules,” Bakare continued. “We answer to no one, we do our own thing. As a black female chef I’m not totally sure I could have done it any other way.”

Chefs’ Forum favourite Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum at West London College, said of the news:

“Congratulations Adejoké Bakare on being the first black woman to achieve a Michelin star, breaking through the ceiling and ensuring that there is a path for others to follow. Well done. I will look forward to booking and eating the delicious cuisine.”

We echo those words. A fine achievement demonstrating that patience and belief are the keys to success.

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