Essential Cuisine advertorial: Teamwork in the Kitchen

Teamwork is everything in the kitchen. And, whether you’re a brigade of two or 22, everyone knows that the best plates of food and the most harmonious, hard working kitchens stand or fall on the skill of the team and not the individual.  

That’s why the Essential Cuisine team is backing your brigade. So many brands in foodservice are great at lauding single chefs yet fewer recognise the skill and camaraderie of the family unit. We know that chefs value these relationships above anything else, and, with over 50 years of kitchen experience to call upon at Essential Cuisine, so do we.

With teamwork top of mind, we recently exhibited at Hotelympia 2014, devising and sponsoring a very special chef challenge at Salon Culinaire.

Staged on Hotelympia’s Live Theatre, ‘Teamwork in the Kitchen’ was a unique, two-person competition inviting junior chefs (under 23) to pair with experienced fellow chefs from the same brigade. To succeed, the teams had to work in tandem to create inspiring meat, fish and vegetarian main courses using our premium quality range.

We’re proud to announce that Louise Roberts and Prezmo Wrzesinski from Lexington Catering were declared as the winning team, wowing judges including Salon Director, James Tanner with a stunning mix of dishes.

The pair’s meat dish consisted of pan-fried cannon of lamb shoulder and goats cheese tortellini, celeriac puree, with lamb and rosemary sauce, using Essential Cuisine Premier Lamb Jus.

Next, Louise and Prezmo created a fish dish of roasted tranche of turbot, braised baby gem and peas, sautéed ratte’s and lobster bisque, using our flavourful, crustaceous Lobster Glace.

The duo’s final vegetarian main course was lemon and mint crème fraiche, using our best-selling Vegetable Stock.

In the wake of the triumph, Louise, 20, conveyed her happiness and shock, saying: “We weren’t expected to win anything, it’s been a brilliant day and a great show”.

Our congratulations to Louise and Prezmo – they showed just the right attitude in supporting one another to the title and the way they interpreted our brief, and used our products as a base to enhance their dishes, really shone through.

With a stand overlooking the prestigious Salon Culinaire Live Theatre, the Essential Cuisine chef team was out in force throughout the four days, demonstrating to visitors how our convenient and highly versatile range can save both time and money, enabling them to focus on the final dish.

As the show comes to a close, now the hard work must begin – but we were tremendously pleased to meet friends old and new during the four days and to proud to crown our Teamwork in the Kitchen winners. Welcome to the team, guys.

The Essential Cuisine stockpot is also an integral part of these teams, as reliable and indispensible as any member. Utilised in the kitchens of fine dining establishments, hotels, pubs, schools, hospitals, banqueting and beyond, the small yet mighty pot of Essential Cuisine stock is an ever present; always on hand, proud to be one of the team.

Created by professional chefs, for professional chefs, Essential Cuisine’s range of premium, British-made stocks, jus, gravy, demi-glace and glaces provides kitchens with the peace of mind that their dishes will always shine, giving modern chefs the time and confidence to be more creative.

Supporting teams with ingredients to inspire.

For more information on the Essential Cuisine range call 01606 541490, email: advice@essentialcuisine.com visit: www.essentialcuisine.com or find them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@essentialcuisin