Award winning chef and restaurateur Theo Randall will be sharing insights into his favourite kitchen designs and equipment at next month’s Commercial Kitchen trade show, taking place on 7-8 June at the NEC Birmingham.
Randall, a regular guest chef on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of the opening of his eponymous Italian restaurant ‘Theo Randall at the InterContinental’ in London’s Mayfair. Former head chef and partner at The River Café(it was under his direction that the restaurant won its first Michelin Star in 1997), his illustrious career includes consulting for some of Britain best loved Casual Dining brands, including Pizza Express, ASK and Zizzi. His first restaurant in Asia, Theo Mio opened at the InterContinental Bangkok last year.
“Like all chefs I’m really passionate about the kit that make our kitchens work,” says Randall. “Shows like Commercial Kitchen are extremely important, as they show the trade the possibilities within your kitchen. It’s designed to be inspiring but also educational, making it a must visit for anyone in the catering business.”
In his opening day Keynote – Theo Randall on Kitchens – he’ll be discussing the kitchens he’s worked in and helped shape; covering everything from equipment and innovations to systems and efficient designs (3.30pm on Tuesday 7 June).
Randall will also be hosting an exclusive panel session on The Future of Commercial Kitchens (at 4.15pm, following his Keynote). Appearing alongside three young professionals (a designer, chef, and pub operator), who are already making a name for themselves in the industry, he says the session presents “a great opportunity to hear from and celebrate the next generation of stars”.
Randall isn’t the only professional chef lending his specialist expertise to speaker duties at Commercial Kitchen. Previously confirmed big names include Simon Xavier, executive chef – leisure division at The Restaurant Group, Chris Knights, group executive chef at Young’s and Geronimo Pubs, and Peter Woods, exec head chef at The Corinthia London.
“I want my kitchen to be full of the best, most innovative equipment on the market. A dedicated trade show for the catering equipment sector is the ideal arena for my purchasing needs,” says Woods.
“The Commercial Kitchen show represents the opportunity to see the latest developments and innovations in catering equipment under one roof, without having to visit countless suppliers around the country. I’m looking forward to taking lots of exciting ideas back to my kitchen – the ‘engine room’ of our food business,” says Tom Parry, an award winning executive head chef with Jockey Club Catering (Compass Group UK).
“We carefully research the market for kitchen equipment to ensure the quality of product meets the needs of our business. Having a dedicated show enables us to see equipment first hand and meet potential suppliers,” says Matt Ashton, group executive head chef at Hand Picked Hotels.
Commercial Kitchen will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7-8 June at the NEC Birmingham. To register for a free trade pass, please visit www.CommercialKitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code PR1 (direct link: https://registration.n200.com/survey/16xd2hizo1znx?actioncode=PR1).