Exotic blend of flavours for summer menus
Catering experts Cucina has announced their latest range of summer menus including tasty treats such as Thai pork and apple balls, Mandarin yoghurt granola and warm beef Teriyaki salad. Cucina’s innovative approach to school meals has introduced further exotic meals in kitchens across the country, such as Goan coconut chicken curry, Calzone with sun dried tomatoes and goats cheese and Cantonese style sweet and sour pork.
Cucina’s forward thinking does not stop with the food. Chefs perform Kitchen Theatre and kitchen staff are trained to discuss nutritional benefits with pupils and staff.
Award winning Cucina chefs ensure that not only is food freshly prepared and exceeds nutritional guidelines, but the pupils also learn about different foods and are taught essential skills for life. All chefs working for Cucina provide "Kitchen Theatre’ making and preparing food visual, exciting, involving and educational for pupils. In Kitchen Theatre, pupils can see how food is prepared at break time and see chefs chopping and tossing pizza’s. Cucina’s top chefs also share what they know about food with the pupils.
Cucina’s staff are nutritionally trained, allowing them to share their expertise with pupils. Cucina’s professional attitude demonstrates their fresh approach to training with staff knowing the benefits of eating foods from the main food groups, the importance of vitamins, minerals, the dangers of not eating a balanced diet, the composites of certain foods and what food can and cannot be eaten on special diets.
Steve Quinn, Managing Director of Cucina, said:
“At Cucina we think differently to most food service providers, aiming to set new benchmarks for Food Service. As an innovative company, Cucina continuously strives to keep in line with food based standards and guidelines and also designs menus for individual schools to meet their tastes and diets. All menus have been designed by a top nutritionist, incorporating all important food groups while remaining enticing for kids to eat, using a stealthy approach. Cucina’s kitchen is a creative environment, which tempts children to eat as they would in an up-market bistro. We believe that offering kitchen theatre on our counters allows us to share what we know about great food with our pupils and encourages them to eat foods which they normally would not try. By employing the best quality chef’s at each school, Cucina deliver an exceptional service and teach our pupils great skills for life.”
Other meals on offer at Cucina kitchens this summer include blueberry meringue, raspberryade, Banoffee tubs, Thai tuna salad and Tiramisu pots.
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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 Schools 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 380 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
