The Staff Canteen Live 2026: Chef networking lunch at Kynd

Today (Monday, July 20), we hosted our latest TSC Live chef networking lunch, this time at Kynd at Hampton Manor.

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.

Today’s lunch brought together chefs from across restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups in the West Midlands and beyond for a focused afternoon of networking, product discovery and industry-led conversation.

Opened in 2025, Kynd is the latest restaurant at Hampton Manor and is led by chef David Taylor.

The restaurant forms part of the wider Hampton Manor estate in Hampton-in-Arden, near Solihull, and focuses on seasonal produce, careful sourcing and a contemporary approach to British cooking.

Guests were welcomed for drinks before sponsor introductions, a tour and a seated lunch.

The guests

Today 15 chefs joined us for the lunch, with combined buying power in the room of over £12.5million. They were:

Kasia Piątkowska, head chef, Tropea
Owen McDaid, sous chef, Cheal's of Knowle
Kian Puerta-Terron, head chef, The Painswick
Stuart Collins, chef owner, Docket Restaurant
Liam Dillon, chef patron, The Boat
Greg Newman, head chef, The Woodsman
Dan Androne, head chef, The Forest Hotel
Danny Jimminson, chef owner, Hammer & Pincers
Tom Wells, executive chef, Hogarths Hotel
Keith Sadomba, chef patron, Lynn
Lukasz Borkowski, head chef, Lunar Restaurant
Rikki Hughes, head chef, Prevost
Glynn Purnell, chef owner, Trillium
Kray Treadwell, chef owner, 670 Grams
Ediz Engin, executive chef, The Wilderness and Albatross

Reflecting on the event, Keith Sadomba, chef patron at Lynn in Leicester, said: “It's great seeing loads of different chefs and suppliers. It was very informative. It was a great experience.

“I think 100 per cent I am definitely going to follow up with Winterhalter, because we are in the process of getting new dishwashers installed.”

Keith added that his favourite dish was the scallops with smoked carrots.

Glynn Purnell, chef owner of Trillium, said: “I think it's been a fantastic event.

“It's been very relaxed. A little tour of the garden and a glass of bubbles on the way in, which was great.

“All the sponsors and suppliers have been very engaging and really good fun.

“I've got a relationship with a couple of the suppliers and two or three I hadn't met.

“I'm going to speak to Woods Foodservice about prices. It's nice to connect and see what is out there.

“The Norfolk Black Chicken I'm really interested in as well. It was so good, really tasty.

“Face to face is a rare thing now, from Covid onwards. It's normally through social media and email.”

Glynn added that his favourite dish was the chicken.

The sponsors

These events would not happen without the support of our sponsors. Today’s chef networking lunch was supported by: Nyetimber, Williams Refrigeration, Winterhalter, Woods Foodservice, Norfolk Black Chicken and Chef Works.

Nyetimber provided the wine for the canapés, while Norfolk Black Chicken featured on the main course.

The lunch also gave guests the opportunity to connect directly with suppliers across wine, refrigeration, warewashing, produce, poultry and chef clothing.

Haydon Hendry, area sales manager at Williams Refrigeration, said: “It has been about engaging with guys in the industry that we can never get through the door to speak to.

“It's a great way to share great food as well as not do a hard sell.

“I loved the little speed dating style, moving from seat to seat.

“If we were stuck in one seat, you'd get to speak to two or three people, instead we engage with everybody, which is fantastic.

“They were all very different conversations. All of the chefs were quite engaging and friendly.”

Haydon added that his favourite dish was the cheese starter.

The menu

Canapés

Cornish crab, chilli, lemon verbena, rosti
Jerusalem artichoke, smoked harissa

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée, West Sussex, England, MV

For the table

Kirkham's Lancashire cheese royale, organic leek velouté, alliums

Grüner Veltliner, ‘Handcrafted’, Arndorfer, Kamptal, Austria, 2024

Scallop

Hebridean hand-dived scallops, vadouvan, smoked carrot, apple

Riesling, ‘Gelblack’, Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, Germany, 2023

Chicken

Norfolk black chicken, garden broad beans, wild garlic, organic baby gem, black garlic emulsion

Pinot Nero, Musso, Piedmont, Italy, 2024

Dessert

Choux bun, ruby hue 70% Peruvian chocolate cremeux, hazelnut, Pedro Ximénez

Ice Cider, Burrow Hill, Somerset, England