1^st February 2012

We are into the second month of the year 2012 and at twenty past ten on a bright, slightly blustery Wednesday morning, I am in the office looking to get a few words down.

It is still a very strong employers’ market and with Easter Sunday not falling until the 8^th of April this year, it may remain a strong employers’ market for a few weeks yet.

The implications of this for head chefs are that every head chef job, including seasonal ones in rural Scotland, is attracting a good amount of high quality applicants. Sous chef jobs, which historically are very difficult to fill, are attracting several good quality applicants with the exception of two to three AA Rosette fine dining jobs, which are gathering applicants, but not with the desired two to three AA Rosette backgrounds.

Chef de partie and commis chef jobs are also getting quite a number of good applicants from more junior chefs.    

At the bottom of our list sits a receptionist job which we have advertised on caterer.com where we have a block amount of adverts for the month. With a fully staffed up office here, we may have to diversify a little in the quieter periods if we are to be able to justify ourselves financially. We have just bought a shop (well almost bought) down in Well Street here in Moffat, which we will look to rent out, but may move into retail if needs be. “Moffat Montage” or “Moffat Mosaics” are my preferred names and mid-market prints at reasonable prices….it may not come to that just yet.

Out and About

I was in doing the Saturday morning shift Saturday past and the amount of relief chefs that we have out had risen quite steeply for the time of year to 15, which is way short of the 50 who work the length and breadth of Scotland via Chefs In Scotland in the summer.

Tim Morris is becoming a bit of a fixture at The Lake Hotel, Port of Menteith working alongside head chef Mark De Freitas and another person with a Skye connection Laura Milne who took the sous chef position via an advert on our website a couple of months back. Many thanks Tim and hopefully 2012 will be a good year for you and The Lake Hotel who are still recruiting for a permanent chef.

Rene La Barre from the Netherlands is working for a week on relief at Cringletie at Peebles Hotel alongside well known French chef Patrick Bardoulet who held 3AA Rosettes at The Horseshoe in Peebles. We met Rene a couple of weeks back, a very well-spoken young man. Johanna Watson, Relief Chef Manageress will touch base with Cringletie later on today to see if Rene is staying put for a while.

Scott Bolton continues to work away at The Silloth Golf Hotel (which is in England but there is a recession on and we will diversify as we must!)  whilst the General Manager interviews the good stream of head chef candidates who have applied via our own website and also through www.caterer.com

I interrupt Out and About at the bequest of my legal friend from down the road and will just for the one week resurrect the much missed

“Shirker of the Week”  

Freddie Churchman at The Alt Na Hara Hotel

We placed Mr Churchman at the said hotel in July 2010 for a 3 day placement and we were disappointed to be sent in his CV some nine months later stating that he had worked at the hotel as a head chef since July 2010. We were not notified by said hotel that Mr Churchman had returned as is their legal obligation if the period is within nine months.

Alt Na Hara is some way north of Moffat (try 300 miles) and where to proceed with legal matters via the small claims facility at the Sheriff Courts, where we have had mixed success since leaving Portree on Skye, is a question.

We could write the amount off as a bad debt or pursue through whatever legal options remain to us.        

Chefs In Scotland chef of the year Alan MacPherson drove from Peebles to Alt na Hara last year for 3 days’ work, slept in his car and did breakfast. It took Alt Na Hara Hotel over two months to pay Alan for his three day work stint.

Back to Out and About

Shame when the minority spoil the part for the majority as the phone rings!

Graham “Top Dog” Smith is currently also in Peebles, maybe we should be www.chefsinpeebles.co.uk working at The Hydro and will hopefully get some much needed practise for the golf completion which will take place again this year at Moffat Golf Club in early October. Welcome back on board Graham and please feel free to write some more thoughts of being “on the road mid recession” or “Employment versus self-employment” as seen through the eyes of someone who is still working in a kitchen as opposed to sitting in an office like I do!

Michael Njoroge from Kenya via Perth is over at Lundin Links at the Old Manor and will be, l certainly suspect getting on very very well as he does wherever he goes. Many thanks Michael and hopefully we may catch up this year for some goat curry which I am keen to sample.

Andy Nunn, who we have yet to meet works over at Davvi Arctic Lodge, which again is not in Scotland, residing somewhere close to the Northern Lights in Finland. I hope it is going well over there Andy working alongside Stuart Noble from Peterhead and Ryan Wright who placed the advert with us.

Chris Wright is getting on well alongside Ewan Kean at the Inn at Lathones as they recruit for a sous chef position on a permanent basis. Again, not met Chris, although I did work with his father Joe some years back at Portsonachan on Loch Awe, was it really fifteen years back? Many thanks Chris.

Ian Telford on Bute, John Henry at Royal Troon, Stuart MacColl and Dieter Rollauer up at the Waterside in Peterhead, that is about it for those we are charging for yet (up to 8 weeks since you ask!)

Permanent Head Chef Recruitment

I am looking into modifying the ways that we recruit for permanent head chefs. Be interested in hearing anyone’s thoughts.

Head chef Recruitment ways

Chefs In Scotland Advert  £100

on our website where for £100 plus VAT you have all details of your job advertised live on our website for 3 weeks and applicants apply directly to you. You may email us applicants names and we can pass over any references on our system, but we cannot pass comment on any of the applicants.

Chefs In Scotland Premier. £800

We advertise the position on both our website, www.chefsinscotland.co.uk and www.caterer.com and sift applicants, interview them at our offices in Moffat and suggest a short list of a maximum of three applicants to you and will advise on our preferred choice and give reasons . Cost is £800 plus VAT when you employ a chef. A deposit of £100 is taken and will be deducted from the £800, this deposit is not returnable. You are invited to meet Michael Tough, company director at our offices to discuss the position.

Chefs In Scotland First Class. £500

 We advertise the position on our website and caterer.com, do searches on our database and pass over relevant candidates as we see it. We arrange any interviews for the chefs with you, should you employ a chef, the fee is £500 plus VAT.

You can do Chefs In Scotland advert and First Class if you pay in advance for your advert.

OK, think that will do for now as we huddle through the recession.

Many thanks for your continued support

Michael in Moffat