On 22-23 January, the foodservice and hospitality industry will gather at the NEC Birmingham for the Foodservice Show and the Professional Kitchen Show. Lisa Jenkins tells us more
The final speakers have been announced and the show promises an exciting line-up of leading voices on the Spotlight Stage. Topics to be discussed will range from this year's food trends to reducing food waste, while magical experiences will be 20created in the hospitality theatre.
Starting on 22 January, the Spotlight Stage first poses the issue of staff turnover in the hospitality industry, drawing upon the expertise of Nikki Kelly (senior director, Springboard), Rakesh Nair (head chef, Cinnamon Club), Tony Sophoclides (strategic affairs director, UKHospitality) and Antony Woodcock (chief executive, Gig to Gig).
The ‘Bricks and mortar: the future of street food?' session will ask what's next for street food and hear panellists discuss the reasons why street food has become so popular, as well as their expectations for the future of casual dining.
On the second day of the show, The Catererâs editor, Chris Gamm, and Jan Matthews, chief operating officer at Smart Group, will sit down for âThe Big Interviewâ. Matthews will share her dynamic approach to business, revealing how she managed a team of 22,000 to deliver catering for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
When to visit
When
Tuesday 22 January 10:00-17:00
Wednesday 23 January 10:00-17:00
Where
NEC Birmingham, North Avenue Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1NT
TicketsÂ
www.foodserviceshow.co.uk
www.professionalkitchenshow.co.uk
Kitchenology in partnership with CESA
Transformative technology brings you into the kitchen of the future, with leading equipment manufacturers including Hoshiziaki UK, Rational, Falcon and Winterhalter showcasing the best of smart kitchen gadgets. Kitchenology provides a brilliant opportunity to network, discover new innovations and see how they can boost business efficiency and sustainability.
The Covered Market
Discover new products and support local, artisanal suppliers in the showâs new 2019 feature, the Covered Market. Its stalls will be stocked high with delicious baked goods, fresh vegetables, dairy, fresh fish, butchery and herbs, spices and pulses.
It will be a brilliant opportunity to hear stories from artisan producers and growers, sample fresh, high-quality UK ingredients and learn how they can enhance professional menus. Artisan suppliers featured at this yearâs show include Dorset-based producer BV Dairy, farmer-owned dairy co-operative First Milk, and organic beef farm Lower Hurst Organic.
Products â" equipment
BGL Rieber will show its new K-Pot, an electric chafing dish with precise temperature control for food warming and cooking.
Stand 419
Menu Shop Europe will display its new Flex Menus and Titan Cut Out Plus menu cases.
Stand 300
Charvetâs Split Griddle is perfect for restaurant chains that need versatile equipment to cook a wide menu from a small footprint.
Stand 117
Falcon and Williams share stand 530 and together the two equipment suppliers will be demonstrating the latest additions to their ranges. The new Falcon E9941 flexi pan for the F900 range is a multifunctional unit that is just 400mm wide. It is capable of shallow-frying, stewing, poaching, braising, boiling, griddling and steaming with the optional tray and lid accessory.
Stand 530
 T&G Woodware has launched a new range of products called Ocean, including boards, coasters, baskets and trivets, inspired by a love of the sea.
Stand 440
Rational will demonstrate its multifunctional cooking solutions: the VarioCookingCenter and SelfCookingCenter models. The models provide solutions for even the most compact kitchen, where the VarioCookingCenter combines a fryer, kettle, griddle, bratt pan, pressure cooker and tilting pan in one unit, saving up to 30% of space in the kitchen.
Stand 310
Visitors can expect to see Williams equipment, including the meat ageing cabinet, and an expanded range of Gem Multidecks with the launch of the Scarlet, the companyâs first heated grab-and-go unit. The latest Williams chefâs drawer will also be on display, available as either a fridge or a freezer and designed to be situated under cooking appliances.
Stand 530
â¢Â Other exhibitors include: Apetito, Birchall Tea, Charvet, Clearwater Seafoods (Europe), Compass Group, Dawn Foods, Eat Real, Eco Burner, Essential Cuisine, Häagen-Dazs, Joe & Sephâs Gourmet Popcorn, Katsouris Brothers, Orchard Farm Sausages, Rubis Chocolate Wine, Tenuta Marmorelle, the Penny Loaf Co, Valentine, Wensleydale Creamery and Wickedly Welsh Chocolate.
Products â" food
Mars Foodservice is showcasing the latest on-trend flavour in the Uncle Benâs ready-to-use foodservice sauce range, katsu curry.
Stand 1154
Dejong Cheeseâs Cheese Crumbles are perfect for salads, pizza and pasta dishes and even desserts.
Stand 1020
Visitors to stand 1030 will be one of the first to sample the new Thorntons Luxury Chocolate Powder. Made with Thorntons chocolate recipe and containing milk powder, caterers simply need to add water. There will also be a chef at the stand serving up Nutella-inspired recipes using the Nutella 1kg piping bag.
Stand 1030
Essential Cuisine is giving visitors the very first glimpse of its newly unveiled, refreshed brand identity at the show. The new brand includes a new strapline: âOur passion, your creationâ.
The newest addition to its sauce collection is a lobster concentrated sauce base, a rich and flavourful base with hints of tomato, aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices.
Stand 941
Salon Culinaire
The biggest chef competition of 2019 will showcase up-and-coming chefs demonstrating new skills and techniques with creative dishes.
The Live Theatre, in partnership with Compass Group, will dish up two days of back-to-back competitions, including the Major Series Final 2019, in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, the Dolmio & Uncle Benâs Foodservice Student Catering Challenge, the Nutella Chef Challenge, and the Oriental Dish, in partnership with Wing Yip and the British Culinary Federation.
The Tilda Young Chef of the Year competition is about supporting and celebrating the next generation of talent and helping them to understand the role rice can play on menus. Chefs will prepare, cook and present two portions of a course using rice as the main ingredient in a 30-minute class.
The Skills Theatre in partnership with Santa Maria is dedicated to helping chefs at the beginning of their careers. Through a range of cold live competitions, young chefs will get to practice essential skills for career progression. New for 2019, watch the introduction of the Skills Theatre masterclasses taught by experts Ruth Hansom (winner of BBCâs Million Pound Menu and the first female winner of Young National Chef of the Year), and Leo Kattou (Simpsons restaurant in Birmingham, BCF Chef of the Year finalist and MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finalist).