The Staff Canteen Live 2022: Networking Lunch, Interlude restaurant

jean delport and his team at Michelin-starred interlude restaurant wowed guests with their brilliant July 2022 networking lunch.

We invited chefs from around Sussex to join us and our sponsors for drinks, tasting menu and a tour of Interlude and it's surrounding gardens.

Ingredients throughout the menu, as well as the wine pairings, were provided by some of the events' sponsors.

 Chefs

Attending were James Chatfield, head chef, Murmur; Paul Smith, head chef, The Set; Jackson Heron, sous chef, Heritage; Matthew Price, head chef, Burgh Island; Tom Buckwell, head performance chef and head of nutrition, Portsmouth FC; Alex Jacquemin, head chef, The Cat Inn; Jack Green, sous chef, Parlour; Joe Murphy, junior sous chef, Heritage; Aynieszka Bernaciak, Compass Apprentice Chef of the Year, Glyndebourne opera house; George Lyon, head chef, George Club part of The Birley Clubs; Mike Shier, head chef, Kudu Grill; Duncan Ray, chef owner, The Little Fish Market; Johnny Stanford, head chef, AG Restaurant and Alun Sperring, The Chilli Pickle.

Sponsors

Supporting the event were ChefWorks; Mara Seaweed and Nyetimber. 

What the guests said

It was the first Networking Lunch Emma Lamb, from Mara Seaweed has attended. She said: "It's just been really great to meet such a range of individual chefs with individual passions. It's interesting to talk about what's going on their lives and understand what their pressures are so we can think about how we can maybe solve some of those pressures."

She added: "Some of the chefs I spoke to today have mentioned they would like to introduce me to other chefs or restaurants as they think we [Mara Seaweed] woud be perfect for them.

"I think it can forge really great relationships. Plus, they get to take our product home with them so they can play with it in their own time, they can feedback and we are on their radar."

Matt Gay from Nyetimber added: "Getting to sit down with chefs, taste the product, talk about the industry and where we are going is invaluable."

Jack Green is sous chef at Parlour by Matt Gillan, he said: "Literally from start to finish the food has been incredible - it's so eye opening to what can be foraged around the Sussex woodlands."

On the sponsors he explained it was interesting to understand how Nyetimber pair their wines, chat about seaweed with Mara as it's a product he hasn't used before and knowing Bragard is now more accessible. 

"I'm really looking forward to using some of their products in the future," he said.