News

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!

Out and About Friday 6th December

We currently have 35 relief chefs out working, 9 jobs confirmed for the week so far.

We have had a few festive bookings, there are still chefs available for over the festive period.

Double time is payable on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Jessica is back in the office from Monday, Jade will be on annual leave for 1 week.

I will post our Christmas opening hours

Here are a few chefs we have out working at the moment

Ally Elder is back at Dalhousie Castle he was first there in 2018

Dave Mcconnachie is at Angus and Ale in Aberdeen

Norbert Waniek and Jason Paxton are at The Castle Hotel in Huntly

Glyn Musker is at Glenapp Castle

Pawel Halicki is at Cabarfeidh Hotel in Stornoway

Sarah Pozzi is at The Craig Manor Hotel in Windermere

Ian McColm is at Ardlui Hotel

Thanks to all our relief chefs, we appreciate all your hard work and support 😊

Edinburgh restaurateur hits out at diners that are ‘killing the catering industry’ with 'faux' dietary requirements

There is a difference between not liking a specific food/ingredient and being allergic to it. It can be hard for chefs these days when there are a lot of people that claim to be allergic to ingredients so they don't need to eat them. I always think it is a good idea for those with food allergies or those who are vegan to try and plan ahead when eating out although its not always as easy at that! This means they know exactly what is on the menu and they are able to plan what they eat. More and more restaurants will have vegan/ allergy free options on their menus and its almost always usually highlighted on the menu what they can and cant eat but it can be hard for chefs that have picky eaters in and sometimes have to simply give them a plain salad as this is all they will or can eat. It can be especially hard this time of year with all the social gatherings as the restaurant your friends and family want to eat at may not cater for such needs meaning you could potentially miss out.

After the last year with so many people dying due to real allergies it is making those who work with food that extra careful. Thankfully I have no allergies to food and don't need to carry medication but it makes we wonder how much I could fully trust those in the kitchen to carefully prepare my food. After all it is your life at stake!

Does anyone on here have any food allergies that they need to plan social events ahead of or simple things such as preparing your family meals?

What makes a job attractive?

What makes a job attractive?

Here are some things that might help to attract applicants:

• Can you pay an hourly rate of pay?
• Can you pay weekly even if the payslip is monthly?
• What is the accommodation and is there any charge? Is there tv and wi-fi available?
• What makes the job attractive/what is there to do during time off?
• What are the shifts and how many hours are they expected to work per week, any evenings off?
• Are there tips given to the chef?
• Are meals provided on duty?
• is there a staff uniform provided or is the chef expected to provide their own?
• Is there a bonus scheme in place?
• Discounts at other hotels?
• Is any time off allowed during busy periods like festive period and summer season?
• Can you pay overtime?

Bonus suggestions for head chefs

• wages ratio
• compliancy on health and safety
• gross profit margin

Opening Stock plus purchases - closing stock = cost of goods sold

to work out Gross Profit %

(Sales - Cost of goods Sold) divided by Sales = then multiply by 100 to get the Gross Profit %

Eg:

(100 - 30) = 70 divided by 100 = .7 x 100 = 70%