Technical Steering Group Update

At the last Technical Steering Group held on 6th November, Peter Baulch stepped down as Chairman after serving for two years. 

Although he was unable to attend the meeting, he sent a letter to the Technical Committee, stating that “it has been an honour and privilege to have served as Chair.” He thanked Peter Kay, Technical Support Advisor, for his assistance, especially in regards to the development of recent educational programmes, such as the apprenticeship scheme.

He then welcomed Derek Maher as the new Chairman, recognising his vast knowledge of the industry and the advice he has supplied over the past few years in his role as Vice Chair.      

Peter hopes to continue being involved in the Committee in future. 

Derek then announced that Nick Archer had accepted the role of Vice Chair.

Sprint Group Install the Future of Catering

The future of catering is coming – with the new F-Gas Regulation aiming to reduce Global Warming emissions caused by F-Gases, and eco-friendly practises becoming ever more in the forefront of the industry, Sprint Group ask: what are we doing to help our planet and our customers too?

This is a big question and one that Sprint Group ask daily. Indeed, the legislation has been in effect since 2015 and aims to achieve a 79% reduction in the use of HFCs by 2030, encouraging manufacturers, service companies and operators to adopt a different approach to how they operate.

To achieve this, the next big changes will come into effect in 2020 and may impact other operators in areas such as the service and maintenance of existing refrigeration equipment and the availability of like-for-like replacements.

Sprint Group have been vigilant and, for the past 4 years, have managed to recycle 90% of all waste. Dellam Murray, Sprint Group’s Business Development Manager explains:

“With the help of many suppliers and clients, Sprint have not just ‘cleaned up our act’, we have recycled others’ waste alongside ours, helping everyone become as environmentally-friendly as they can be, with next to no hassle.”

Businesses that own or operate integral freezer cabinets, large coolers, larger multi-decks, cold rooms or remote systems that are more than a couple of years old, may have equipment operating on F-Gas (R404A), one of the high GWP refrigerant gasses which will be banned from sale in new equipment from January.

Dellam continues: “Sprint are here to help our existing clients make the change as pain free as possible, and we welcome those who are changing to chat with us, so we can talk about the provision of alternatives and advise what is best for them.”

There is an alternative already available today, Hydrocarbon refrigerants are natural, non-toxic gasses that have no ozone-depleting properties and low global warming potential.

For this reason, they have been selected as the environmentally-friendly choice of refrigerant for all of Sprint Group’s new commercial refrigeration installations, after being used for many years in domestic refrigeration.

If you’d like to chat with Sprint Group, please call the team on 01386 555922 or email sales@sprint-group.co.uk for more information about how they can design and fit an environmentally friendly kitchen or bar for you and your business

Grand Prix Award Entries Now Open

ceda is pleased to announce that entries to the 2020 Grand Prix Awards are now open.

The highly coveted Awards, for which competition between Member companies is exceptionally fierce, recognise excellence in hospitality and foodservice projects for every type of establishment.

By winning one of the Awards, members demonstrate to the rest of the industry that they operate with professionalism and excellence in all that they do. 

This year, members can enter six categories:

• Design Project Under £50k
• Design Project £50k to £200k
• Design Project £300k to £500k
• Design Project Over £500k
• Outstanding Customer Service 
• Project Management Excellence

In the ‘Design Projects’ categories, entrants will be rewarded for; good, original and sustainable designs, professional installations during which issues were overcome, and client satisfaction. If Consultant involvement in the project was significant, this will also be taken into consideration when scoring the design section of the entry.

Key factors in the judging of the ‘Outstanding Customer Service Award’ category will be the level of service provided by the company and overall client satisfaction.

In order to be considered in the ‘Project Management Excellence’ category, companies should demonstrate project understanding, effective communication and documentation practices, managing change and cost control, project execution and client satisfaction. Projects of any size and in any sector are eligible for inclusion.  

The overall winner will receive the Sir Donald Thompson Cup for the year. 

The judges will be veterans of the industry John Savage and Ron Neville. Once the projects have been shortlisted, the judges will visit the sites in person to assess the work carried out and to talk with staff. 

The deadline for applications is 31st January 2020. 

The winners of the prestigious awards will be announced at the ceda Conference and Gala Dinner, to be held on the 23rd and 24th April at the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate. 

Members can submit their entries by following this link: https://ceda.co.uk/members-area/submit-your-entry/

ceda Opens Legacy Honours Nominations

ceda is delighted to announce that nominations for the organisation’s Legacy Award, to be presented at the 2020 ceda Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, are now open. 

Intended as a development of the Industry Personality Award, the Legacy Honours by ceda were first introduced at the 2019 ceda Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, held in April. The first three recipients were Jeff Whitaker, Ian Bass and Andrew Humble. 

The honour is the highest possible accolade presented by ceda to an individual involved and associated with the commercial Foodservice and Hospitality Design, Equipment and Service Industry. It is presented to exceptional individuals who have enriched lives, served with dedication, passion and commitment and have played an active role in creating a tangible legacy that has made a significant positive difference to the industry.     

All ceda Members and Partners have been sent an application form to put forward individuals for consideration and further copies are available on the ceda website. For more information or if they have any questions, Members and Partners are advised to contact ceda Director General, Adam Mason. 

