Letters

That'll do nicely - wherever you are

IN RESPONSE to Patricia Lîsel's letter commenting on American Express's support for London-based events and, in particular, London Restaurant Week (Caterer, 27 May, page 20), I would like to point out that this kind of support is not, as suggested, exclusive to London.

American Express is committed to a wide range of activities across the UK to support its restaurant merchants.

In 1998 we launched Behind Closed Doors, a comprehensive guide to restaurants with private dining facilities. Aimed at our corporate card members, it has become one of our most requested brochures.

For the past 13 years American Express has supported the prestigious Young Chef/Young Waiter Award, and recently became a patron supplier of the award's organiser, the Restaurant Association of Great Britain.

The company also sponsors the Drambuie Scottish Chefs National Centre, which provides education and training for Scotland's budding chefs.

Aside from these activities, we have supported a number of education and training initiatives for the industry across the country.

Beverley Hoyle

Head of travel and entertainment (UK),

American Express Services Europe,

London SW1.

Familiarity rules remain a mister-y

A COUPLE of years ago I wrote to Caterer on the subject of first-name terms. As a 50-something hotelier I expressed dismay at being addressed by my first name by an unknown telesales youth trying to sell me something.

The other day I took a call promoting my local equipment hire company. After the initial spiel, he said "Do you mind if I call you Eric?"

"No," I said, "What's your name?"

"Mr Wilkinson," he said!

Eric Marsh

Cavendish Hotel,

Derbyshire.

young talent is refreshing…

AFTER reading Martin Cheeseman's letter (Caterer, 1 July, page 20), I feel I must congratulate the magazine in putting someone on the front cover other than the normal clique of London chefs. It is very refreshing that there is an awareness of younger talent.

We are short enough of chefs in the industry without knocking the ones who are starting off and show a bit of enthusiasm.

Mr Cheeseman's comments show the real "sorry state" of the industry, by undermining someone to whom younger people may relate and may be the reason they join the industry.

Nigel Maud

Managing Director,

Lea Manor Hotel & Restaurant,

Shropshire.

…and makes the industry ‘sexy'

I HAVE to disagree with Martin Cheeseman when he says Caterer should not feature young chefs such as Jamie Oliver on the front cover.

In the wider world, Oliver is seen as a young achiever, someone who has achieved cult status at a very early age.

He has helped to make being a chef sexy and what better way to encourage young (and impressionable) people into this industry than for one of its young icons to say how happy he is to be a chef?

I hope he goes further in his media work as long as he stays a working chef. Let's have Oliver as a centrefold in Cosmopolitan!

Compared with some of the nightmare television programmes on the life of a chef we have seen in the past couple of years, I would say Oliver is exactly the image we want to portray, rather than some of the semi-retired chefs of this industry.

If we could also get a young waiter who was portrayed on television as having a sexy job, we might start to go some way to reversing the public perception of restaurant service as being something for foreigners and wimps. The Naked Waiter is what this industry needs.

Let us not forget that this is a young industry. Keep the number of grey beards and bald heads on the cover of Caterer to the absolute minimum.

Susan Hastey

High Green,

Sheffield.

confusion over working times

MAY I point out that there are errors in one of your recent fact boxes on the Working Time Directive ("Flower arrangements", Caterer, 24 June, page 29).

You say that staff may work no longer than 48 hours a week. This is incorrect, both because the limitation is on an average 48 hours over a reference period of, normally, 17 weeks, and because employees can agree to opt out of the limitation.

Also, it is not invariably the case that staff may work no longer than 13 hours a day.

Your confusion illustrates the poor drafting and hurried implementation of the regulations.

David Potts

Human Resources Director,

City Centre Restaurants (UK) Limited,

London WC2.

curry day charity raises £26,000

HAVING attended the recent second annual National Curry Day cheque presentation in London, where the £26,000 raised was handed over to the Mother and Child and the Prince's Trust charities, I would like to thank the public for their help and support.

Ethnic food is now one of the biggest and fastest-growing food markets in Europe.

Every year people come up with new products and innovative ideas that give this spectacular event a global and international identity.

Most importantly, though, we must not forget that the money raised all goes to charity.

Manish Sood

Stoneygate,

Leicester.