The Staff Canteen Live at HRC 2020, Day 3

We wrapped up our TSCLive series at HRC in style on the third and final day of the show, greeting another amazing line-up of hospitality professionals onto the stage.

Michelin-starred chef and owner of Kitchen Table James Knappett was joined by his wife and founder of Bubbledogs, Sandia Chang, preparing a dish of Cornish crab and pomelo salad over Jersey royals and sea kale finished with a verbena sauce and a rose granita.

Sandia went to culinary school in the US before deciding to pursue a front of house career and finally becoming a trained sommelier and met James at Thomas Keller’s Per Se.

Next up were chef and owner of multiple successful restaurants, Robin Gill, and Emma Underwood, who heads up the front of house at his most recently launched Darby’s.

Robin too prepared a dish using Cornish brown crab, this time served with a fried Cacklebean egg, brown crab emulsion, radish, mooli,  coastal vegetables – sea aster, blanched sea purslane and pickled rock samphire and samphire  – and dusted with nori powder.

Emma paired the dish with a biodynamic, natural white, a 2017 cuvee of Bernard & Benoit melambic Landron.

Lastly, Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett and Lime Wood chef Luke Holder - who have worked and known together for so long, they told us, that they have become the best of friends - wrapped proceedings up with a “pasta-off,” cooking spinach and ricotta ravioli, gnocchi with morels and wild garlic and double agnolotti. 

While on stage our chefs and front of house professionals discussed a variety of topics, such as what they aspire to in their professional lives, the relationship between front and back of house and how it has evolved over the years, the importance of treating staff well and making them feel valued, allergens and more. 

After their demonstrations, they answered the audience’s questions, from technical tips and advice to what they do to support the disabled working in professional kitchens. 

All the chefs on stage had the assistance of a student from Milton Keynes College, our TSC Live partners, and ingredients, tools and equipment were supplied by our sponsors - Westlands, Major International, Rational, Hoshizaki, Santa Maria, Meiko, EauVation, Global Knives, Alliance (Te Mana Lamb), Diversey/Zenith and Pommery - as were the goodie bags they received as thanks for taking part. 

Audience members were given one last chance to enter a raffle to win a 12-piece set of Global knives worth £1695 RRP. Angela Hartnett picked out a winner and their ticket number will soon be shared across our social media to collect their prize. 

Speaking about why he took part in the event today, Luke said: "The Staff Canteen do a lot of promotion and bring young people through. Mark is a great guy and his contacts go a long way." 

According to Angela, for audience members - many of whom are young professionals or students  - the benefit of coming to such events is exposure. 

"To see some of these amazing chefs do demos, I think is brilliant for a young college student and then to ask questions I think is phenomenal." 

Thank you again to everyone who supported us throughout the event this year - our sponsors, partners, chefs, FOH professionals, students, and everyone behind the scenes that made the event so special. We'll see you at the next HRC show!