Heston Blumenthal teams up with event caterer Rhubarb

Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal has joined forces with catering company Rhubarb Food Design to collaborate on events.

Rhubarb managing director PB Jacobse told Caterersearch.com that Blumenthal had approached the event caterer about a possible joint venture because he was often asked to get involved with events.

He said: "We started a conversation to see if we could do much more than just a link-up. This is a collaboration agreement where he has an interest that we do as well.

"There are two opportunities. First of all, Heston enquiries can come into Rhubarb for us to handle and execute the events; and we, as in Rhubarb, can sell his services to clients and get his name out there in the events market."

Blumenthal said that the new partnership, which has already worked on its first event with more already in the pipeline, had opened up a whole new world of creative opportunity for him and his team.

"Restaurants, by nature, have limitations and I have wanted to work with a company like Rhubarb for some time. The more we talked and discussed ideas and opportunities, the more obvious the synergy became between us.

"There are some fantastic avenues to explore and an enormous amount of fun ahead of us".

Rhubarb has grown significantly over the past five years, scooping a lucrative contract to operate the hospitality services at the Royal Albert Hall from long-term incumbent Compass Group, and most recently it opened a new restaurant at Heathrow's Terminal 3.

It also operates fixed contracts at the Saatchi Gallery and the Fenwick department store on Bond Street.

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By Janie Stamford

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