http://news.caterer.comNews from Caterer.comen-gbWed, 30 Jan 2008 13:57:45 GMTCopyright: (C) Totaljobs Group Ltd, see http://www.caterer.com/Contents/Content/TermsAndConditions.html for terms and conditions of reuseCaterer.com - The place for jobs in hospitality
Local jobs are set to be created by the opening of a new 23-bedroom hotel in Neath, South Wales, next month, it has been reported.

According to Big Hospitality, more than 20 hotel jobs are in the offing when the £3 million four-star Blue Bell Hotel launches.

Supervised by general hotel manager Mark Gallagher, the premises will include a restaurant and event and conference facilities.

This project forms part of a bigger regeneration plan for the town, one which development director Dave Daniel of the Centre Great Group calls "exciting" and has already benefited the local economy by employing businesses from the area to assist the process.

Its brasserie La Mancha will also focus on using locally-sourced produce, which will be cooked by head chef Miguel Percero.

The news provider recently said businesses could benefit financially from favouring local and seasonal ingredients rather than imported ones, with celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay raising awareness of the issue in TV programs such as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Hospitality Jobs in South Wales

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The firm has created jobs in the move and will open up the range of opportunities available across the catering industry in the future, as it plans to increase its telesales team, reports the Daily Post.

Gary Taylor, director of Clwyd Refrigeration, told the newspaper the firm was "delighted" to announce its latest progress, after having created two new full-time positions.

"It is an exciting time for our company. We believe extending our product range to supply catering equipment and sundries is a sound decision."

The firm has included new equipment to its range, which was typically refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.

Included in the new line are kitchen knives and cooking ranges.

Clwyd Refrigeration says it guarantees competitiveness as it enjoys an "economy of scale", with the managing director, Robert Taylor, claiming it is about "quality and value-for-money".

Hospitality Jobs in Wales

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/contract-catering/18677503/firm-expands-and-creates-new-positions/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18677503/firm-expands-and-creates-new-positions/Wed, 9 Jul 2008 17:32:43 16JulGMTWalesCaterer.com - The place for jobs in hospitality

Planning permission has been approved for a new budget hotel in Caernarfon in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, with around 45 local jobs in the offing, according to a source.

The 59-bedroom Travelodge will be created at Victoria Dock, which is described as a "prime waterside location" by the Daily Post.

As well as the new hotel making up part of a £27 million development of the area, a restaurant, pub and craft shop will also be created, together with flats, offices and a doctor's surgery.

Caerfarnon's new hotel forms part of the current £69.9 million Travelodge expansion, which will see around seven branches spring up across the country.

Paul Harvey, property director for the organisation, said: "As price and location continue to drive consumer behavior we are seeing customers shift to budget hotel accommodation … [the new development will] make hotels available to more people than ever before."

Travelodge employs around 5,000 staff and attributes the success of its business to its people, therefore seeks "high calibre individuals" during recruitment.

Hospitality Jobs in Wales

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The brainchild of two brothers, Mohammed Ahmed and Abdul, the invention is a concoction of chicken, vanilla and white chocolate, dubbed "the Indian alternative to the battered Mars Bar", according to the Swansea Evening Post.

Proprietors of the Moods Indian Cuisine restaurant in Llanelli, the pair were inspired by the fact chocolate has been used for centuries in savoury dishes and cooking, with Mexico pioneering the exotic chocolate and chilli combination.

Restaurant manager and co-owner Mr Ahmed told the publication: "It is different, which is what we set out to do. We wanted to break away from the old traditional image of Indian cooking and stand out from other restaurants."

The report relates how the two chefs wanted to put their cooking skills to the test and see what the result turned out to be.

An entrepreneur named Willie Harcourt-Coose recently featured on national television for his campaign to open up his own chocolate factory using chocolate sourced from abroad, telling the Telegraph chocolate "can be used in anything from gravy, casseroles and Bloody Mary, to suckling pig".

Hospitality Jobs in Wales

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/restaurant/18655990/chocolate-curry-proves-imagination-goes-a-long-way/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18655990/chocolate-curry-proves-imagination-goes-a-long-way/Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:15:19 16JunGMTWales
A restaurant service student had the recipe for success after winning a prestigious industry competition, reported the Daily Post North Wales.

Robert Povey, 20, of Colwyn Bay won the Skills Competition Wales Restaurant Service Competition after beating three other finalists.

Mr Povey showed off his great social skills and knowledge of food and wine, a display of attributes that could see him gain employment either working as a chef or restaurant manager.

Speaking to the Daily Post North Wales, competition organiser Shyam Patiar, said: "The judges felt that Robert had a natural rapport with customers, was knowledgeable and had the advanced technical skills needed by the very best restaurant staff."

A potential trip to Calgary, Canada is now in the offing as Mr Povey will look to gain a place in the UK team that will take part in the World Skills competition.

Skills Competition Wales aims to promote the importance of developing a workforce with strong vocational and trade skills.

Restaurant jobs in Wales

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The retail giant - which owns both department store brand John Lewis and supermarket chain Waitrose - has bought the Bala Lake Hotel in Bala, north Wales in order to provide its 69,000 staff with a relaxing place to head for a short break.

