Trainee Chefs Keep Their Cool

Staying cool under pressure is a key skill that chefs learning their craft need to develop.  For the catering and hospitality students training at Derby College, there could be no better example of that than the suite of equipment installed by Precision Refrigeration.

September 2009 saw the opening of new purpose-built £2.5m catering facilities at Derby, one of the largest further education colleges in the UK. The catering department is just part of the new Roundhouse campus on Pride Park in the city centre, a flagship development for Derby College.

The Grade II-listed Roundhouse with its associated buildings has the capacity for 170 full and part time catering and hospitality students.

Along with the training operation, which includes a working restaurant trading as the Engine Shed, the development has two commercial food operations – the Roundhouse Restaurant and the Grab & Go food-court style, quick service operation.

To ensure that ingredients are stored in peak condition, and the thousands of snacks and meals served each week meet the highest possible standards of quality and freshness, the college has installed equipment from Precision Refrigeration across the catering facilities on the Roundhouse Site.

The 15 fridges and freezers were commissioned through Chesterfield-based Catering Projects Group, which worked with Derby College specifying all catering equipment for the Pride Park development.

Tony Bates, Estates Operations Manager for Derby College, worked with David Main from Catering Projects Group.  Tony says:  “As well as service periods in the restaurants, there is constant training and tuition taking place with students. The ingredients have to be kept fresh until they’re ready for use, and the dishes they prepare have to be kept in peak condition so tutors can evaluate them, as well as for customers at the Engine Shed.”

Tony adds:  “At the same time as the Roundhouse development opened, we changed our contract caterers. So, it was even more important that the equipment installed was efficient and reliable to ensure that there was no impact on service during the changeover.”

The main Roundhouse Restaurant trades from 8am to 8pm every day, and can serve up to 1000 customers a day. In addition, the industrial architecture makes it a prestigious function venue, with up to 450 guests dining at such events, which take place through the week and at weekends.

“There is a heavy workload at the Roundhouse, and again service and presentation standards are important,” says Tony.  “For function catering, refrigeration is very important when hundreds of guest need to be served three or more courses.” Chilled dishes such as starters and desserts can be prepared before service.

The Grab & Go restaurant in the Stephenson Building is used by students and staff from the college for snack-style meals such as jacket potatoes and paninis.

“The food and service has to be quick, efficient and to a high standard,” says Tony, “Ready made food, such as paninis and desserts, has to be kept in perfect condition.”

To contact Precision Refrigeration click here, or email sales@precision-refrigeration.co.uk.

For more information on Derby College visit www.derby-college.ac.uk. For more information on the Catering Projects Group call 08445 4585002 or visit www.cateringprojectsgroup.com