The Ark can help industry deal with substance abuse
I attended one of the Ark Foundation's alcohol seminars at Hammersmith College and I witnessed the impact it had on my own trainees. It's a great way of educating student chefs as to the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and drug misuse, and encourages them to look at their own drinking and drug-taking habits. I know seminars aren't the solution to cracking this social problem, but they go a long way to being part of the answer.
The Ark is addressing a critical issue for our industry, and I think the entire sector should get behind it and support it. Lives are being destroyed by misuse of alcohol and drugs, and these guys are getting to the real root of the problem by building awareness in young people about to start their careers in what is, after all, a great industry.
I think what these guys are doing is brilliant.
Jamie Oliver
In-house catering would improve school meals
I feel it would be difficult to hold schools to account for the catering, as at most schools it is done by outside contractors.
As a governor at a school, I was the main driving force for taking the catering in-house, as we were getting a poor service from the contract caterers at a high cost (more than £40,000 for just running the contract). I also now own a company in the catering equipment business. I have been saying for some time that school catering should be run in-house. It would give them more money to spend on the meals, thus offering a better and more healthy choice.
I have no problem with contract caterers, as such - they do a good job - but they are in business to make a profit, and that is where the problem lies. Their profit has to come from somewhere, and that is normally the limited funds available for feeding the children. The school, on the other hand, could run the catering on a break-even basis. In-house catering would leave more money available to offer kids a better diet.
Mark Goldberger, Managing director, AmarK Catering Equipment
Don't hide the downside when selling hospitality
I strongly believe that many of the recruitment problems that the hospitality business faces stem from an unwillingness to accept the downsides to a career that many companies try to gloss over.
The hours are long and unsocial. They can disrupt relationships and personal life. Split shifts mean a long working day with no paid breaks. Shifts are often inconsistent from week to week, which can prevent planning for a personal life for many employees.
Dealing directly with the public can be stressful at times. Customer management and the resulting intimidation can add to stress levels in the workplace. Coupled with this is the threat of fines for serving drunk customers or those that are underage.
The pay rate is rarely above the national minimum wage. This is compounded by fixed weekly wages, which rarely work out in favour of the employee. Certain companies ask employees to be accountable for the till taking, which can add a further financial disincentive.
There are many advantages to working in the hospitality industry: meeting new friends in the workplace, live-in accommodation, tips or bonuses, and a job that offers flexible hours to fit around other jobs.
By openly admitting and trying to combat the recruitment problems that this industry faces, maybe more people will choose a career in hospitality and not just see it as the last option for employment.
Peter King, Devon
Chefs are missing out on the corporate perks
I believe that any contribution that star chefs working with contract caterers adds to the skill base in the UK is excellent. My concern is that lots of areas of the industry do not invest enough in training and supporting chefs to develop their skills, then complain that there is a lack of skilled chefs. The NVQ system has been a disaster for the industry and eroded skills to the point that I question why it is still in place. Indeed, the acronym could stand for Not Very Qualified.
The other area that needs to be tackled is the whole package the industry offers to chefs. Chefs are tasked with producing excellent food, but this is only one of their roles. Examples of others are: managing the budget; keeping records for due diligence; and motivating, training and managing the staff.
In our area of operation we meet committed and talented chefs who work for contractors and in healthcare, who do not have any office space whatsoever, have to use a telephone in someone else's office, and have abysmal changing facilities.
The star chefs, contractors and healthcare providers, meanwhile, have luxurious offices with premium coffee served by butlers, while some of their chefs are located in a cupboard under the stairs. The industry then wonders why we cannot attract and retain chefs - are they serious? Or have they lost touch?
Francois Nouaillat, Director, CCDirect, London
It's important to clean the grease extract system
It was disappointing to see such a small reference made to that vital area, the grease extract system, in your article on kitchen cleaning ("Where there's muck", Caterer, 6 November, page 44). Many businesses still do not understand the benefits of properly maintaining this vital piece of kitchen equipment. All too frequently they see it only as a cost, settling for the cheapest option, which often means only the small section visible behind the filters is cleaned. To be effective, the system needs to be cleaned to HVAC TR/17 standards from behind the filters to exhaust.
Eric Ellmes
Hidden danger at low temperatures
I am a great admirer of Heston Blumenthal's work and his thoughts on culinary expression and it was interesting to read about John Campbell - one of his disciples - in Caterer (6 November, page 30). The article on John's use of low-temperature cooking for meat was well illustrated and explained, and this method of cooking does have certain advantages. However, having myself undertaken a good deal of research on sous-vide cooking, where low-temperature cooking is the norm, I am aware that there are some aspects that cause concern in relation to microbiological safety.
The summary of the pros and cons of low-temperature cooking should perhaps also include one more bullet point "against", ie, awareness of the time-temperature equation to ensure microbiological safety.
In the same food-safety vein, showing the cooked food item on a red chopping board where previous pictures showed raw food preparation was not "PC" in terms of cross-contamination risks. Better safe than sorry.
Joachim Schafheitle, Senior Lecturer, School of Services Management, Bournemouth University