The Staff Canteen Live 2019 Networking Lunch at House of Tides

Yesterday we held the August edition of The Staff Canteen Live Networking Lunch series at House of Tides.

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Chefs from in and around Newcastle came to Kenny Atkinson's Michelin-starred restaurant, where they met with suppliers in an informal setting. 

A Champagne reception was followed by a tour of the kitchen and a  five-course menu, wine flight and petits fours, with ingredients supplied by the event sponsors. 

Chefs 

Attending were chef Anthony Chandrasekera of Headworth Hall; Three Horseshoes head chef Brett Curran; Lumley Castle head chef  Chris Delaney; head chef at The Green Room Restaurant, Jon Fell; Luke Taylor, head chef at The Cleveland Tontine; Tomohawk's executive chef, Lee Hardy; Lindsay Rushton, head chef at Beeronomy Ltd.; Norman Bradford, head chef at Hotel Indigo; Hadrian Healthcare's head chef Piotr Dyrcz; Richard Collingwood, head chef at The lawns restaurant at Thornton Hall; Lime Lesuire Derwent Manor hotel executive chef, Ronald Joseph Ramos; Ronald Robson, head chef at Leila Lily's (Malhotra group); The Shoulder of Mutton head chef Simon Edwards; Tony Renwick, executive chef at Trakol restaurant; Leah walker, catering program lead at New Durham College; senior sous-chef at the Devonshire Arms hotel and Spa, Ian Matfin and Jason Wardill, group executive chef of Provenance Inns. 

Sponsors

The event was supported by Zenith Hygiene, Koppert Cress, Chef  Works, Seafood from Norway and Udale Speciality Foods.

Lindsay Rushton, head chef at Beeronomy Ltd , who used to work at The House of Tides said that the lunch had been "a great experience."

"It's nice to come back here and talk with people from the industry and just enjoy it really." 

The chef said he was delighted to meet new sponsors, namely Koppert Cress: "Hearing how he [Paul Da Costa Greaves] develops different cress was just fascinating, I really enjoyed it."

Neal Udale of Udale Speciality Foods said it was "essential" for suppliers like himself to get chefs to taste their product. 

"The duck is supplied to some of the best restaurants in the UK so they get a feel of what it's all about." 

Speaking of the overall experience of TSC Networking lunches, he said: "it's very informative, it's very good. The idea of  meeting around the tables, speaking to all the different chefs gives you a chance to actually talk to each chef individually rather than going to an event where you might see half a dozen people." 

Jon Fell, who works at Rosehill Theatre's The Green Room Restaurant, said: "For me, from a chef's point of view it's been absolutely fantastic. The food, as you'd expect has been beautiful and well presented, absolutely stunningly cooked."

"I've learnt different techniques - the haddock, if I had known it was nine months frozen, would I have used it - probably not, but I'm going to go with Kenny on that one. I was guessing that it was older than what we thought but nine months is absolutely fantastic." 

"As a chef it's made me think that maybe I need to look at how I'm buying and how I'm using that kind of thing." 

"Overall, absolutely wonderful, fantastic experience." 

"You meet other chefs, you meet people from social media; it breaks down the barriers because you get to chat with them and you get to pick up different techniques - you forget that you're chefs and you talk as people, which as chefs sometimes we don't." 

The chef said meeting suppliers was "brilliant" and that "the whole day - I recommend it to anybody and if you get the chance, do it.

"It's been a stunning day and I thank you guys very much."