Tuesday 6th May
I am saddened to have taken the call this morning from Tam Dennett’s daughter Marion. Tam sadly passed away on Saturday. He had been having chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Pleasingly, Tam had been out watching Brora Rangers play football and had been having a couple of pints. He was in no pain.
A good man was Tam and my thoughts and condolences are with his family, children and grand-children.
Your Grade 1 is for ever intact now Tam and I guess you left my name with your daughter as you liked to read a couple of musings on the Chefs In Scotland website, and latterly on Facebook. You told me as such and you knew one would be up about you.
Tam had started out back in the late 60’s working in Drymen at the Buchanan Arms before a spell in Southport for three years. He worked in Glasgow at the Central and The Pond Hotel before making his way up to Shetland where he had stints at Brae Hotel and The Lerwick Hotel, both of which we have dealt with in the last week.
Sometimes, the cast changes a little Tam.
I first spoke to Tam in about 2000 and over the years, Tam became a fixture on the circuit in between long placements like The Portland Arms in 2006 to 2009, placed just before The Swallow Group went into administration on September the 14th 2006. I remember the date well Tam, we were never paid for your placement, but you did many other jobs successfully and you were one of the good names to watch out for on relief, always secure the placement would be completed and usually for longer than the original stint.
Burghfield, up north of Inverness, Hootenanny’s in Inverness, The Caberfeidh in Stornoway in the Western Isles, Polachar. After 3 jobs the comment says
“100% reliable so far”
And that was the way it continued. Your last job last year was at The Cairngorm Hotel in Aviemore where you were booked for a couple of weeks and stayed working for many months.
The good chefs are always asked to stay on longer. You were a good chef Tam, a good man, a good father, grandfather and husband. Lastly, you were a very good friend to this business over the years and I hope that we managed to help you back a bit in return.
I only met Tam the once, up in Portree in about 2003. You were up for an interview at my old stomping ground, Harbourview, with Kenny Mackinnon the owner at the time. We met up next door in the new Merchant bar in the Bosville Hotel just next to the Harbourview, overlooking the Square. We stood at the bar and had a few pints and a blether, about hotels, about chefs, just chewed the fat.
We were lucky to have you as one of us, a good, reliable, hard working & honest man. All the best Tam on your onward journey.
Michael
CIS Recruitment Policy 6th May 2014
Head chef advert or fee of interest.
£100 or £100 up front plus VAT and further £500 once you employ a chef that we suggest.
Sous Chef advert or fee of interest.
£75 for advert or £75 fee of interest and further £325 if you employ a chef that we suggest or both.
Relief chefs.
Changes by the day.
Chef de partie, commis and pastry jobs.
Advert only and if we manage to look we can do but will not go on our list as too many jobs and just not enough chefs.
NB please note that there are chefs out there and coming through. But more jobs than chefs at all junior levels.
Well paying head chef jobs on our site are getting applicants. Should you want us to look for head and sous, we are happy to give direction based on our market experience over the last 16 years.
We would advise paying for a five days 45 to 48 hour week with overtime for extra days worked and for hours worked over 45. For CDP jobs and below, we would advise hourly rate. Commis £6.50 to £7.00 and chef de partie £7 to £10 per hour.
Four Months In The Office
So, here I am at my desk in Moffat trying to fill sous chef de partie and commis positions four months in. Although frustrating at time it can also be very rewarding. When I first started I found it hard to believe I would ever place anyone, but just this week we have been paid for one of my first placements, the Chariskos brothers Dimitrios and Harry who went up to the Pier Head in Port Appin. The first few weeks after placing someone are always a bit anxious but these guys were really keen to go up there and after 2 months so far so good.
Another early placement was Lee Skelton up at Tigh An Eilean. Lee had been working in Edinburgh and has proved a great success in Shieldaig.
Always satisfying to match a chef with a job that they really want, such was the case with Chris Hutchinson now working under Ross Sutherland at the Cross in Kingussie.
