The Staff Canteen Live 2026: Rational x Skof

On Monday, June 1, The Staff Canteen partnered with Rational for a bespoke hospitality event in Manchester, focused around their iVario cooking system.

The event was designed specifically with Rational to give chefs a closer look at the functionality, flexibility and practical kitchen benefits of the iVario.

The day began at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford, where guests were welcomed before a live demonstration with Rational national corporate chef Ian Leadbetter.

The session gave chefs the opportunity to see the iVario in action and explore how the equipment can support modern kitchen operations.

Guests then travelled to Skof by Tom Barnes in Manchester for lunch.

Skof, which opened in 2024, is one of Manchester’s most high-profile restaurants, earning its first Michelin star earlier this year.

Led by chef patron Tom Barnes, the restaurant has quickly become known for its refined, ingredient-led cooking, drawing on Tom’s background at L’Enclume and his own distinctive approach to modern British cuisine.

The guests

Six chefs, all based in the north west, joined us for the event. They were:

Aiden Byrne, chef owner, LI~LY
Daniel Heffy, executive chef, Nord
Paul Durand, chef owner, Manifest
Simon Martin, chef director, Mana
Alice Power, head chef, The Black Swan at Oldstead
Dan McGeorge, chef owner, Vetch

The chefs reflected on what they learned from the demo.

Paul Durand: “The Rational iVario was pretty impressive. From the outside, I didn’t know it could do as much as it can do.

“It looks smart, efficient, it looks like it would save you time and money. I wish I had one when we opened up four years ago, to be honest.

“In the demonstration, I was impressed with the multi-functionality of it. We saw three or four different jobs get done in an hour. As a chef, that is what you’re looking for.

“In our kitchen at Manifest, space is our big issue, and with a very small team. So the iVario is compact and can do so much.

“Speed, consistency and control is every chef owner’s dream. You want it to be the same every time, as easy for someone else to do as if you were doing it yourself.”

Alice Power: “It was quite impressive to see the range of methods of cooking you can do with it and also the versatility.

“Seeing how it would fit into the business, a massive thing for me is the saving of energy. The ability to cut down cooking times of things. So that would be a great help with our larger production side of things.

“One of the biggest challenges we have is space. For us, there are days when every induction surface is full of stocks and sauces or reductions or purees.

“Something that could turn over those jobs a little faster seems a win.”

Simon Martin: “Having something like the iVario would make our jobs a lot easier.

“One of the challenges we have on a day-to-day basis is pressure cooking. A pot brings lots of steam and the contents can go everywhere. The fact that in the iVario it is all concealed in a sealed unit, I think pressure cooking is something people would be more inclined to do.

“I would describe the iVario as an almost all-in-one cooking machine.”

Dan McGeorge: “My first impressions of the Rational iVario were that it is an excellent bit of kit.

“It’s got so many functions and can be used across various styles of cuisine. It’s got the pressure-cooking side of it, you can also do quick sears and it can do a bain-marie.

“It’s even really good for desserts as well, which I found really interesting.

“The ease of use and speed that it can deliver the product that you want is something to be admired and makes it pretty special in my opinion.

“It is an amazing piece of kit that offers everything that you could possibly dream of.”

Daniel Heffy: “I was looking at an iVario a couple of weeks back, because the guys I work with are looking at a central production unit, so this came at a good time for me. It looks a very special piece of kit.

“It is clearly very good for the day-to-day stocks and sauces. For the wider group it would help with the sheer amount and convenience of it, when energy becomes a clear factor.”

Aiden Byrne: “The one thing that stood out to me most in the demo was the flexibility of the machine - how the chef was able to jump from making a stir fry, to a risotto, to a lemon posset.

“The iVario is slick, full of gadgets and something you could get your teeth stuck into.”

The partner

The event was delivered in partnership with Rational, with the iVario at the centre of the morning’s demonstration.

The format gave chefs the chance to see the equipment in a working demonstration environment before continuing the conversation over lunch at Skof.

Adam Knights, marketing director for Rational UK, said: “We believe iVario is an essential piece of equipment for kitchens, so we have brought chefs together to see it, the features, the benefits it can bring to their kitchens and see it in a live environment, because that is the best way to see what it can do for you.

“We wanted the chefs to taste, smell and feel the difference in the quality the iVario brings. The best way is to see it firsthand to see what the iVario does best.

“It is an incredible space-saver and has so many different features that it takes multiple pieces in your kitchen to do.

“It’s like having another chef in your kitchen, helping you produce what you need to produce on any given day.”

He added: “It was important for us to partner with The Staff Canteen on this event because we wanted to bring the best up and coming chefs to our kitchen and we believe that The Staff Canteen is the best networking partner that we have.

“They have been incredibly important to this process and were the perfect team to work with.”