News

Out and about Friday 20th December

We have 37 relief chefs out working with 13 relief jobs confirmed this week so far.

Jessica and Jade have been getting quite a few interviews confirmed this week, more than previous years.

This week has been an overall busy week 😊

We are off out tonight for our staff meal which is at the Famous Star Hotel just down the road from our office.

Jessica has family over from Spain so will be off next week, Jade and myself will pick up any senior recruitment.

Here are a few chefs we have out working:

Chris Wright is at the Old Manse of Blair in Perthshire

Tim Morris is at The Pine Trees Hotel also in Perthshire

Pat Johnstone is back helping at St Mary’s Monastery

Seb Schoeder is helping at Angus and Ale in Aberdeen

Jo Fenner is at The Comrie Hotel

James Avery is over in Loch Fyne at The Stonefield Hotel

Alan Macpherson is at The Eden Court Theatre in Inverness

Ally Elder is at Dalhousie Castle

Tony Vinter is at Skeabost Hotel in Skye.

Thank you for all your hard work and continued support this year. Merry Christmas to all and all the best for the year ahead.

16th December 2019

I am now back from annual leave and it was nice to have some time off to finish the Christmas shopping and organise the house before the mayhem starts next week. We finally got the Christmas Tree up as well, albeit a week later than we usually would. Johanna, Jessica and I also went for some tapas at a local bistro on Saturday night which was nice to finish my week off. It’s nice to come back to work with a fresh mind ready to start the 2^nd last full week of 2019!

We have just introduced a work phone for the use of social media, so we are now officially using Instagram and Twitter. We will be posting job vacancies and any other updates through this network so please give us a follow!

We are having our Christmas night out this Friday at the Famous Star Hotel here in Moffat and will be joining those celebrating ‘Frantic Friday’. There has been lots of events throughout Moffat on over the last few weekends and it is nice to see Moffat so busy especially at this time of year. Michael was also in Auchencairn over the weekend at the real ale festival which looked to be a success.

Over this week we are aiming to get some permanent placements as well as some relief jobs confirmed in the lead up to Christmas. The New Year is a great time to be looking for a new job and a great way to start off 2020. We are all in the office this week so if you haven’t already done so then please give us a call on 01683 222830 or send your CV through to recruitment@chefsinscotland.co.uk

Out and About Friday 13th December

The relief chefs out working is now up to 41, relief has been a little slower this week.

We do expect this to change next week as Christmas approaches

I will be arranging meetings with new relief chefs in the new year so if you would like to join CIS for the 2020 season please email your CV, references and hygiene certificate to jojo@chefsinscotland.co.uk

Lots of permanent placements this week some starting before Christmas and some mid January – We wish you all well with your new positions 😊

Here are a few relief chefs we have out working just now

Ross Hunter is back helping Gordon Smillie at The Thainstone House Hotel Blair Mackay is also starting there for a few weeks.

Michael Njororge is back at the Scores Hotel with Gian Devey

Ben Mailer is doing another Christmas Function at the Station Hotel in Perth tomorrow

Peter Norrie is working between The Kastille in Turriff and Royal Hotel in Keith

Pat Johnstone helped out at St Mary’s Monastery in Perthshire last weekend

Michael George is over in Edinburgh at The Kings Manor Hotel

Taylor Mcfarlane is back at The Pinetrees Hotel

Thanks to ALL our chefs for your hard work and support 😊

New York New York

On Monday I returned to the office after 2 full weeks off. It was the most time off I have had off in a while and it was nice to come back to work with a fresh pair of eyes feeling very refreshed. I was visiting family in New Jersey. While I was there, I was keen to see some of the sights in Manhattan. For a foodie like me a trip to New York wouldn’t be anything without visiting Carlos’ Bakery in New York and the original one in Hobboken also. The cabinets are full of cannoli’s, cookies, biscuits, huge cakes of all colours and flavours and the staff were very friendly. It was quite an experience.

On the second day I visited the Empire State Building and we went up to the 102^nd floor. The sights from here were astounding but the height is not for the faint hearted. It was interesting seeing the whole of New York from the very top, it was just dusk, and the sun had set by the time we got to the top. The best time to go I would say.

During the time going in and out of the city I found most people to be very nice and friendly which seems to be contrary to popular belief. There is a very severe homeless situation in the city and its very sad to see so many people who must sleep rough every night especially in the bitter cold.

I have a new love for bagels since returning home, while I enjoyed the sweet ones I preferred the savoury ones. Quick breakfast or lunch on the go and very filling. If you are visiting the city be prepared to walk as there is so much to see and do. I ticked nearly everything off my list including the Empire State Building, seeing a basketball game, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial. The 9/11 memorial for me was beautiful but very sad. The names of everyone who lost their lives on that day are written all around the water.

We also went to Carlos’ bakery, saw a Broadway show, ate a traditional New York pizza, shopped at Macy’s, visited the Rockefeller centre and the iconic Christmas tree, drank in Oscar Wilde’s bar, drove past Grand Central Station and ate a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

Food recommendations are:

Cheesecake factory for amazing Raspberry and lemon cheesecake, Mexicue which is just a couple of blocks from the Empire State Building and they make a great Margarita! Blue Smoke (great traditional BBQ style meats), John’s Pizza place. There are about 5 pizza ovens all over the restaurant and the atmosphere is great. Oscar Wilde’s is a great bar for cocktails and is beautifully decorated for Christmas too. Shake shack for burgers and Chick-Fil-A for the best chicken sandwiches. We ate a lot in and around New Jersey including The Huntley Taverne (unfortunately not actually owned by my family!)

All in all, a great trip and I would highly recommend the city for anyone who is looking for an action-packed holiday, not one for too much relaxing!