Salon Culinaire faces axe from Hospitality Week

The future of Britain's second-largest Salon Culinaire chefs' competition, held every two years at Hospitality Week at the NEC, Birmingham, has been thrown into doubt.

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A competitor at last week's Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia

Show director Claire Finch of organiser Fresh RM has told salon director Peter Griffiths that she wants to drop the salon from next year's event, scheduled for 20-23 January 2003. Fresh RM intends to make Hospitality Week a different show from Hotelympia, which is held in London on alternate years. "We want to take a radical look at the chefs feature at the show and reposition it to give it an interactive business focus that will appeal to all elements of the industry, from fine dining to branded contract catering," said Finch, who confirmed that the Salon Culinaire would remain a major part of Hotelympia in 2004. "We want to differentiate Hospitality Week from Hotelympia by extending the food and drink offering and develop features that will bring in more food and drink buyers as well as chefs." Finch said she had come to her decision after meeting leading food manufacturers who would like to see a broader spectrum of buyers visiting the show. Griffiths, who has been asked by Finch to come up with a new feature for the show, said he was "gutted" by the news. "Having worked on building up the salon at Hospitality Week since 1987 to be the second-largest in the country, I am terribly disappointed to say the least," he said. "It's a body blow." He added: "I feel that such a decision would be letting the industry down and many of the people employed in it, including the competitors and all the companies and associations who have supported it year in, year out. "The industry loves to compete, as Salon Culinaire has proved over many years. Salon certainly enhances the show. I believe it will be a very sad day for Hospitality Week and the industry if there is no salon. I will find it very difficult to replace salon with another feature that will be as successful." Griffiths was hoping for a change of mind at a meeting with Fresh RM due to be held next Wednesday (20 February).