What's in store at ScotHot - the 16th Scottish Hotel, Catering & Licensed Trade Exhibition which takes place at the SECC Glasgow from 17 to 20 March?
This year's ScotHot will see the launch of the first ever Junior World Culinary Grand Prix. This new competition will bring teams of international chefs, all under 23 years of age, to Glasgow for this event sponsored by Caterplan.
John Todd, chief executive, Scottish Industrial & Trade Exhibitions (SITE), organisers of ScotHot, says: "We're very excited by this new competition. There's isn't another one like it and we felt there was a gap in the market-place. So we discussed with the Federation of Chefs Scotland the idea of running a competition aimed at younger chefs. We also wanted to use this event to further bolster the success enjoyed by the Scottish Junior team, which picked up a gold medal at the Culinary World Cup and EXPOGAST at Luxembourg last November."
The Caterplan World Culinary Grand Prix is held every two years at ScotHot so this new competition will complement it. "We liked the idea of continuity," says Todd, "of holding a competition every year. We expect entries to come from across the board - from hotels, restaurants to contract catering. Visitors to ScotHot will be able to buy tickets to attend the lunch, so in a way they will be part of the competition."
Over 700 competitors will take part in Salon Culinaire, another major event. Presented by the Federation of Chefs Scotland, the event will again feature displays, demonstrations and competitions. There will be 55 classes covering a wide range of topics from napkin folding, original fish dish, meat platters to decorated celebration cakes. For the first time, there will be the Prison Services Chef Challenge and the TUCO Scotland and Northern Ireland Chef Challenge.
Tony Jackson, Salon Culinaire Director, says: "Over the years, ScotHot has grown into a prestigious world-renowned theatre, where chefs present their skills to a knowledgeable audience of their peers."
The practical demonstration theatre, sponsored by Brakes, will play host to many competitions for juniors, as well as senior chefs. Visitors have the opportunity to watch practical demonstrations in the 300 seat theatre.
There will also be a cold display of ice and fat carvings, as well as bread and patisserie.
The Awards for ScotHot 2003 will be made at a special Awards Dinner in May 2003. Full details of tickets will be available on the web site and at the Championship Registration Desk at ScotHot.
ScotHot will be the launch-pad for new products, as well as Wine Scotland, Scotland's only trade show for wine & spirits. It will take place on 17 and 18 March, running alongside ScotHot.
ScotHot gives visitors the opportunity to view a wide range of products all under roof. As Todd points out, "Over 50 per cent of visitors delay purchasing decisions until they see the products first-hand at the exhibition."
The exhibition is expecting to attract 16,000 visitors this year.
SITE
What's On Show?
Over 440 companies will be exhibiting at this year's ScotHot. We will have more information for you next month.
Call Systems Technology, 259, Stand 4345, is celebrating the opening of its Scottish office with the launch of several new products. Its product ServiceCall is designed to speed up service. A unit installed on the table enables customers to discreetly summon staff, while alerting staff as to where the customer is located. Another product is Genesis which can escalate calls, log them and give response times. It can automate an establishment's facilities management such as monitoring door and fire alarms, instantly alerting relevant staff. It is compatible with Windows software.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a cup of coffee on the First Choice Coffee, 260, stand 4323. What's more, anyone visiting the stand can take part in a prize draw to win two weeks' holiday for two in Florida! The coffee served on the stand will be made on the company's Black & White automatic and semi-automatic espresso machines.
The company offers a complete coffee service including machines, Grand Cafe Italian-style slow-roasted coffees including organic and Fairtrade, professional Barista-style training and after sales service.
Chefs on the Major International, 261, stand (4837) will be cooking various dishes using Mari-Base marinades, which visitors will be able to sample.
The five Mari-Base varieties on show will be Steakhouse, featuring crushed black pepper; Barbecue, old oak and hickory smoke; Fajita, a blend of peppers and Mexican spices; Bombay, a blend of Indian herbs and spices with coconut and Tropical, pineapple, passion fruit and ginger. Each 1.25 litre pot of Mari-Base contains enough for over 80 servings and is supplied with resealable Mari-Bags for easy marinating.