The Skills for Chefs Conference programme will have something for all chefs with a diverse range of styles and tastes from around the world.
The conference will open on the evening of Wednesday 28 June at the University of Sheffield with "An Audience with Marco Pierre White" , a fascinating insight into his 3 Michelin star career is promised and with 180 chefs present this will be a great occasion.
The business programme will continue on Thursday 29 June at Sheffield College and 2 Michelin Starred Henrique Sá Pessoa from Lisbon. Henrique will present some classical dishes from Portugal at the conference.. Henrique is also about to launch an Iberian restaurant and bar called Joia at the new art'otel London Battersea Power Station , which will become a great culinary destination.
Also presenting in the culinary theatre will be Sally Abé who is returning to Sheffield having completed a degree at Sheffield Hallam University. Sally spent five years honing her skills and technique under the expert guidance of two-Michelin-starred chef, Brett Graham at the Ledbury. In February 2017, Brett invited Sally to take over as Head Chef at The Harwood Arms – which remains to this day London’s only Michelin-starred pub. Sally led the team at The Harwood Arms for over four years, where she not only retained the pub’s Michelin star, but also placed the pub as the number one gastropub in the UK in Estrella Damm’s Top 50 Gastropubs. Sally’s restaurant, The Pem, named after suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, opened in Conrad London St. James in July 2021.
Masterclass sessions at the conference are a feature of the business programme and Luke French from Jöro Restaurant will capture the imagination of
delegates with his Nordic and Asian influenced cuisine. Jöro is now firmly fixed as one of Yorkshire’s must-visit restaurants, continuing to offer adventurous small plates which are a pure distillation of Luke’s distinctive style. Other projects have surfaced more recently, including the House of Jöro (a boutique Sheffield hotel containing four bedrooms and a ten-seater chef table), Konjo (an east Asian-inspired fast food offer in Sheffield and Liverpool) and Nama, a sushi counter in Liverpool serving responsibly sourced sashimi.
Also presenting a series of masterclasses is Andrew Gravett , Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham Hotel. Andrew is an incredibly talented pastry chef and he is in charge of one of the most famous afternoon teas in London. Andrew ensures that the vegan, gluten-free and other free-from offerings are the best they can be, ensuring every visitor to The Langham gets to taste his creations.
Martin Eccles from the AHDB ( Agricultural Horticulture Development Board ) is a world renowned butcher who will be showcasing special cuts for chefs that will generate the best flavour and ideal for creative cookery techniques.
A great conference is in store that will conclude with a Gala Dinner on Thursday 29 June that will crown the winners of UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year 2023.
For all the information and further details email : information@universityhospitality.cok.uk or visit www.skillsforchefs.org.uk