February 2012

Organising the Stag or Hen

Submitted by Back-2-Front on Wed, 29/02/2012 - 11:30

Traditionally a stag doo consisted of the stag getting tied naked to the railings in the city centre, tarred and feathered, being rescued from the police station by the best man the next morning and only just making his wedding on time, stinking of booze and to the utter dismay of his bride to be…. or was that only on TV. These days the Stag and Hen or Hag and Sten (if you plan to have a joint affair) is a meticulously planned event that involves months of preparation, ridiculous fancy dress, dares and plenty of alcohol.  

There are Outdoor adventures, such as paintballing, go-carting, archery, fishing, Canoeing, quad biking, zorbing, surfing and absailing. Weekends away to Amsterdam, Prague, Dublin, Barcelona, Bath and our very own Bristol (named one of the top UK hotspots for the stag and Hen).

There are dance lessons in any kind of Art…. You could have thriller dance lessons, 80’s, pole dancing, dirty dancing, Burlesque, cheerleading, salsa, belly dancing, Bollywood, CanCan – the list goes on and on.

If you are more into food and cooking, you could go on a Chocolate making day, cake decorating, have a sushi master class, go on a Thai or Indian cooking course or if you prefer just to focus you doo on the booze many bars hold cocktail making or flaring courses.

Or you could have a more formal affair you could hold a party, have a mobile bar and a caterer in to serve your guests.

 

Need help organising Bar staff or caterers for your party then give Chloe a ring on 0117 9041001 or email chloe.cann@back-2-front.co.uk

What to look for when hiring a Gastro Chef

Submitted by Back-2-Front on Fri, 24/02/2012 - 10:04

What do you look for when your hiring a Chef in a Gastro pub

Everyday Head Chefs and Managers are faced with the task of finding that ideal Head Chef for their Gastro pub. What do you look for when interviewing a Chef?

Having worked as a Recruitment Consultant for 18 months I have quickly learnt just how different Chef Qualities can be. Over the next few weeks I will mention but a few key points to ensure you are getting the right Chef for your business.

The term Gastro is generally associated with pub food, but not your average pub grub - each dish will be a more creative version of the traditional pub grub. All food will be cooked fresh on site and neatly presented.

Key points to look for when hiring a Gastro Chef are:

Ability to create a menu using seasonal ingredients

Creativity required for presentation

Ability to manage a team

Fast paced – Gastro pubs are generally high volume restaurants ability to work under pressure is key

Previous experience of working to tight budgets 

Most gastro pubs achieve Rosettes if this is where you would like your business to go then ideally a Chef who has the passion to want to work towards a Rosette or perhaps a Sous Chef from a previous Rosette style Restaurant looking to take their first step towards a Head Chef position may be the ideal candidate for you.      

Trial days are always a good way to see how a Chef can actually work – invite them into the Kitchen for a day, preferably for a busy service, you’ll easily see if they will sink or swim.                                                                                                             

If you need a Gastro Head Chef to help you out on your Kitchen or on a permanent basis please contact our Back of House Recruitment Consultant Orla Murphy at Back 2 Front on 0117 9041001 or visit our Chef Agency Bristol or Chef Agency Bath or Hospitality Staff Bristol and Bath pages

How many staff do you require for your event?

Submitted by Back-2-Front on Thu, 23/02/2012 - 09:06

As the event season fast approaches it is an ideal time to start to look for your catering staff workforce to help maintain the standard that your guests require.

The number of staff that you require for each event varies massively dependant on the number of customers that you are planning to serve.

A rule of thumb is that if you are running a 3 course sit down meal then you require 1 waiter per 10/15 guests dependant on the level of service you are aiming to provide.

If you are running a hot fork buffet then you require 1 waiting staff per 20/25 guests. A cold plate buffet could be served with 1 catering staff per 30 guests.

When it comes to Chefs in the kitchen you would usually have a minimum of 2 event chefs for up to 100 guests and then 1 more chef per 50 guest’s dependant on how much has been prepped prior to the event.

If you'd like to discuss your event and staffing needs please contact Pete Cann at Back 2 Front on 0117 904 1001 or visit our Chef Agency Bristol, Chef Agency Bath or Hospitality Staff - Bristol and Bath pages.

Choosing a Wedding Venue

Submitted by Back-2-Front on Wed, 22/02/2012 - 10:40

There are many things to consider when choosing a wedding venue, not just beauty and romance…

Are you having the ceremony and reception at the same place or will you have to consider two venues… you may be getting married in a church, synogogue, mosque etc…

Cost is a big thing, what is your budget and how many guests can the venue accommodate, therefore is it too large or too small.

Décor, does the place fit in with what you had in mind…i.e. a traditional style or are you having a more modern affair… and will it match your colours, if you are having pink as one of your colours you will need to make sure the carpet in the reception room is not bright orange.

Catering, can you choose your own cater or will the venue do everything for you, the venue may even come with a wedding planner.

Staffing, does the venue come with staff or will you have to hire your own.. we can help you with this of course.. you may want to organise it all yourself to save some money for your honeymoon.

Drink and be merry.. Does the venue have an alcohol licence and bar facilities or will you need to organise your own bar and licence holder.

D.I.S.C.O – do they have their own in-house entertainment or do you want to hire your own DJ?

If you need help with any of the above- we can't supply the vicar though!!… then call Chloe Cann on 0117 904 1001 or email chloe.cann@back-2-front.co.uk

Kitchen Porters in a professional kitchen

Submitted by Back-2-Front on Fri, 17/02/2012 - 11:09

 

Today I’m going to talk about Kitchen Porters in a professional Kitchen

Kitchen Porters probably have the hardest job in the Kitchen unfortunately it’s the hardest section, its mind numbing and it’s the lowest paid position in the Kitchen. A good Kitchen porter needs to be well organised, hard working and efficient.

Kitchen porters generally start a couple of hours after the chefs but can be there for hours after the Chefs have left. When they arrive the wash up areas can generally be stacked high with burnt pots and trays, for Kitchen Porters it’s hard for them to see light at the end of the tunnel with a mountain of dirty dishes in front of them.

If you have a good Kitchen Porter here are some points you may want to adhere to in the Kitchen in order to keep them happy –

·         Keep their section organised – just like you want your section to be treated ensure that trays are stacked together, burnt pots are left steeping etc

·         Hot trays – always warn the Kitchen porter if a tray is hot so they won’t scald themselves when they pick it up, in college you’re trained to sprinkle flour on hot trays.

·         Don’t put knives in a sink of water – Chefs should wash their own knives placing knives in a sink of water could result in a nasty unnecessary accident.

·         Waiting staff – Scrap all plates, place cutlery in a bucket of hot soapy water, neatly stack dirty plates to ensure less breakages

By ensuring all these points are adhered to your Kitchen Porter will feel happier in their place of work.

If you need a Kitchen Porter to help you out on your Kitchen  please contact our Back of House Recruitment Consultant Orla Murphy at Back 2 Front on 0117 9041001 or visit our Chef Agency Bristol or Chef Agency Bath or Hospitality Staff Bristol and Bath pages