Top chef oversees fresh "revolution" for new Cambridgeshire contracts
Catering experts Cucina have installed a top chef who has worked alongside Gary Rhodes and Marco Pierre White to oversee new contract gains in Cambridgeshire. Cucina has won a three year contract at Parkside Community College and Coleridge Community College in Cambridgeshire, which together have over 1,000 pupils. Award-winning chef Ian Morgan will use the Cucina scooter to deliver fresh, local produce daily across Cucina’s six contracts in Cambridgeshire.
Self-confessed scooter fan Ian, who owns four Lambretta scooters himself, will use the more environmentally friendly Cucina scooter to get between clients in Cambridgeshire, which include four Primary Schools that are also recent contract wins. Ian has worked closely with Cambridgeshire suppliers Vittles, who are making a new Cucina sausage from specially selected local meat.
Cucina’s contract for Parkside Community College and Coleridge Community College starts in September. Representatives from The Parkside Federation, who run the Community Colleges, including two parent Governors and two students from each site, visited Cucina’s first contract, Southfield Specialist School for Girls in Northamptonshire. The decision makers talked with staff and pupils at Southfield and could see the difference Cucina had made. Furthermore, two of the students who went to Southfield on the inspection are vegetarian; they were impressed that ingredients in the vegetable stir fry were definitely vegetarian.
Ian helped open “Rhodes & Co”; the successful Gary Rhodes restaurant in Manchester and has also held the position of Head Chef at the famous Hotel Felix in Cambridge.
Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said: “We are delighted with the news of our recent gains in Cambridgeshire and are pleased that our fresh food approach is separating us from our competitors. We believe passionately that food has a vital role in our well-being and are confident that our menus and approach are already seeing numbers of meals served rise here too. We are over the moon that Ian Morgan has decided to join the Cucina family, his skills and experience fit perfectly with the chefs we already employ. A chef of Ian’s calibre creating innovative menus and training our teams will help us go from strength to strength and will have real benefits to the pupils and parents at these fantastic schools.”
Ian Morgan said: “I am absolutely loving working at Cucina. The future’s massive with Cucina and I’m really excited about it. We have a great relationship with Vittles, who are producing a special Cucina sausage for the Cambridgeshire Schools and Colleges. It’s a huge change for me, which I’m glad I made, allowing me to have my evenings and weekends off for a change! The kitchen team are taking things on board and are now baking fresh bread. Everything is fresh with Cucina …quot; today we have cooked fresh lasagne and apple strudel. This is restaurant quality food, as good as any restaurant in Cambridge.”
Don Grant, Head of Corporate Services for The Parkside Federation, said: “Cucina’s obsession with food impressed us. Cucina’s approach focusing on freshness and variety really appealed to us; Cucina bake fresh bread every day. We thought that smaller and more personal companies, like Cucina, would be better than larger mass catering companies Sodexo and Compass. Our initial thoughts were that we were unlikely to find anyone better than we had, but when we came across Cucina, they moved things to a new level. By involving student, staff and Governor representatives we are able to let everyone know here is someone who can revolutionise our catering. On both sites there are potential problems with local competition, with students buying junk food off site. Cucina’s healthy eating aspect is attractive and affordable and will reduce the need for the greasy option. Cucina recognises the greater need to engage with the student Council and we are confident that more staff will find the menu appealing.”
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Notes to Editors
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. Steve works with a team of top chefs and professionals to ensure that his vision of great food is truly embraced and delivered.
Cucina’s restaurants are fast growing and currently deliver specialist catering services to:
1. Southfield Specialist School for Girls, Kettering, Northants: Specialist Sports College with 1960 pupils aged 11-18, www.southfield.northants.sch.uk
2. The Harefield Academy, Middlesex: A Specialist Sports Academy with 860 pupils aged from 11-18 as well as Watford FC Academy Players www.theharefieldacademy.org
3. Sandhurst School, Berkshire: State Secondary School with 1200 pupils aged 11-18 www.sandhurst.bracknell-forest.sch.uk
4. Driffield Junior School, East Yorkshire: Junior School with 564 pupils aged 7-11
5. St.Mary’s Primary School, Northamptonshire: Primary School with 276 pupils
6. Edgbarrow School, Berkshire: State Secondary School with 1260 pupils aged from 11-18. www.edgbarrow.bracknell-forest.sch.uk
7. Millbrook Infants School, Northants: Infant School with 350 pupils aged 5-11
8. St.Andrew’s C of E Primary School, Northants: Junior School with 230 pupils
9. Abbey Meadows Primary School, Cambridgeshire: Primary School with 320 pupils
10. Morley Memorial Primary School, Cambridgeshire: Primary School with 409 pupils
11. Newnham Croft Primary School, Cambridgeshire: Primary School with 239 pupils
12. Ridgefield Primary School, Cambridgeshire: Primary School with 200 pupils
13. Parkside Community College, Cambridgeshire: College with 604 pupils
14. Coleridge Community College, Cambridgeshire: College with 410 pupils
What Clients say about Cucina:
Lynda Lorentzen, bursar for Southfield School for Girls Specialist College, said:
“The standard of food at Southfield now wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant and all the fresh fruit and vegetables on offer ensure that the girls get the nutrients they need”. Prior to Cucina’s involvement, less than 10 per cent of students and staff paid for school meals and most opted to bring in their own packed lunch which often included crisps and chocolate. Now more than 500 girls enjoy a cooked meal at lunch time”.
Dr Phil Bassill, Director of Resources and Business Development, at The Harefield Academy said: “The children at The Harefield Academy benefit from healthy, well prepared, exciting food from Cucina. We have seen Cucina’s positive influence on the students’ energy, behaviour and attention spans. Before Cucina was brought in, a significant number of students were choosing not to eat at The Academy restaurant, but Cucina has really turned this around.”
6th former Cassie Watts was one of the students on the selection panel for the new catering contract at Southfield School for Girls said: “I chose Cucina because when they made their presentation they spoke to us, not just to the adults. After all we’re their biggest customers, not the adults. And they have delivered exactly what they said they would. It’s the best decision we ever made” Contact Cucina
Press Office: Marketing Projects Telephone: 01244 330000 Jane Harrad-Roberts Mobile: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mobile: 07884 493370 info@marketingprojects.co.uk www.marketingprojects.co.uk
Please view the website for press releases or photos which are available on request at www.marketingprojects.co.uk in Cucina’s press office.
Recent press stories:
The Guardian: Southfield School for Girls pupils are fully engaged in their meal choices and are now eating healthily thanks to Cucina http://education.guardian.co.uk/schoolmeals/story/0,,2186556,00.html
School Food Trust: Cucina inspiring dissatisfied students to give school meals a try again: http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/stacker_detail.asp?Contentid=465
Times Education Supplement: School meal takings have soared as heavenly gastro grub has kicked Jamie Oliver into touch. http://www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2316530
For Cucina’s top recipes: http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/clientpo/59/news/736
For more information on the Food Based Standards visit: http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/clientpo/59/news/751
Client Contact: Cucina Restaurants Ltd Telephone: 0845 3891320 Steve Quinn Email: steve@cucina.co.uk Managing Director Website: www.cucina.co.uk
