Chefs for Change
Three of the world’s best chefs – Joan Roca, Eneko Atxa and Gaggan Anand – have joined forces with Nicolas Mounard, chief executive of international NGO Farm Africa, to launch Chefs for Change.
The movement aims to bridge the gap between two very different worlds: high-end cuisine and international development.
Joan Roca, chef at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona in northern Spain, which has twice been ranked No 1 restaurant in the world, commented: “A dish is much more than the sum of its ingredients. If we consider its sourcing, we see that every ingredient has been created by a varied cast of human characters involved in every step of the food’s journey from land to the plate.
“The Chefs for Change movement wants to give a voice to these rural food producers and their life stories, and empower them to grow.”
For more information visit www.chefsforchange.org.
Allergen Accreditationlaunches the “#Onemcpeakechallenge”
In order to raise awareness of how difficult it is to live with a food allergy, Allergen Accreditation is inviting chefs and caterers to eliminate one or more allergens from their diet for two weeks in September.
The “#Onemcpeakechallenge” will enable volunteers to understand the daily issues that someone with allergies faces and appreciate the problems that food allergy sufferers face when eating out.
Registration is now live and this has been set with https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/onemcpeakechallenge.
The money raised from this campaign will go to the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
Pioneering hospitality academy
HIT Training, the apprenticeship provider for the hospitality sector, has announced the launch of a unique new initiative – the HIT Hospitality Academy. Designed to sit alongside the Hospitality Team Member apprenticeship, the academy will offer a highly practical enrichment programme focused around delivering exceptional customer service.
The launch follows the success of the HIT Chef Academy, which has been running for three years and has supported over 1,000 professional chef apprentices to date.
Through the HIT Hospitality Academy, apprentices will benefit from targeted, workshop-based training that will hone and polish their craft, teach them new skills, build their confidence, and boost job satisfaction and productivity. The workshops will take place primarily at partnered client sites, such as breweries, vineyards, distilleries and roasteries, creating an authentic experience and deeper product understanding.
Jeremy Scorer, HIT Hospitality Academy principal, commented: “It’s an exciting time to be working in the industry. Consumers have a wealth of choice at their fingertips, from the style of food they wish to eat, to where they’re going to enjoy it. The one area you must shine as a business is customer service and yet foundation skills in this area are often overlooked. That’s why we’re so passionate about giving apprentices the tools they need to do the best job possible.”
For more information, visit: hittraining.co.uk/hit-hospitality-academy.
Hospitality apprentices impress at HIT MasterChef finals
Adam Leyland Simpson has been crowned winner of HIT Training’s Apprentice MasterChef competition.
25-year-old Adam, who is currently undertaking the level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship at St Bedes College in Bristol, impressed the judges with his dish of buttered hake with burnt kale, fennel croquette, cauliflower puree with a lemon vinaigrette, and cherry tomatoes.
