The Staff Canteen Live 2026: Morchella Lunch

Today (Monday, March 16), we hosted our latest TSC Live chef networking lunch at Morchella.

The Staff Canteen launched chef networking lunches in 2016, later incorporating front of house events from 2020.

The concept is simple: bring chefs and key industry suppliers together in an environment where meaningful conversations can happen away from the pressures of service.

Located in Clerkenwell, Morchella is the latest restaurant from chef Ben Marks, who also owns Perilla in Newington Green. Known for its bold Mediterranean flavours and seasonal cooking, the restaurant has quickly built a reputation for ingredient-led dishes and confident, produce-focused menus.

Today’s lunch was prepared by Morchella’s head chef Daniel Fletcher and his team, who delivered a menu showcasing the restaurant’s style and approach to modern Mediterranean cooking.

The guests

Today 15 chefs joined us for the lunch. They were:

George Dack, head chef, The Norfolk Club
Andrea Gigliotti, sous chef, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Cyrus Todiwala, chef owner, Cafe Spice Namaste and Mr Todiwala's Petiscos
Isabela Vaz, executive head chef, The Doyle Collection
John Kouphou, executive head chef, St Ermin's Hotel
Beatriz Maldonado Carreño, chef and owner, Supperclub.Tube
Stefano Di Giosia, executive head chef, The Tudor Pass at Great Fosters
Felipe Pancas, pre-opening head chef, Park Hyatt London River Thames
Taiji Maruyama, owner, Maru London & Taka Marylebone
Pavlin Karantatski, head chef, Opera Tavern
Wesley Smalley, chef patron, Seasonality
Adam Nevin, head chef, The Morrison Room
Shuko Oda, head chef, Koya
Vivek Chauhan, executive pastry chef, Vivek Chauhan Chef Consultant
James Fothergill, chef de cuisine, The Chancery Rosewood

Reflecting on the event, Stefano Di Giosia, executive head chef at Michelin-starred The Tudor Pass, said: “It’s amazing vibes. The passion is incredible. It’s nice to speak with people that understand you and the difficulties of the job, especially nowadays.

“Also to speak about certain things to improve and learn about each other.

“I always say this job is related to people, so speaking with a person is what makes it valuable. Finding help for day-to-day operations I am very happy to speak about. For me, that is the best way to do it.

“Some things you can do on a laptop, but certain things need explaining, how they can fix a problem.”

Asked whether he would be more likely to arrange a follow-up meeting from this event rather than an email he received, Stefano added: “100 per cent, because by meeting them I realise they are amazing people, which is an important value.”

From the menu, Stefano highlighted both the canapes and blood orange dessert as his favourites from the day.

Beatriz Maldonado Carreño, chef and owner of Supperclub.Tube, added: “I have had interesting conversations with suppliers, some of which I am looking forward to working with in the future, as I am planning to open a new restaurant. So obviously a lot of it is very useful.

“We receive emails and proposals all the time. Meeting people in person is a lot better. You build a rapport instantly. When I think of equipment for this new place, I am going to go for these people first, as I have talked to them already.”

Beatriz plumped for the pork jowl as her dish of the day.

The sponsors

These events would not happen without the support of our sponsors. Today’s chef networking lunch was supported by Winterhalter, Williams Refrigeration, Chef Works, Nyetimber and Exclusive Ranges.

Glenn Roberts, national head of sales at Winterhalter UK, said: “The Staff Canteen lunches are a superb way to network with chefs and people in the industry. Morchella is a fantastic venue. The food was brilliant, really well delivered, excellent front and back-of-house service. Who would want for more on a Monday?

“Following up with these opportunities is always the 64,000-dollar question. What this always tells us is the whole heart of hospitality is about networking and relationships. It’s creating relationships that are long-standing and meaningful and trusted. That’s got to start somewhere.

“Meeting new people at these kinds of events, showing we’re like-minded individuals who understand and know the market and really get to understand the pressures they’re operating under and have a degree of empathy, that is hopefully meaningful to both parties.”