Then there are the old reliables that CIS have placed before who come looking for a new challenge. Always good when we know their track record and can go to employers with confidence and say “this chef will do a job for you.” Viorel Paun who has recently gone to the Courtyard in Kenmore was one, and probably my quickest and easiest placement yet.
I worked as a relief chef and seasonal head chef for some years before swapping that life for the alien world of the office and I really enjoy dealing with hotels where I’ve worked and even more catching up with relief chefs that I have worked with.
Looking after junior recruitment it is very clear that there are more jobs out there than suitable, willing chefs, particularly for the rural areas. We are reaching out to Europe here and looking to chefs who have come to Scotland and enjoyed it to tell their colleagues back home.
At the same time we are encouraging employers to offer better pay and hours in order to make it worthwhile for more chefs in the UK to fill their vacancies. Must be cheaper than relief for them to offer a good salary and conditions in the first place…
Enough musing for now, I’ve got positions to fill….
Mark
Well relief has been very busy having to turn a few jobs away.
Introducing new rates and mileage has went smoothly so far no complaints.
Patrick O’Donnell after running his own restaurant in Argyll wanted some more relief work so he got to go to Shetland to work in the Brae Hotel working until their new head chef started yesterday Donald Craig placed by Michael. He is now booked to go and work as head chef at the newly opened Skipper Bar & bistro in Inveraray where Michael Stanilands is working.
Ally Elder is on some leave from off shore and has successfully completed 2 jobs with 1 to start on Tuesday at The Kenmore Hotel in Perthshire where he will be also working with Eric Day.
Craig Whyte is filling in a week at The Queens Hotel in Oban with Gary Goldie and Will Hay.
We met Davy Brown this week and is booked and eager to go to The Golf Hotel in Silloth on Wednesday the 7th of May.
Paul Burns has a couple of days work at Lochbank Care Home and then 8 days to cover Eddie McDermott’s holiday up in Portsoy at The Station Hotel.
Steve Moffat after another stint at The Caledonian in Oban Steve went to Inch Hotel for 2 days, down to Dryfesdale Hotel in Lockerbie and is booked to go to The Ardvasar Hotel on the Isle of Skye.
Mikko Koskinen excellent work at The Castle Hotel in Huntly, now over at The Victoria Hotel in Rothesay and is already booked out for June at Nevis Range (I hope you don’t mind heights Mikko)
Thanks again for all your support
If you can all email me with a copy of your basic or intermediate Hygiene Certificates as we will be in time emailing these over with the hotel confirmation
Have a great weekend :)
Thursday the 24th of April
I hope everyone had a great Easter Weekend
Henry Samms starting the year in Montrose at the Links Hotel then going to Rainbow Casino in Aberdeen who were very impressed with Henry, onto Loch Bank Care Home and is now in the newly opened Chester Hotel.
Edvinas Stankaitis is back and straight out to the Green Hotel in Kinross and is now up at The Harris Hotel.
Lillian Clarkson after having some surgery she is back fighting fit and currently at the Grey Gull Inn.
David Ironside is just finishing a busy stint at Grannie’s Heilan Hame Park Dean Holidays in Dornoch and is then going back to the Cumbria Park Hotel a little closer to home in Carlisle for 2 weeks.
Kai Stutzkeitz has done another wee stint up on Shetland at the Lerwick Hotel and is currently working over in Rutherglen at the Burnside Hotel.
Eric Day has been off for 1 year due to a back operation is back in full swing firstly going back to Dryburgh Abbey Hotel over in the Borders then to Glencoe hotel, Inch Hotel in Fort Augustus were very pleased with his 4 day stint. Eric is now at Loch Tummel Inn as Sole Chef starting a 4 week stretch.
Alex Henry came to see us again back in February he went to do a few days at Rowallan Castle Golf Club in Ayrshire then celebrated a BIG birthday in March after that he has worked a few stints at Glensander Quarry and is booked again next week in between he worked at The Park Hotel in Montrose.
Well done guys and girls
Great to have you back Lillian
Rates as of the 1st of May for our well known and reliable chefs – hourly rate up by £1 per hour and mileage will be 30p per mile
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