Paul Spruce appointed as head chef at Rotherham's Carlton Park hotel
Paul Spruce has been appointed as head chef of Carlton Kitchen at Rotherham's Carlton Park hotel.
Spruce will be responsible for overseeing a team of eight chefs, and has designed a new menu to offer a taste of Yorkshire to guests. He will work with local suppliers, and teach kitchen staff the art of butchery and fish preparation to make the best of the region's produce.
Almost 90% of produce employed on the menu will travel less than 50 miles from gate to plate.
Spruce trained under Andrew Turner at the Exclusive Hotels group before landing his first job as head chef at the Mercure Sheffield St Pauls hotel in 2011. He launched his own catering company in 2015, PTS Catering, which specialised in private dining.
Jason Gossop, sales manager at Carlton Park hotel, said: "Like every hotel, the kitchen and restaurant is the jewel in the crown of our offering. Paul brings with him lots of energy, drive and experience and through the efforts he has already made, we've been able to support a number of new local producers and farmers. Paul's first new menu reflects this commitment, placing seasonal produce and fresh ingredients at the heart of the hotel's food offering.
"Last year saw Carlton Park celebrate its 35th anniversary and to coincide with the celebration we wanted to launch a brand new menu offering a range of dishes created using fresh locally sourced fish, 100% Yorkshire beef and seasonal specials from warm, hearty soups for the colder, winter months to healthy and refreshing salads.
Spruce added: "Joining the hotel is an exciting new challenge. I've inherited a good team around me who share my passion and fondness for creativity and although I've only been at Carlton Park for just a short period of time, I've been made to feel very welcome.
"The new menu I have developed celebrates the best of all things Yorkshire, but perhaps equally importantly I'm helping to pass on the knowledge and expertise I have learned during my career to the next generation. Skills like fish preparation and butchery are vital to producing high quality dishes and because every dish is cooked fresh from scratch, it means that special dietary requirements can easily be accommodated."
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