A very glamourous Chefs Forum event took place on Monday 17th July. Row & Sons headed to Harvey Nichols restaurant at the Mailbox in Birmingham where the Midlands culinary talent gathered to meet suppliers, their peers and up and coming student chefs from the HIT Training Academy.
The Chefs Forum, headed up by Catherine Farinha and Alexandra Duncan was born out of the desire to make a positive change in the hospitality industry.
The glitz of Harvey Nichols restaurant provided the perfect back drop for the culinary delights which were whipped up by some of the best chefs in Birmingham.
Canapes were served up to the guests on their arrival, all fabulously displayed on the Roweca black paddle boards, bespoke Roweca boards or hygienic Pro-duet. The Pro-duet comprises of a wooden base with a removable black insert which, is dishwasher and knife friendly.
Mark Walsh, the Head Chef at Harvey Nichols restaurant assisted by Hit Learners, demonstrated a mouth-watering dish of Confit Chicken, sugar beet and black garlic puree. This wasn’t the only demonstration of the day, as Harvey Nichols Bar Manager and mixologist, demonstrated three of Harvey Nichols signature cocktails.
Jack Cook from Walter Rose Butchers, provided a fascinating show of his butchery talent that was well received amongst all of the guests. Walter Rose won Butchers Retailer of the Year 2016 and are based in Devizes. His demonstration proved just how interlinked all sectors of the industry are and their reliance on each other to bring excellence in culinary art to customers.
Jack set a competition for the students to show off their butchery talents asking students to go head to head to butcher a chicken in the fastest time. The two students made it look like child’s play, but it was Angelina Adamo, a recent graduate from University College, Birmingham, and a member of the team who won Nestle’s Toq D’or Award in 2016 that came out on top.
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, Catherine Farinha, said: “This has been a fantastic day and it is great to show young people, that although a luxury brand with an exclusive image, Harvey Nichols is a great company to work for, employing great people from all backgrounds and a fantastic prospect for young people wanting to make it in the industry. Thank you to all the sponsors who supported the event, especially acclaimed chef Andrej Prokes (ex Fat Duck, Ritz & Gordon Ramsay) for an inspiring demo of confit duck with seared breast, beetroot two ways and garlic puree Chef from Nestle Professional ‘All Natural’ stocks in the duck sauce”.