I saw so many colleagues and friends as I made my way around the various parts of the vast HRC exhibition. It was very humbling, too, to see so many public sector chefs competing in the many competitions as well as the mind-blowing talent that was displayed at the Salon Culinaire.
I am always taken aback by the skills our public sector chefs possess. It’s not everyday you see a butter or fat sculpture of an eagle or a grizzly bear on a hospital ward, but if you asked for one, I can guarantee they will be able to deliver! It’s way too easy for people to put labels on us in the public sector, so it is really key that we celebrate the skills and knowledge that our amazing colleagues possess to help champion what a great and diverse arena we operate in.
Careers in public sector catering deliver so many opportunities. If I take myself as one example, I started working as a relief chef covering maternity leave in a halls of residence kitchen 34 years ago. Within weeks I found I was helping to cook for the Queen and the next day delivering an NHS Hospital Christmas party for over a thousand doctors and nurses (who really knew how to party).
I stayed in universities as it was so diverse. I loved the different challenges and audiences for whom we cooked and catered. I have managed to follow a great career pathway, seeking opportunities for continuous development and study while working, which allowed me to seize opportunities as new roles became available.
I am now the director of a large department which oversees catering, accommodation, and sport (I know you would never have guessed I would be a sporty spice). My point is, I have grown and developed, I have over 600 people in my team and I have been around the world with my job.
Public sector catering really has been a blast for me and I have learned so much. It’s time for all of us who are lucky enough to work in the sector to celebrate loud and proud the benefits of careers our industry offers and to do all we can to boost recruitment and tell our stories of success to the world.
Next month I will chair a working group to start pushing recruitment and retention right up the public sector agenda. Out of this we will deliver some actions and outputs that will help us to highlight careers to people of all ages and skill levels, to bring them in and foster their talents to ensure we have a robust workforce for the future.
The skills our colleagues possess are, of course, not just to enable teams to win prestigious awards. More importantly they are translated into the workplace where, each and every day, they deliver beautiful fresh, healthy and sustainable food to keep our nation going.
I watched a few of the Salon prize presentations at the HRC to some of the hospital and armed forces chefs, and I have to confess to a lump in my throat and even something in my eye when I saw the gleaming, smiling faces of the winners and the runners up. The pride that these chefs showed will hopefully keep them going in the face of adversity as they carry on providing great meals to patients, staff and our troops across the world.
This week also saw inflation rise again and food prices are now at record highs. We, as caterers, have to once again re-engineer menus, seek efficiencies and utilise all those competition winning skills to ensure our customers get what they both need and deserve.
These vital competitions are not limited to the HRC. As I write, ASSIST FM has a day of finalists competing in Scotland. And I have just seen tweets from both the NACC and LACA promoting to their members the vital competitions to find the School Chef of the Year and the Care Chef of the Year. I have been privileged to assist with the judging from time to time, and I can tell you the competitors mean business.
With these thoughts in mind, I urge you all to encourage yourselves and your colleagues to enter these skill showcases. You provide amazing food across the nations, so let’s celebrate it and show the world that our neck of the hospitality woods is just as talented as some of the top hotels and restaurants - especially as we have to work within such strict price and standards constraints. So, don’t be shy, come out and shine and lets put #publicfood in pole position.
