12th April 2013
Spring 2010 - 100 years and counting
The centenary of Westminster Kingsway College’s School of Hospitality marks a milestone in history and it will be an all year round celebration.
The late greats of the last two centuries, Auguste Escoffier, Isidore Salmon and Cesar Ritz would have been proud that the initiative they started with other academics and hospitality representatives to develop a school for professional cookery to revitalise and safeguard the chef profession has succeeded so well.
Established in 1910, Westminster Kingsway College’s School of Hospitality in Vincent Square, London, has gone from strength to strength since its first course was developed. Called the Cookery Technical Day School course, this was soon formulated into the Professional Chef Diploma that is still going strong 100 years later.
Few colleges can boast such an amazing history and therefore the centenary celebrations will last all year. “We are trying to marry functions we would normally have against the backdrop of the centenary so people are aware of our heritage,” says head of culinary arts Gary Hunter. “It’s not just a celebration of what’s happened in the past but also the future.”
These celebrations kicked off in February with a fund raising dinner on behalf of the Gastronomic Society that was launched a year ago. This was put together under the centenary banner for professional chefs and students who have benefited from cultural visits abroad to places such as Barcelona and Paris, as well as a bio dynamic farm in Dorset, and foraging in Wales. Hunter says it’s about stimulating students and not just about learning in the traditional way and working in the kitchen every day.
“Students that signed up for the Gastronomic Society have taken it to heart and can’t get enough,” says Hunter. “We also brought chefs in to work with the students such as Shane Osborn of Pied à Terre and the M25 chef Oliver Rowe.”
He says some functions such as a luncheon on March 9 with “a special guest” will be badged against centenary celebrations, while others will be kept low key. “The centenary is all about recognising the achievements of the college over the last 100 years. We’ll be doffing our toques to Augustus Escoffier and Cesar Ritz for putting together a professional catering school for the industry and taking a moment to see where we have come and how we will move forward to form a formidable team for the next 100 years. We have done our research and can genuinely say we are unique.”
But back in 1910 why did Augustus Escoffier and Cesar Ritz take the steps they did? Was it so hard to get good chefs then, who were committed? Hunter believes it was. “I don’t see any difference between 100 years ago and the same situation we have now. We still have this dearth of young people wanting to come into the industry and staying there. But we are doing a much better job now than years ago with colleges up and down the country sending newly qualified students out.”
Today Westminster Kingsway College is one of the largest further education colleges in central London with bases in Camden and Westminster. The college has about 14,000 students and offers a wide range of further, adult and higher education programmes for people of all ages. It also offers a range of full time and part time courses giving students the opportunity to gain a host of qualifications at different levels that are tailored directly to employment opportunities. Out of that 14,000 there are about 1,000 catering students this year, says Hunter. “Eight years ago it was half that figure.
“The industry is now more willing to work alongside colleges and converse with them to share potential problems on recruitment and skills. It has developed; there are more contract caterers now – the biggest sector, two to three Michelin starred hotels and sports arenas, so we have to be aware we are not supplying students for top hotels and restaurants but a more vast industry. However there is a higher expectation from students that we like to satisfy. For the September intake when you talk to them they want to work with Gordon Ramsay or The Ritz or Heston Blumenthal.
“One hundred years ago we didn’t have superstar chefs on TV. Now we have an industry that looks very accessible and a good choice of career path. Students realise there are long hours and know about the realities of the industry, and before college most will have been working in kitchens somewhere.
“I can only speak for Westminster Kingsway College but the students we get now are better than 10 years ago and certainly better than 20 years ago when I was a student because they are more switched on. It could be because we are in London and they don’t need to go to their local college.”
Hunter says the centenary programme is about looking at the next 100 years and the development of the long term future of Vincent Square. “We realise this is a fantastic space here in a wonderful area in central London but it needs to be maintained with up to date facilities to keep up with the industry.”
The kitchens 100 years ago were fairly basic but could they have been used today? “We possibly could use those kitchens,” says Hunter. “We still have the same dishes. There used to be wood fires that needed to be fired up early to get the kitchen ready. But our students come in at 7.30am to prepare their kitchens too and bag equipment for their sections. There is also new stuff with sous vide and Thermo mixers but we are still using traditional techniques such as straining jus and coulis through muslin and making pomme purée in the
traditional way.”
The college has two restaurants that students can get involved in – The Vincent Rooms and the Escoffier Room. The former is a brasserie that can take 60 covers daily and is open five days a week for lunch, which costs £25 per person. Hunter says everyone eats there from the public and local residents to businessmen and the Government, and he is proud of its reputation. “The restaurant has been featured three times in the national press and it’s the only college to receive recognition from leading critics such as Giles Coren, Toby Young and Fay Maschler.
“Service and food comes exclusively from the students and the chef lecturers. The menu changes daily and all the food is sustainably sourced. The first years handle the food and drink service while the second and third year students cook.”
Hunter says the Escoffier Room is a fine dining restaurant. The 35 seater restaurant opens five days a week for lunch plus Tuesday and Thursday nights for dinner. Second year students are in charge of serving food and drink while third year and professional chef diploma students cook. “We had a review this year from Matthew Norman of The Guardian, and he thought the service was great,” he says.
“The food is modern classical but we still do typical Escoffier dishes such as crêpe suzette. We also have our own ancient silver canard à la presse and, as far as we know, The Ritz has the only other one in the UK. We found it and said we must use it, and the front of house team went to La Tour d’Argent in Paris famous for using one to learn about it and how to use it.”
Hunter says September 27 is the school’s actual birthday but there is lot happening before and after that date involving the students. “We haven’t gone down the old recipe route yet but we will,” says Hunter, adding that there are still people the college can tap into to learn more about the history but probably not much earlier than the ‘50s.