The deadline for nominations is January 31st 2020. 

An announcement will be made in the New Year regarding a Legacy Lunch in 2020, at which recipients will also be honoured.

Commercial Kitchen Show 2020: Save the Date

The Commercial Kitchen Show 2020 will take place 3-4 June 2020 at its new home, ExCel London, where it will be bigger, better and more important than ever.

Exhibitors at the 2019 show did business with buyers from:

RESTAURANTS, PUBS, FOOD-TO-GO & MORE…
Casual Dining Group | The Chilli Pickle | Classic Hotels | Costa Coffee | Côte | Deliveroo | Dishoom | Drake & Morgan | EAT. | Ei Group | Five Guys | GAIL’s Bakery | Gourmet Burger Kitchen | Greene King | Hall & Woodhouse | Hand Picked Hotels | Hard Rock International | J D Wetherspoon | JW Lees & Co (Brewers) | K10 Modern Japanese | Las Iguanas, La Tasca & La Vina | Marston’s | Mitchells & Butlers | Peach Pub Company | Pizza Hut (UK) | PizzaExpress | Pizza Pilgrims | Pret A Manger | Prezzo | Punch Taverns | Signature Pub Group |Stonegate Pub Company | Taco Bell | TGI Fridays | The Alchemist | The Restaurant Group | Tortilla | Wagamama | Whitbread | YO! | Fuller’s | And many more.

HEALTH, EDUCATION, LEISURE, CONTRACT CATERERS & MORE…
All England Lawn Tennis Club | Aramark | Amadeus | BaxterStorey | Belmont School | Bishop Grosseteste University | CH&CO Group | Costco | Coventry College | Derbyshire County Council | Educaterers | Empire Cinemas | Flamingo Land Resort | Harrow School | HCA | University of Huddersfield | ISS UK | King’s College London | Merlin Entertainments | NACC | Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Parkdean Resorts | SSP | Gather & Gather | Sodexo | St. Catharine’s College | Tonbridge School | Tottenham Hotspur | University of Derby | Warwickshire County Council | And many more.

Welbilt Announces Series of First Choice Masterclasses

ceda Platinum Partner, Welbilt UK, is delighted to announce that from 2020, it will be adding yet another masterclass location to its growing portfolio, following an exciting agreement with First Choice Group.

This new partnership, which builds upon Welbilt’s master distribution agreement with the leading spare parts provider, will see Welbilt host dedicated equipment masterclasses at First Choice Group’s state-of-the-art training facility in Cannock, as Steve Hemsil – Sales Director – UK & Ireland, Welbilt enthuses:

“By once again working closely with First Choice Group and utilising their purpose-built training facilities, Welbilt UK is now able to offer superior, hands-on product demonstrations to customers, dealers and distributors based in the Midlands. This new agreement gives us nine locations across the UK & Ireland to ensure that dealers and end users have a choice of venues to get a personalised demonstration of our latest equipment in action.”

All Welbilt masterclasses, including those that are being hosted at First Choice Group, are led by members of Welbilt’s expert Culinary Team who will provide demonstrations on Welbilt’s leading brands including Convotherm and Merrychef. These free-of-charge sessions can also be tailored to suit the culinary needs of the customer, so that each attendee gets the most out of the session. Masterclasses on the latest Crem coffee equipment regularly take place in both Guildford and Sheffield, with further locations announced in the near future.

With the inaugural masterclass due to be hosted at First Choice Group in February 2020, Steven McLaren, Commercial Director at First Choice Group, is delighted be supporting Welbilt in this way, reflecting on the importance of working closely with their partner in order to ensure customer and client satisfaction:

“We are delighted that our partner Welbilt has chosen to hold regular masterclasses at First Choice Group’s first-class training facilities.

We encourage Welbilt to use our facilities as if they were their own and to imagine us as an extension of their own business, as ultimately, their continued success leads to our success when supplying their replacement parts, accessories, consumables, chemicals and detergents to their growing aftersales market within the UK”.

With nine masterclass locations across the UK & Ireland, Welbilt provides nationwide accessibility for caterers and dealers to experience the full range of Welbilt equipment in action, sample food produced and have the opportunity to speak with the experienced culinary and sales team who will be able to answer any questions on the equipment demonstrated. To sign up for a free masterclass, please visit https://www.welbilt.uk/Masterclass

For further information on Welbilt, please visit www.welbilt.uk or call 01483 464900.

For further information on First Choice Group, visit www.firstchoice-cs.co.uk or download the ‘First Choice Catering Spares’ app (available on iOS and Android).

Amaze the crowds and energise your staff – BGL Rieber‘s latest newsletter outlines equipment options for Front Cooking theatre style

Food, cooking and how we serve it is changing.

With the advent of celebrity chefs and especially now with the emergence of street food, cooking isn’t confined to the back of the restaurant, but has come centre stage.

With Rieber’s ACS Varithek, your chefs get to be “out front and personal.”

Rieber’s ACS Varithek is a winning combination of clever ventilation extraction with interchangeable cooking hobs – wok, two sizes of griddle, flat Ceran hob, induction hobs, fryer and pasta cooker.

You can read the rest of ceda Silver Partner BGL Rieber’s latest newsletter by clicking here.