Restaurants open up their kitchens in a bid to boost recruitment

OPEN Kitchen is a new initiative to encourage aspiring chefs, bakers, patisseries and chocolatiers to discover what it’s like to work in a professional kitchen.

From November 6-12, 300 guest slots will be available in 50 restaurants taking part in this all-Ireland venture that aims to demystify life behind the and boost hospitality recruitment ahead of the busy festive season.

The initiative is fully ed by Chef Network. Launched in 2016, it acts as a professional network for chefs of all levels and sectors. It has a community of 5,000 in its hip and works to professional development for chefs, to improve the industry and positively promote careers for chefs, new to the sector and existing alike.

Participating businesses include such high-profile names in Cork as Elbow Lane, Rare 1784 in Kinsale, Praline in Mitchelstown, and the triumvirate of Trigon Hotels operating across the city: The Metropole, Cork International Hotel, and Cork Airport Hotel.

Participating establishments include hotels, bakeries, cafes, restaurants and bars, allowing participants to choose from the environment they want to trial. Aspiring chefs can sign up for a two to three-hour shift, for a full day or a particular service - breakfast, lunch or dinner service, depending on what is on offer at the business they’d like to experience.

This is the first year of this brand-new initiative, with plans already in place for an expanded annual ‘Open Kitchen Week’ in 2024 and beyond.

Ruth Hegarty, from egg&chicken Food Consultancy, is leading the project for Chef Network.

“Chef Network and many people in the industry do great work to build positive and nurturing work environments in kitchens, but we don’t always see or hear about it, so let’s open up kitchens and show people,” said Ruth.

She says the initiative is for anyone who has considered any kind of kitchen or culinary career.

“Our message is that a career in a professional kitchen could be for anyone; there is such a huge diversity of types of roles and places to work, and there are so many opportunities out there.

“We expect big interest in this, we think people are genuinely interested in knowing what goes on behind the doors of a professional kitchen.”

Registrations for Open Kitchen are up and running, with high expectations that slots will book up fast.

I spoke to three professional chefs working in different facets of the culinary hospitality taking part in Open Kitchen, to find out why the initiative is important for businesses and those aspiring to develop their careers.

Meeran Manzoor, Rare 1784 and The Blue Haven Collection, Kinsale

Rare 1784 is a fine dining experience in the heart of Kinsale, and part of the growing Blue Haven Collection of hotels and restaurants in Cork:

“We have signed up to Open Kitchen because we hope to erase the idea that the kitchen is a hard place to work. We want to make the experience accessible for the public, who want to come, try it out, see what we are doing, and how far the industry has changed.

“Initiatives like this are the need of the hour for the hospitality sector. We have a chance to change the perception about our industry, and of course to find and attract ionate people into the sector.

“Staffing is one of the biggest challenges we face as a hospitality business. Open Kitchen gives us as a restaurant the opportunity to find new people and presents a career path to someone who appreciates and enjoys food. Because of that, Open Kitchen is a great initiative. I truly believe in it as an individual, and The Blue Haven Collection are very excited to be part of this.

“The idea is very fresh and new; I haven’t heard of anything like this in my time in Europe and I strongly believe other neighbouring countries will soon follow our footsteps.”

Norma Kelly, Praline, Mitchelstown

Praline is a successful patisserie business that’s getting ready to move into bigger premises on Lower Cork Street in the heart of Mitchelstown.

“I have been in the catering industry for over 20 years, from working on wash up in a local hotel when I was 17 to now owning my own pastry and chocolate shop,” says Norma.

“Praline specialises in handmade chocolates and pastries, so from a staffing perspective I find it difficult to find staff trained in the area. All my staff have a background in baking, then are trained on the job while working with us, but it’s hard to find people with a real interest in pastry and chocolate.

“I feel it’s important to give people an opportunity to see what possibilities there are in this industry and how rewarding it is when you create a food experience that gives people joy. I hope people who come to our pastry and chocolate production see the value of the skills that can be learned while working in a business like ours.

“It would be great if we came across some people interested in investing time to learn new skills for a new career. Learning is life-long; after 20 years, I still get excited about doing a new chocolate or pastry course!

“If you think the food and catering business is for you, give it a go. It won’t be easy, but then nothing worth achieving is!”

Alexandre Petit, Group Executive Chef, Trigon Hotels

A seasoned professional chef with experience working in some of Cork’s best-loved hotels, his current role with Trigon Hotels means Alex is always looking for talented people to fulfil a variety of roles across three busy Cork hotels.

“We are excited to a collective of ionate industry leaders. We believe in an open policy when it comes to kitchens, something I always preached for a number of years. There is nothing to hide and we invite peers to come and see what we do and exchange so we can both learn from each other.

“Some [things in the industry] will never change, like working weekends and evenings, or pressure during service. But for most of us it’s this feeling of cooking great food and making people happy that keeps us loving what we do.

“We believe our only way to succeed is by working together, the same as we do with our staff.

“Chef Network developed a Kitchen Charter that encapsulates our ethos and values when it comes to our people and shared with new chefs ing our us.

“The industry is changing extremely fast for the right reasons, and this initiative is a great platform to tell people how we are adapting to [achieving] work/life balance, fair kitchens, teamwork and camaraderie.

“Our biggest challenge is retaining staff. While providing a good wage is important, we also believe in investing in our staff in other ways: stages to learn from other properties and mentors, site and supplier visits to understand how our food is produced, a progression plan for each position of the brigade, engaging experts for our staff to learn about food waste, sustainability, food business profitability, etc.

“Open Kitchen will give us the chance to showcase that on a national platform and what we have to offer.”

Chef Network spokesperson, and Culinary Director at Gather & Gather Ireland, Mark Anderson, recognises the scheme for the unique opportunities it provides.

“Those who sign up for [Open Kitchen] will get a very different and rewarding opportunity to work in some of the best restaurants and workplace kitchens in Ireland. They’ll see how professional kitchens operate in a fast-paced exciting environment and highlight the positive industry I love to work in every day.”

To to take part in Open Kitchen, visit: www.chefnetwork.ie/openkitchen2023.