Forrester Boyd and Barclays employees have swapped professional attire for chefs’ whites and aprons to take part in a cooking competition which raised more than £6,000 for Grimsby’s St. Andrew’s Hospice, with the £3,010 raised by the event matched by Barclays.
Volunteers from both firms took to the kitchens and front of house at The Gallery Restaurant based at the Grimsby Institute. The event called ‘The Ultimate Cook Fundraiser’ saw 23 guests invited to experience dining at the hands of the volunteer chefs. The guests then donated what they felt the experience was worth.
Six volunteers from each firm headed into the kitchens with another four in the restaurant to do the serving. The teams were competing against each other for prizes such as ‘best chef’, ‘best front of house’, ‘best dish’ and of course, ‘most money raised’. Teams in the kitchen were handed ingredients and had to come up with a 3 course meal. Supported by year 3 students and tutors from the Grimsby Institute, the teams then had to prepare and cook for their guests. Front of house teams then had to prepare their tables, including learning how to fold napkins. They also had to describe and design their own menus for guests.
The Hospice’s Caitlin Brewitt said: “We cannot thank the volunteers enough not only for this amazing donation but also the awareness this has raised for the Hospice. It was so much fun being able to watch the event take place and to speak to both staff and guests. It was a brilliant event and so well organised.”
Garret Busby, Culinary Skills Programme Leader at the Grimsby Institute said, “We were approached by Forrester Boyd and St Andrew’s Hospice who had the idea to create an event like this. As a leader in further and higher education we are an integral part of the community and as such, like to get involved in things that give something back. Not only has the event raised funds for St Andrew’s Hospice, but it has also given our catering and hospitality students the opportunity to get involved in something a little bit different. They did a fantastic job in guiding and supporting the volunteers in our kitchens and front of house.”
This was the launch event for The Ultimate Cook, but Garret hopes that this may spark interest in other firms to get involved. Not only does it provide a unique client entertainment experience but it is also a great team building experience, not to mention the chance to beat the competition to winning the coveted ‘Ultimate Cook’ prize.
Kevin Hopper, Managing Partner at Forrester Boyd worked in the kitchen. He said, “I really did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. The students who helped us were tough, they definitely knew how to crack the whip. With service running to strict timings and so many elements to all the dishes, there were so many things that could go wrong. Having the students there to help and guide us really helped to ensure we had everything ready when it was needed. It was an absolutely fantastic experience and I would not hesitate to do it again. I was blown away by the amount raised. I would like to think that it was down to the exceptional quality of our cooking but think it might be a little bit more to do with the generosity of our guests.”
