Giorgio Locatelli is relishing being in charge of a kitchen full of food critics. "I'll soon put them in their place," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, as he runs through the details of the forthcoming dinner to be held at his London restaurant, Locanda Locatelli.
The event in question is the third Too Many Critics dinner, being held in aid of Restaurants Against Hunger, the fund-raising week run by Action Against Hunger (AAH), the charity that strives to save the lives of severely malnourished children and help people in Third World countries to feed themselves and their families.
With two successful Too Many Critics dinners previously held in London - at the Circus Restaurant and Bar in 2001, and last year at the Cinnamon Club - the pressure is on for Locatelli to ensure that his brigade on the night will come up trumps and encourage customers (fellow chefs, restaurateurs and industry stalwarts) to dig deeply into their pockets for the charity.
As the name of the dinner suggests, Locatelli's brigade will be made up of an eminent selection of food writers and food critics. They include Fay Maschler (London's Evening Standard), Terry Durack (Independent on Sunday), Jill Dupleix (Times), Nick Lander (Financial Times), Tracey MacLeod (Independent) and Bill Knott (BA High Life). Front-of-house, wine writer Jancis Robinson will be head sommelier for the night. "It is nice to have the tables turned on the critics and see how their understanding of food actually works on a practical level in the kitchen," Locatelli says. He adds: "It is very important that this industry is involved in a charity like Action Against Hunger. We are very fortunate that, as chefs and restaurateurs, our only concern, really, is whether we get the quality of food that we want. In some places, people are not getting any food at all."
Locatelli explains that he became involved in the charity through restaurant reviewer Bill Knott, who originally conceived the idea of the Too Many Critics dinner. It didn't take him long to persuade me to get involved. He has seen at first hand what hunger really is."
Knott has travelled to Macedonia, Tajikistan and Malawi over the past few years to see just how valuable the work of AAH can be. He says: "AAH's specialist team are young, dynamic and completely dedicated to the work they do. Their ideals and systems are often adopted by other agencies, and they are highly respected throughout the aid community."
He adds: "Feeling guilty about the problems of the developing world is pointless. The idea underlying Too Many Critics, and the other AAH schemes involving UK restaurants, is to raise both money and awareness among a community that has a particular reason to be interested in nutrition.
"Whatever problems and issues the catering industry has, everybody who works in it, from lowly kitchen porters to Michelin-starred chefs, has access to a decent meal and clean water - privileges denied to billions around the world."
For the past seven years, British restaurants have supported AAH, and have raised £100,000 through special events, menus, promotions and raffles. "Giving professionals in our industry the chance to help is something they really value - especially if someone else is cooking," Knott says.
The menu for the five-course Too Many Critics dinner has been devised by Locatelli in conjunction with all the critics (see below).
"Most of the critics are probably used to cooking for six or eight people, but not for the 100 or so that we will be expecting on the night," Locatelli says. "So I will be here, with two of my chefs, to help out with any technicalities."
Too Many Critics dinner
12 October 2003
- Antipasti
- Skate salad with lemon bruschetta
- Risotto with white truffle
- Venison with wild mushrooms and polenta
- Tiramisù
Sponsors for the evening include Liberty Wines and Enotria Winecellars, which are supplying the wine, and Martell Cordon Bleu cognac. Tickets have already sold out.
- Donations to this year's Restaurants Against Hunger event can be sent to: Action Against Hunger, Freepost LON15776, London SE1 3YY. Visit: www.restaurantsagainsthunger.org.