Out and About by Johanna Watson
Wednesday 16th April
Graeme Kennedy is back and has been to The Green Hotel in Kinross, Dundee Apex and now at Andy Murray’s Cromlix House.
Vytis Baltrunas is getting excellent feedback from Formartines and Learney Arms. He has just finished at the White Horse in Balmedie and is now heading up to the Fife Arms in Braemar on the 21st and is booked for Loch Insh Watersports in May. Plus getting to spend some quality time with his young family.
Alan MacPherson still going strong in Rose Markie at Marine House Care Home since September 2013.
Paddy Farren is doing a good stint at 3 AA Rosette hotel The Lovat and has recovered from his tonsillitis.
Max Hogg back from his winter at the Shooting Lodge he went straight up to Dowans Hotel in Aberlour and starting at the Summer Isles in Achiltibuie.
Rene La Barre back from his travels went over to Auchrannie for 2.5 days and is now settling back up at the Torridon for his second stint.
Tim Morris after being at Port Appin he has been out at Knockendarroch House Hotel, Loch Bank Care Home, Victoria Hotel Rothesay, Crianlarich Hotel and is now on Skye at the Ardvasar Hotel working with Graham Smith.
Mario Pohlmann back from a looong stint on Shetland has been on holiday back home in Germany and is now working away at The Links Hotel Montrose.
Sean Angus is getting excellent feedback from Penny at Knockomie House Hotel he is currently doing a short stint at Summer Isles then heading back over the water to Caladh Inn in Stornoway.
New relief chef Jonny Lewis is getting stuck in first job at The Highlander Inn a couple of days at Loch Bank Care Home and now at Loch Lomond Arms Hotel then off on a wee holiday.
A great start to the season.
Happy Easter
We are Open until 1pm Easter Friday, Shut Easter Saturday and back open Easter Monday at 10am, back to normal on Tuesday.
The rain came this morning and the waves hit the shore all sluggish and grey.
up by the Dutch bakers where I bought a loaf of "barra Gallega" for 95 cents, the tramp sits with his box.
He has a look of resignation and a quite dignity, he does not beg, just looks a little sullen and bemused.
Am I to give him a packet of fags, a loaf of bread, or is that to patronise?
or should I ask who will give me bread, who will patronise me?
walking round these now familiar roads, these now tired looking tapas bars, Armange at Los Buccanoros does not remember me, looks jaded and does not seem to care.
Do I see myself in the tramp in Afmange at Los Buccanoros?
Questions and spring birds sing in the wet Saturday in south Spain, their voices are sweet and simple.
Hello from sunny and snowy Moffat.
My name is Colin and I'm helping Michael and his team to develop Chefs In Scotland for the future.
One area we're looking at is providing a Front of House/Hotel Manager recruitment service.
It would seem to be a natural development while continuing with our existing chef recruitment services.
We'd welcome your thoughts and experiences on this area. For example, do you find it difficult to recruit and retain good quality managers?
We already have a section on the website dedicated to this area - so if you are interested in using Chefs In Scotland for hospitality management recruitment, please let us know.
Please email me at colin@chefsinscotland.co.uk with your views on Chefs In Scotland developing our management recruitment services.
Many thanks
Colin.
Tuesday 18th March 2014
There was some rain this morning on an otherwise mild morning.
Bentley the Basset and I headed out for our early morning walk at twenty minutes past eight, he having been fed and I having had a wash. I realised that this is the first time that it had been raining and Bentley doesn’t like the rain and we are back in soon, he to sit in his new, but slightly small bed up here in the office, whilst we work about him.
Johanna is on the phone to a potential new relief chef from Carlisle, he had sent in his CV overnight.
Mark, Operations Manager and now well into week ten, is on phone 1 and working away through in the next office replying to emails, chasing up interviews, adding jobs to trade website, taking jobs off our website and so on. 9.15am and as of yet, the phone has not rung, I am sure that it will do shortly.
It has been a slightly strange season so far, getting plenty of permanent placements made and the most ever adverts in a single week last week; 26 following on from 25 the week before. These are seriously good statistics and relief is ticking away well also, twelve new jobs out last week.
Out and About
Ally Bell, a younger lad from the Borders has been on his second relief job up at the Links Hotel in Montrose after doing a good stint up on Arran at Auchrannie last December.
Good to have a healthy Eric Day back on the go who is currently working up at Glencoe Hotel in the Scottish Highlands.
Gordon Smillie did a couple of relief jobs including Springkell down here just down the A74 at Ecclefechan and has now taken on the permanent head chef job at Clova and we wish him all the best and thank him.
Ian Barron, from Kirkcudbright, is a new kid on the block. Over twenty years in the last job and first time out has had his time extended several times over on Arran. Great start and welcome on board Ian. Chefs In Kirkcubright.
Mark Irons is up at Eden Court in Inverness, and hopefully settling in well. Mark took the time to come down and meet us in February.
We meet at 1200 or 4pm ideally Tuesday to Thursday at our offices in Moffat, although we can sometimes do a Monday and Friday also and very occasionally a Saturday lunch time.
Vytis Baltrunas is excelling over at Fortmartines almost a month in.
Andrew Nunn is also excelling up in Perthshire at East Haugh and had his stay extended.
Right, I could go on but new jobs are coming in to hunt for, so will get stuck into that and get this posted.
Many thanks for continued support and patience
Michael in Moffat
Applications are now open for Professional MasterChef 2014
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Entry Requirements include:
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