On Friday 10th of February I had the pleasure of joining Ben Kaye for a day on the road in what was to be my first “Stock people on tour” adventure. The day started early with a scheduled meeting at Chequers, the café at Oulton Park racetrack. Sitting in the car ready to go in, it became apparent the preparation that goes into these visits.
It was great to see Ben in the environment he’s become accustomed to, concisely relaying points of interest to the customer and moulding his patter to fit the chef’s needs. We swiftly returned to the car to continue onwards across Cheshire selling Gravy to the people. A spontaneous pop in at The Combermere proved worthwhile as we looked to get them using some of the Signature range, furthermore Tony the chef was a great example of how Ben had built and established relationships through his Business Development Executive role.
As the day progressed my understanding of what the guys on the road get up to developed. From calling in on regular users, cementing strong relationships to introducing the range from scratch to places that are yet to hear of Essential Cuisine. The great pleasure in physically seeing chefs enjoy Essential Cuisine to the frustration of a late cancellation!
My highlight from the day came at our last visit, The Alderley Edge Hotel. It was here we met the head chef Sean Sutton. I revelled in his brilliance. He kindly took us around the kitchen and introduced us to his team. The pastry chef seemed very keen to have a play with our Crème Anglaise and they gave us a few tasters. Tasters from a 3 AA rosette accredited chef is always a winner!
Overall a wonderful eye opener and one that helps me understand the roles in Essential Cuisine that little bit more.
