On Monday, November 4, we hosted our final front of house networking lunch of the year, this time at Michelin-starred Hide in London.
The food was prepared by group executive chef Josh Angus, while guests were also treated to a cellar tour at the Mayfair venue.
The Staff Canteen launched chef networking lunches in 2016, incorporating front of house events from 2020, which are now run once every quarter.
THE GUESTS
Today at Hide, we welcomed 15 front of house industry professionals.
Catherine Bach, front of house manager, Athenaeum Hotel & Residences
Paul Barber, general manager/owner, The Kentish Hare
Mario Yordanov, assistant restaurant manager, Brooklands by Claude Bosi, The Peninsula London
Eberton Vietro, Concorde Room manager, British Airways Concorde Room
Iraia Ibargurengoitia, assistant general manager, The Clove Club
Kay Micallef, F&B reservations coordinator, Sofitel – London St James
Eric Tavernier, owner, Restaurant Les Enfants Terribles
Chamane Epps, front of house manager, Harbour Hotels – The Kings Arms
Gabriel Lee, head sommelier, Latymer Restaurant, Pennyhill Park
Ruben Santos, general manager, Alex Dilling
Celia Dinis, guest relations manager, Helene Darroze at The Connaught
Cristiano Pellizzari, general manager, The Guinea
Lauren Wood, restaurant manager, Tallow
Cong Cong Bo, owner, Amphora
Valentin Bunea, sommelier, Petersham Nurseries
Attending her first networking lunch was Iraia Ibargurengoitia, assistant general manager of The Clove Club in Shoreditch.
"It’s been really good, really nice to see people from other restaurants and meet all the sponsors as well, very interesting," she said.
"I think it’s really important to also highlight our job and our place. I think everything that happens in and around the restaurant front of house, everyone has a big say on everything."
Discussing her conversations with the sponsors, Iraia added: "It doesn’t feel like anyone is selling anything, so it’s really nice to talk to everyone on the same level.
"Maybe it is interesting for us and maybe it’s not. It gives us the option to have a chat with them. Sometimes we don’t get to have these interactions, because usually it is the chefs talking to them, so it is nice to get involved somehow."
Someone who has been on both sides of the fence is Paul Barber, general manager of The Kentish Hare, who hosted a Staff Canteen networking lunch earlier this year.
"Being here today has been absolutely amazing," he said.
"It’s nice to be able to relax, to be honest and not have to stress and worry about who’s coming. A great atmosphere, lovely people, the food has been fantastic and the venue is amazing.
"It’s always great to put a face to a name (of a supplier). You’re constantly getting bombarded with emails and calls daily. A small restaurant, The Kentish Hare, is not the biggest of sites.
"We’d love to be able to use every vineyard in the area, but today has been great talking to Ridgeview, tasting and sampling their wines with the food that’s being served here. I know I’m going to go back and hope to implement that and put that on the menu and with other suppliers as well."
Asked how important it is to highlight front of house staff, Paul added: "It’s so important just to continuously talk about all aspects of it. The front of house team need to work together to make sure we can recognise what everyone does within the industry, to ultimately make sure the guests get the best experience.
THE SPONSORS
Special thanks to our five sponsors that made this lunch possible – Chef Works, Hoshizaki, Lightspeed, Ridgeview Wine Estate and Revol.
Andy Tucker of Hoshizaki picked out the nest egg as the best course of the day.
Discussing his experience of the afternoon, Andy said: "Very, very good fun. Lots of good people to talk to. Interesting colleagues to listen to. A learning curve. The food was spectacular. I’d highly recommend it.
"It’s been absolutely brilliant today to get to users it’s really important to get to, getting to see them.
"A lot of the clients here do in fact already own our machines, but are looking to upgrade. A few had never even heard we were in refrigeration. One of the great things about coming to a networking event like this is we can talk about new equipment."
THE MENU
Each of Josh Angus's courses was paired by Ridgeview Wines.
Bread and broth
Flesh and bone
Bloomsbury NV in magnum
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Tartare of candy-stripe beetroot, Moscatel grapes and fig leaf granita
Cavendish NV
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Nest egg
Blanc de Blancs 2019
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Glazed roast duck, malt loaf, pickled clementine and buttered carrots
Blanc de Noirs 2015
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Chocolate pot with cornflake Chantilly, malt caramel and Tahitian vanilla ice cream
Fitzrovia rosé NV
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HIDE petit fours
