The first in-person TUCO Summer Conference since 2019 kicks off with a focus on the theme ‘Breaking the Mould’. Organisers say the event will ‘encourage members to think outside the box’ when it comes to addressing the challenges of in-house university catering.
“With a packed programme of keynotes and events, all alongside a huge exhibition, it promises an amazing three days crammed with debate, discussion and invaluable networking,” organisers say. The conference host this year is Helen Fospero, a well-respected TV journalist, who is a regular on BBC1’s The One Show and reports for Watchdog.
Amar Latif will be delivering a keynote address ‘Seeing without Barriers’. He’s travelled the world - skydived, skied, climbed, even done a spot of acting. A remarkable enough set of achievements, made more impressive because Amar has been blind since he was 18-years-old. As both adventurer and entrepreneur, Amar’s presentation will consider how we view risk and trust – often overstating risk and giving into fear, and undervaluing trust.
Other speakers confirmed for the event include Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, who have been invited back to address a TUCO audience after delivering an emotional talk at the Winter Conference about the tragedy of the death of their teenage daughter Natasha and the campaign they then waged to change allergen labelling regulations.
They are returning to talk more about the work of the Natasha Allergen Research Foundation, set up in honour of their daughter, the introduction of Natasha’s Law and the importance of taking food allergies seriously.
Also appearing will be Matt Pritchard, known as The Dirty Vegan. Formerly known as the front man of MTV’s Dirty Sanchez, Matt has left his pranking days behind for his love of vegan food, health and fitness.
His first cooking series, Dirty Vegan, premiered on BBC 1 Wales to wide acclaim, coinciding with his vegan cookbook of the same name, which was described by Waitrose magazine as having universal appeal. The series featured Matt cooking a variety of exciting dishes to win over the Welsh public.