Table Talk
All aboard for a restaurant plug Good to see Jean-Christophe Novelli hasn't lost his food roots. The media-hungry French chef made a personal appearance at the, erm, Southampton Boat Show this week. The connection? A look at his marketing blurb will surely help. "Jean-Christophe was voted the fifth most alluring man in the world by Harpers & Queen magazine". Really? And the boats? "Jean-Christophe was also voted the World's Sexiest Chef by the New York Times". Hmm, ok, but Southampton? We are eventually told that he's setting up his A Touch of Novelli eaterie down there. Ladies, let's hope it floats your boat.
Didn't do the car batteries much good, though How's this for a bit of quick thinking? The Hinckley Island hotel in Leicestershire was recently plunged into darkness when its power lines came down. GM Paul Harnedy, fresh into the role, was a bit stuck when he realised there weren't enough candles to go round. Never fear, though: a bit of nifty parking plus a bar with generous windows meant a row of car headlights was able to provide enough light to allow a sing-along into the wee hours. Understandably Harnedy is now pondering a £200,000 back-up generator. As it'll be the venue for a care home catering conference later this month, the mind boggles at the prospect of another blackout.
Toner's £2m poser… or is it a no-brainer? First it was an unlikely tie-up with Jerry Brand at Host, then it was a comfy leather chair in the Compass boardroom. The list of potential jobs that former Aramark UK chief exec Bill Toner was going to take on his comeback to the contract catering world went on and on. But the rumour-mongering may have all been in vain. Although he once seriously pondered a move to Host as commercial director, latest reports suggest Toner may be thinking of hanging up his apron for good and retiring. What will the gossips do now? Speculate on the size of his Aramark payoff? With a figure like £2m floating around, a return to the hurly-burly of the staff canteen could now seem a tad unappetising.