It has been revealed that 18 hotel jobs will be up-for-grabs when the property opens in December after the completion of refurbishment work.

Lawrence Chapman, general manager for residential clubs and leisure activities, said: "Bala is a fantastic location offering both stunning views and a great range of outdoor activities.

"We're also delighted that the hotel will bring new job opportunities and a steady stream of visitors to the Bala Lake area throughout the year."

Further hospitality jobs could be created in the future, with the Partnership considering improving the golf course and establishing a cyber tag complex, with visitors also within easy reach of the natural attractions of Snowdonia.

The company already owns four subsidised holiday parks for staff located in Berkshire, Brownsea Castle, the Lake District and Hampshire.

Hotel jobs in Gwyndd

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/hotel/18541286/john-lewis-creates-hotel-jobs-in-bala/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18541286/john-lewis-creates-hotel-jobs-in-bala/Tue, 8 Apr 2008 15:17:08 14AprGMTWales
Under the law, businesses such as pubs, bars and restaurants must be smoke-free and have a duty to prevent people from lighting up while inside.

Bikram Pattniak, a barman at the Steam Bar in Cardiff, told the South Wales Echo that the ban had helped him cut down on the amount he smokes and had made a difference to his health and that of his colleagues.

"People are starting to realise about the health implications. People get motivation to give up because of all the other people giving up around them."

"Before the ban, people working there were getting colds quite regularly. I used to get them all the time," he said.

Daniel Clayton, a spokesman for Action on Smoking and Health Wales, said that the rules benefit pub workers, such as those employed in pub manager roles, as well as the public.

"The air quality in pubs and clubs has increased massively since the ban.

"This means that not only customers are breathing cleaner air but also bar staff and other workers are not breathing in deadly toxic second-hand smoke."

Pub and bar jobs in Wales

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/pub-bar/18537309/smoking-ban-boosts-health-of-bar-staff-/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18537309/smoking-ban-boosts-health-of-bar-staff-/Fri, 4 Apr 2008 13:23:36 12AprGMTWaleshotel manager has opened up at the trendy St David's Hotel & Spa in Cardiff, it has been revealed.

The Western Mail reports that general manager Tim Price has left his job at the 132-room, five-star property near Mermaid Quay after seven months at the hotel.

Mr Price is an experienced manager who has worked at the Angel Hotel in Cardiff as well as Thistle properties in London and the Bristol Marriott Royal.

A spokesman for St David's told the newspaper: "We can confirm that Tim Price has left the company and that we currently have an interim [general manager] in place while a permanent appointment is made."

Whoever eventually takes on the role looks set to be ministering to the needs of an exclusive clientele, with past guests including singer Charlotte Church, Dr Who actress Billie Piper and pop star Kylie Minogue.

The hotel also hosts an array of business and private events, including the civil partnership ceremony of West End leading man John Barrowman.

Hotel jobs in Cardiff

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/hotel/18505647/cardiff-hotel-searching-for-new-manager/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18505647/cardiff-hotel-searching-for-new-manager/Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:04:47 12MarGMTWaleschef who can make the tastiest lunchtime meal for children using Welsh beef has been launched.

Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is inviting people to create a main course using beef and a delicious dessert in order to be in with the chance of winning the title of Welsh Beef School Cook 2008 and win a family holiday at a hotel in Wales.

Writing in the Western Mail, Gwyn Howells, chief executive of HCC, said: "We are calling on school cooks across Wales to unleash their culinary creativity and develop a balanced school meal."

She added that the judges would be assessing the dishes on a range of factors, including the preparation techniques used, taste and composition.

Those interested in taking part can obtain application forms from their local authority catering manager.

Last year, the Welsh Assembly highlighted the key role contract catering firms are set to play in a scheme designed to improve school food, commenting that caterers "are central to the success of the whole initiative and it is vital that their skills and expertise are fully utilised".

Contract catering jobs in Wales

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/contract-catering/18485129/catering-competition-launches-in-wales/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18485129/catering-competition-launches-in-wales/Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:55:06 11FebGMTWales
Simon Wright, one of the owners of Carmarthenshire restaurant Y Polyn and a consultant for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares television series, told the Western Mail that the last few years have seen more quality produce come on to the market, something that food service providers have responded too.

"The hospitality trade is a showcase for these things, especially to visitors from outside Wales.

"We know that when people come to us from London they want to eat local stuff…they want distinctive local food and drink."

As a former editor of the AA Restaurant Guide, Mr Wright said he had dined at thousands of eateries across the country and has "no doubt that the raw materials available in Wales are up there with the best".

Welsh food is set to be celebrated in April at the Mid Wales Mouthful food festival, with chef Anthony Worrall Thompson telling the Western Mail he thought it would be "a fantastic foodie event".

Restaurant jobs in Wales

]]>http://news.caterer.com/article/view/restaurant/18483083/hospitality-industry-showcases-regional-food/http://news.caterer.com/article/view/18483083/hospitality-industry-showcases-regional-food/Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:32:16 11FebGMTWales