Vision and Winterhalter managing directors go back to the kitchen floor to launch 2014 competition
To promote the 2014 Kitchen Porter of the Year competition, Winterhalter managing director Stephen Kinkead persuaded Jack Sharkey, chair of CEDA and managing director of Vision Commercial Kitchens, to join him for a shift as a KP in one of London’s busiest restaurants, at Fortnum and Mason.
There’s a video of their exploits on YouTube, but Jack’s plaintive cry halfway through his lunchtime ordeal, “When do we get a break?” will bring a tear to the eye of even the hardest-hearted foodservice professional. Especially if they’ve ever worked in a kitchen. Especially if they were ever a KP.
The KP of the Year competition celebrates the contribution KPs make to the foodservice industry. Sydney Aldridge, executive chef at Fortnum and Mason, while less than complimentary about Jack and Stephen’s efforts, was quick to confirm the importance of a good KP. “They play a crucial role,” he says. “Without them we’re not going to provide the service for the customer. No chef can work without clean pots and pans. Being a KP is a great place to start a career in the kitchen – if they have the passion for it, they can be successful.”
The 2014 KP of the Year competition is now open and the prizes are better than ever. The winning KP receives £1,000 cash, plus a celebratory meal for up to 12 of their family and friends, in a casual dining restaurant of their choice. The winner’s establishment gets a prize, too, in the shape of one of Winterhalter’s new DeMatik ‘greener and cleaner’ undercounter warewashers, worth up to £8,000.
To enter and find out more, check out www.kpoftheyear.com, where visitors will also be able to view the video. The closing deadline is Friday August 1st.