17th May 2017
The Cinnamon Collection’s executive chef and founder Vivek Singh has been confirmed for a headline Keynote Q&A at Commercial Kitchen 2017. Singh’s ‘in conversation’ session, with fellow chef and restaurant consultant Jay Morjaria, is set to reveal exclusive insights into the inner workings of the kitchens and kit at the heart of his top London restaurants; including The Cinnamon Club ,Cinnamon Kitchen, Cinnamon Soho and Cinnamon Bazaar.
The author of five cookbooks (his sixth – Indian Festival Feasts, is set to be published in June), a regular face on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and MasterChef, and often featured in the national press, Singh is renowned as one of the most innovative Indian food chefs of his generation. Much is known about his signature culinary style, which blends authentic, modern Indian flavours with Western techniques. Much less so about the kitchen designs, equipment, training and practices that have helped steer his restaurants to success. His talk begins starting at 11am on the show’s opening day – 6th June.
Previously confirmed big names include renowned pastry chef Claire Clark MBE – the first person in the UK, and only female recipient, to be awarded the Master of Culinary Arts for outstanding craftsmanship (formerly known as the ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de la Grande Bretagne’); Chris Knights, group executive chef at Young’s Pubs and Geronimo Inns; Kumour Uddin, group executive chef at Anglian Country Inns; and Robert Quehan, formerly of The Ivy and now head chef at The Redwood Bistro at Bishopstoke Park (the UK’s first retirement village to be awarded an AA Rosette for its food).
Other new speakers, announced today, include James Douglas, co-founder and director at Red’s True Barbecue, Adele Hing, development manager (kitchen, equipment & food operations) at Nando’s UK & Ireland, and Chris Webb, catering operations manager at Punch Taverns. Douglas and Hing will be appearing in the ‘Multi-site restaurant kitchen panel’ alongside MEATliquor’s MD Scott Collins and, session chair, Peter Martin, VP of CGA Peach. While Webb, who heads up the team responsible for menu development, kitchen design and menu implementation across Punch’s estate – joins Knights and Uddin in ‘The pub kitchen panel’, which is to be chaired by Steve Dann, director at Fleet Street Communications.
Graeme Loudon, commercial director at insights firm CGA Strategy, will also be making his show debut. His session will give an overview of the current challenges facing operators across the market and how they are adjusting their offer and plans in response to the continued fallout from the Brexit vote. He will reveal the key trends to watch and their potential impact on the size and shape of the market in the months to come.
The Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) are a new association partner for Commercial Kitchen 2017. They are set to host an exclusive panel featuring five of the country’s leading foodservice consultants. Chaired by Michael Jones, editor of FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant Magazine, the session will offer some great insight into best practices and standards. FCSI panellists include Julian Edwards, chairman of FCSI (UK&I) and owner of GY5; Paul Arnold, project director at Tricon Foodservice Consultants; Roz Burgess, owner of Intelligent Catering; Duncan Hepburn, principal consultant at Hepburn Associates; and Radford Chancellor, director of Radford Chancellor.
CEDA’s Foodservice Kitchen Design Panelalso led by Clare Nicholls, editor of Catering Insight, unites the CEDA Grand Prix Award winners of Best Small, Best Medium and Best Large Projects – Clive Groom, MD of CNG Foodservice Equipment, Paul Gilhooly, head of sales at Gratte Brothers Catering Equipment, and Nick Howe, MD of Court Catering Equipment.
Commercial Kitchen will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 June at the NEC Birmingham. Show features include a free two-day seminar programme, the Innovation Challenge Awards, and CEDA Awards Gallery.