The Staff Canteen Live 2019 Networking Lunch at The Devonshire Arms' Burlington Restaurant

This month's TSCLive Networking Lunch was held at The Devonshire Arms' three-AA-rosette Burlington Restaurant in Skipton.  

• Find out more about The Staff Canteen's Networking Lunches
• Would you like to come to our next Networking Lunch at Paul Foster's Salt on May 16th? Fill in our survey to apply! 

The Staff Canteen was joined by a group of fifteen chefs in the Burlington Restaurant at The Devonshire Arms for our latest networking lunch on Monday, April 8th.

From hotel and catering company chefs to the region's fine dining restaurant chef owners, food and equipment suppliers met with the highest calibre of cooks to share ideas and discuss potential business opportunities in a relaxed and friendly setting. 

Upon arrival, attendees were treated to amuse-bouches,  followed by an eight-course tasting menu cooked by head chef Paul Leonard and his team, with ingredients supplied by the event sponsors. 

Chefs

Attending were Paul Jackson, chef owner of The Hare Inn; John Robinson, chef owner of Whites Restaurant; Aaron Craig, executive chef at New Hall, Rocklife; Rhys Jackson, executive chef at The Principal in York; David Lythall,  Alton Towers' executive chef; Luke Downing, chef owner of Vice and Virtue; Danny Parker, chef owner of Jesmond Dene; Gareth Rayner, head chef at The Middleton Lodge's The Forge; Steve Smith, chef patron at Freemason Arms; Martin Shaw, chef patron of The Granary at Ulrome; Richard Johns, chef owner of Hovingham Inn; Neil Bentinck, chef patron of Skosh, in York; Westwood Hall head chef Marcus Fisk and finally, Interstate Hotels and Resorts executive chef Lee Miller. 

Sponsors

The headline sponsor of the event was UK-based microherb supplier Koppert Cress. It was also supported by Les Vergers-Boiron, Chef  Works, Seafood From Norway, Koppert Cress and Zenith hygiene. 

What the chefs and sponsors had to say about The Staff Canteen Live networking lunch at The Devonshire Arms

Interstate Hotels and Resorts Executive chef Lee Miller, who was attending for the first time, said: "It's great to be able to network with different chefs. We don't get out enough to see what other people are doing." 

"We often don't have enough connections with [suppliers], as chefs we're in our own environment and we don't relax enough, which makes it more difficult for them to connect with us." 

"To be able to put chefs from different backgrounds together in the same room is great." 

Vice and Virtue chef owner Luke Downing agreed that it was a great way to meet other chefs and suppliers. 

He said: "It's better to meet suppliers here than a hard sale or a telephone conversation. Once you get to meet the people behind the product, they sell it conveniently where it's put on a plate, as well as being able to speak to them about what they do, it's a much better sell."

"From their perspective, it's easier to build a relationship, and for us it's much easier to build a rapport when you actually know who they are," he added. 

Seafood from Norway's Celestine Chaong hailed the event a success. She said: "The meal today was lovely, Paul did a fantastic job." 

"It was interesting to have a table that already use Norwegian produce - it was a delight to hear." 

"We're looking forward to the next one in May! 

Finally, main sponsor Koppert Cress representative Paul da Costa Greaves said that attending TSC Networking lunches is always a good experience. 

"Each time we attend, the chefs that are here are on our list to communicate with but we usually can't contact them because life gets in the way. These lunches have made my time management so much better because I'm able to speak to them here on a mutual basis."

The cross-sector selection of chefs was also a plus, he added: "Each chef that you come across has a different requirement, whether it be volume, nutrition, taste or profile."

The lunch was sponsored by Seafood from Norway, Zenith Hygiene, Koppert Cress, ChefWorks UK and Ireland, and Les Vergers Boiron.