The Staff Canteen Live 2019 Networking Lunch at Alyn Williams at The Westbury

The Staff Canteen

The July edition of The Staff Canteen Live Networking Lunch series was held at Alyn Williams at The Westbury yesterday.

London's top chefs came to the historic hotel in Mayfair to enjoy a meal cooked by head chef Charlie Tayler  and met with suppliers in an informal setting. 

Guests were greeted with Champagne and canapés  before being given a tour of the kitchen followed by a four-course menu, wine flight and petits fours. Ingredients were supplied by the event sponsors. 

Menu

Selection of canapés
Crab, sweet potato and almond tartlets
Foie gras tubes   
Cottage cheese, chips, mint and peas

66293598 682716138836371 7918212001942208512 n

Alyn Williams house salad

 Affilia, Borage and Daikon Cress, Pepquino cucumber from Koppert cress, seeded kuzu cracker

Weingut Donnhoff Riseling Feinherb, Nahe, Germany 2016

https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/public/js/tinymce/plugins/moxiemanager/data/files/WhatsApp Image 2019 07 10 at 17.13.38.jpeg

Udale cumbrian pig jowl

Smoked sand carrot,truffle, crackling

 Casa Valduga Terroir, Cabernet Franc, Campanha, Brazil 2017

https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/public/js/tinymce/plugins/moxiemanager/data/files/WhatsApp Image 2019 07 10 at 17.13.38 (2).jpeg

Seafood from Norway roasted haddock

Beurre noisette, brown shrimps, hazelnuts, parsley

Hush Heath Estate, Skye's English White, Chardonnay, England 2017

https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/public/js/tinymce/plugins/moxiemanager/data/files/WhatsApp Image 2019 07 10 at 17.13.38 (1).jpeg

Baked Apricot 

Apricot sorbet and jelly with Les Vergers Boiron apricot purée, toasted almond cake, fresh almonds

Prunotto, Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy 2018

https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/public/js/tinymce/plugins/moxiemanager/data/files/WhatsApp Image 2019 07 10 at 17.13.38 (3).jpeg

Petits fours

Chefs 

Attending were chef Marianne Lumb; Andrew Turner; head chef at Tredwells, Eve Seeman; chef Elliot Miller of Artists Residence; executive chef of Richmond Gate Hotel Fabio Petrucci; Javi Blanco, head chef at Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar;  Jonas Karlsson, head chef at 100 Wardour Street; Markus Bohr, executive pastry chef at Harrods; Martin Cahill, executive chef at Rosewood Hotel London; The Cavendish head chef Nitin Pawar; Andras Katona, head chef at Avenue; Nathan Richardson, head chef at The Guinea Grill;Craig Johnston, sous chef at The Berkley, Tom Buckwell, executive chef at TB Caterserve and Scot Paterson, head chef at Ting restaurant,  Shangri-la.

Charlie Tayler

Sponsors

The event's headline sponsor was Zenith Hygiene,  the UK's largest independent manufacturer and supplier of cleaning and hygiene chemicals and ancillary products. 

It was also supported by Koppert Cress, Les Vergers-Boiron, Chef  Works, Seafood from Norway and Udale Speciality Foods.

https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/public/js/tinymce/plugins/moxiemanager/data/files/WhatsApp Image 2019 07 10 at 17.13.39.jpeg

Nitin Pawar, head chef at The Cavendish said he thought the event was "brilliant."

"It's great to see head chefs, suppliers and to find out about current trends." 

Meeting suppliers in this setting, he said, means "you can see the product and understand the trends, like sustainability, what cleaning products chefs use, everything." 

Andrew Swanson, head of business development at Zenith Hygiene said today's event was great.

"The food was lovely, the company was very good." 

"It was quite a relaxed event; it's nice to sit down with people and spend some time without it being forced." 

Les Vergers Boiron product manager Christian Mayolle  said:"The food was outstanding and I think the spirit was there because people were very open to discuss and to exchange. It was really nice and I'd like to thank The Staff Canteen, I can see that there is a lot of work behind everything." 

"It was a really nice experience, even with people who already know our brand, it was nice to chat with them." 

Elliot Miller, head chef at The Cambridge Street Kitchen at Artists Residence said that not only was the food delicious, but "it was lovely to meet new people in a relaxed situation."

Events like this, he said, give suppliers "a bit more time to really speak to people about products and what they do." 

Asked if he knew any of the sponsors, he said: "Zenith I currently use, Boiron I use through Ritter Courivaud and Norwegian Seafood I know of because some of my friends use them, and I would potentially use them in the future" 

Fabio Petrucci, head chef at Claygate Averna in Richmond, said: "A very big well done to everyone because the location, the place, the food, the people were all great." 

The chef said there was a mix of companies there that he knew and didn't know, and that events like this allow chefs to "bond with suppliers, to understand what they do, how they do it and if it can fit your philosophy or concept of food. I think all of them [here today] match what I'm planning to do." 

Sponsors Banner (2)

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 10th July 2019

The Staff Canteen Live 2019 Networking Lunch at Alyn Williams at The Westbury