Diary date – 22 June: National KP Day
“Helping caterers shine and customers dine!” Celebrate the role of kitchen porters and help raise £1,000 for the Springboard Charity
On June 22 2015, the catering industry will be able to celebrate the people whose work makes kitchens tick across the UK: kitchen porters. The day is also an opportunity to raise up to £1,000 for Springboard, the charity that helps disadvantaged people find work in the catering industry.
KPs are the people who clean the kitchen, clear the clutter and help prepare food. They fix, mend, slice, dice… in short, they do the work – often dirty – that allows operators, managers, chefs and waiters to shine, and customers to dine.
“It’s time to give KPs the recognition and respect they deserve,” says Stephen Kinkead, managing director of Winterhalter UK, who thought of National KP Day. “A day in their honour is a way to highlight the fantastic work they do.”
Leading chefs have put on record their attitude towards the importance of the KP:
“We all know that the KP is probably one of the most important roles of the kitchen,” – Marcus Wareing.
“A good kitchen porter is priceless,” – Emily Watkins.
“The kitchen porter is an integral part of any kitchen,” – Tom Kitchin.
“I have been known to say, ‘if a chef fights with a kitchen porter, one of them will have to go. And it probably won’t be the kitchen porter,’” – Brian Turner, CBE
National KP Day is an opportunity to thank KPs for their work. It’s also a way to raise money for charity: Winterhalter is asking chefs and managers to tweet photos of their KPs, with the hashtag #kpday – for each of the first 1,000 photos tweeted, Winterhalter will donate £1 to the Springboard charity.
The photos will also be uploaded to a gallery on the KP of the Year Awards website, www.kpoftheyear.com.
For more information on Springboard visit http://charity.springboard.uk.net