There’s no doubt however that the centenary menus will honour the acclaimed father of modern French cuisine with a classic Escoffier dish or two.
Established in 1910, Westminster Kingsway College’s School of Hospitality in Vincent Square, London, has gone from strength to strength since its first course was developed. Called the Cookery Technical Day School course, this was soon formulated into the Professional Chef Diploma that is still going strong 100 years later.
Few colleges can boast such an amazing history and therefore the centenary celebrations will last all year. “We are trying to marry functions we would normally have against the backdrop of the centenary so people are aware of our heritage,” says head of culinary arts Gary Hunter. “It’s not just a celebration of what’s happened in the past but also the future.”
These celebrations kicked off in February with a fund raising dinner on behalf of the Gastronomic Society that was launched a year ago. This was put together under the centenary banner for professional chefs and students who have benefited from cultural visits abroad to places such as Barcelona and Paris, as well as a bio dynamic farm in Dorset, and foraging in Wales. Hunter says it’s about stimulating students and not just about learning in the traditional way and working in the kitchen every day.
“Students that signed up for the Gastronomic Society have taken it to heart and can’t get enough,” says Hunter. “We also brought chefs in to work with the students such as Shane Osborn of Pied à Terre and the M25 chef Oliver Rowe.”
He says some functions such as a luncheon on March 9 with “a special guest” will be badged against centenary celebrations, while others will be kept low key. “The centenary is all about recognising the achievements of the college over the last 100 years. We’ll be doffing our toques to Augustus Escoffier and Cesar Ritz for putting together a professional catering school for the industry and taking a moment to see where we have come and how we will move forward to form a formidable team for the next 100 years. We have done our research and can genuinely say we are unique.”
But back in 1910 why did Augustus Escoffier and Cesar Ritz take the steps they did? Was it so hard to get good chefs then, who were committed? Hunter believes it was. “I don’t see any difference between 100 years ago and the same situation we have now. We still have this dearth of young people wanting to come into the industry and staying there. But we are doing a much better job now than years ago with colleges up and down the country sending newly qualified students out.”
Today Westminster Kingsway College is one of the largest further education colleges in central London with bases in Camden and Westminster. The college has about 14,000 students and offers a wide range of further, adult and higher education programmes for people of all ages. It also offers a range of full time and part time courses giving students the opportunity to gain a host of qualifications at different levels that are tailored directly to employment opportunities. Out of that 14,000 there are about 1,000 catering students this year, says Hunter. “Eight years ago it was half that figure.
“The industry is now more willing to work alongside colleges and converse with them to share potential problems on recruitment and skills. It has developed; there are more contract caterers now – the biggest sector, two to three Michelin starred hotels and sports arenas, so we have to be aware we are not supplying students for top hotels and restaurants but a more vast industry. However there is a higher expectation from students that we like to satisfy. For the September intake when you talk to them they want to work with Gordon Ramsay or The Ritz or Heston Blumenthal.
“One hundred years ago we didn’t have superstar chefs on TV. Now we have an industry that looks very accessible and a good choice of career path. Students realise there are long hours and know about the realities of the industry, and before college most will have been working in kitchens somewhere.
“I can only speak for Westminster Kingsway College but the students we get now are better than 10 years ago and certainly better than 20 years ago when I was a student because they are more switched on. It could be because we are in London and they don’t need to go to their local college.”
Hunter says the centenary programme is about looking at the next 100 years and the development of the long term future of Vincent Square. “We realise this is a fantastic space here in a wonderful area in central London but it needs to be maintained with up to date facilities to keep up with the industry.”
The kitchens 100 years ago were fairly basic but could they have been used today? “We possibly could use those kitchens,” says Hunter. “We still have the same dishes. There used to be wood fires that needed to be fired up early to get the kitchen ready. But our students come in at 7.30am to prepare their kitchens too and bag equipment for their sections. There is also new stuff with sous vide and Thermo mixers but we are still using traditional techniques such as straining jus and coulis through muslin and making pomme purée in the
traditional way.”
The college has two restaurants that students can get involved in – The Vincent Rooms and the Escoffier Room. The former is a brasserie that can take 60 covers daily and is open five days a week for lunch, which costs £25 per person. Hunter says everyone eats there from the public and local residents to businessmen and the Government, and he is proud of its reputation. “The restaurant has been featured three times in the national press and it’s the only college to receive recognition from leading critics such as Giles Coren, Toby Young and Fay Maschler.
“Service and food comes exclusively from the students and the chef lecturers. The menu changes daily and all the food is sustainably sourced. The first years handle the food and drink service while the second and third year students cook.”
Hunter says the Escoffier Room is a fine dining restaurant. The 35 seater restaurant opens five days a week for lunch plus Tuesday and Thursday nights for dinner. Second year students are in charge of serving food and drink while third year and professional chef diploma students cook. “We had a review this year from Matthew Norman of The Guardian, and he thought the service was great,” he says.
“The food is modern classical but we still do typical Escoffier dishes such as crêpe suzette. We also have our own ancient silver canard à la presse and, as far as we know, The Ritz has the only other one in the UK. We found it and said we must use it, and the front of house team went to La Tour d’Argent in Paris famous for using one to learn about it and how to use it.”
Hunter says September 27 is the school’s actual birthday but there is lot happening before and after that date involving the students. “We haven’t gone down the old recipe route yet but we will,” says Hunter, adding that there are still people the college can tap into to learn more about the history but probably not much earlier than the ‘50s.
There’s no doubt however that the centenary menus will honour the acclaimed father of modern French cuisine with a classic Escoffier dish or two.