Cucina's "innovative" approach makes the grade at Sandhurst
A new contract to deliver fresh, healthy food rather than “school food’ has been won by catering experts Cucina. Sandhurst School, Berkshire, is an 11-19 year-old mixed comprehensive soon to benefit from Cucina’s unique approach to food in September 2007.
Innovative menus reviewed by top nutrition expert Dr Mabel Blades will be introduced, in addition to top restaurant chefs working with Cucina staff, to ensure that the 1,200 pupils at the school benefit from fresh, great tasting food.
The previous catering company Eden was engaged by Bracknell Borough Council across the LEA area, with a take up of just 200 Sandhurst students for lunch. Cucina plans to radically grow popularity of school meals from September 2007, aiming to improve the quality of food on offer as well as make the environment and service style much more inviting.
Steve Quinn, managing director of Cucina, said: “We are delighted with our recent gain at Sandhurst School. It gives us yet another opportunity to see how far we can increase the uptake of school meals. We believe passionately that food has a vital role in our well-being and are confident that our food and approach will be a big hit here. We will provide one of our top chef’s to train and work with the existing staff.
Cucina’s experience at other schools makes us certain that good fresh food can increase student numbers eating healthily, even though the trend nationally seems to disagree with us following the introduction of the new based standards last September. We are certainly finding that a different approach can and does buck the trend.”
Bursar for Sandhurst School, Colin Summersgill said: “The school was looking for a company that would offer good quality food as well as a service responsive to the needs of students and staff. It was felt from the presentations and from visiting existing Cucina sites, that Cucina could offer the school what it wanted. Their staff seemed genuinely interested in providing good quality, tasty and healthy food. Cucina’s innovative ideas on the food offer, for example, wishing to promote healthy food using the concept of “stealthy eating’, made them stand out from the competition. The food that Cucina produce is excellent and their approach to menus incorporates new legislation in a way that most students will actually choose to eat. Their desire to become involved with the school curriculum and wider school life also contributed to Sandhurst choosing Cucina. Throughout the extensive selection process Cucina were the unanimous choice of all involved in every aspect of their work. “
Cucina’s nutritionist Dr Mabel Blades added: “This is a wonderful opportunity for children to enjoy nutritious meals based on quality foods and the students at Sandhurst School will do just that. Not only does the food meet the recently introduced food standards but it is also tempts them to eat as they would in any up-market bistro.”
Cucina’s passion and enthusiasm for healthy eating and their proven track record at other schools throughout the country won them the new contract. Southfield School for Girls in Kettering, Northamptonshire, The Harefield Academy in Uxbridge, Middlesex and Driffield Junior School near York are amongst other schools also benefiting from Cucina’s unique approach to school food.
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Notes to Editors
Cucina is a specialist food service company setting new benchmarks for education and business. Higher standards and a desire to be a part of School life provide an educational food service, not just an education food service.
The Cucina team believe in: · A “stealthy approach’ to eating healthily, where goodness is cleverly hidden in tasty food. · Providing tasty and nutritious food from innovative menus reviewed by nutrition expert Dr Mabel Blades. · Extensively using fresh, local ingredients. · Educating as well as simply serving great food. Cucina’s menu offer and service style ensures that this is possible and link menus to the Curriculum. · Being an environmentally responsible company and thus recycling, reducing packaging, saving energy and composting kitchen waste where ever possible. · Providing a totally flexible partnership style from consultancy and executive lease to full management of services.
Cucina was founded by Steve Quinn, a food and support services professional with 24 years experience within the industry, working with international hotel groups such as Rank, Thistle, Hilton and Concorde (in France), as well as contract catering firms Sodexho (formerly Gardner Merchant) and the Compass Group.
Sandhurst School was opened in 1969 and is situated in Berkshire, close to the borders of Hampshire and Surrey. For more details visit: www.sandhurst.bracknell-forest.sch.uk
The Harefield Academy has 650 pupils aged 11-18. For more information visit: www.theharefieldacademy.org
Cucina’s first contract was for Southfield School for Girls in Kettering, Northants in July 2006, prior to which less than 10 per cent of students and staff ate school meals. Most opted to bring in their own packed lunch which often included crisps and chocolate. Cucina was brought in to replace menus designed by Jamie Oliver, which had failed to inspire the pupils for the previous 18 months. More than two thirds of the 1,100 students and staff at Southfield now opt for school dinners. Thanks to catering expert Cucina’s involvement, food sales have increased from £100 to £800 per day.
Southfield Specialist Sports College for Girls has 966 pupils aged 11 to 18 and 140 staff. For more information visit: www.southfield.northants.sch.uk
Photos available on request or downloadable at 300dpi plus at www.marketingprojects.co.uk in Cucina’s press office.
Press contact: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mobile: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mobile: 07884 493370 Marketing Projects PR info@marketingprojects.co.uk Tel: 01244 330000 www.marketingprojects.co.uk
Contact: Steve Quinn Managing Director, Cucina steve@cucina.co.uk Tel: 0845 3891320 www.cucina.co.uk Spectrum House Dunstable Road Redbourn St Albans Herts AL3 7PR
