100 years and counting

3rd March 2010, 11:28am

The centenary of Westminster Kingsway College's School of Hospitality marks a milestone in history and it will be an all year round celebration. Sheila Eggleston reports.

The late greats of the last two centuries, Auguste Escoffier, Isidore Salmon and Cesar Ritz would have been proud that the initiative they started with other academics and hospitality representatives to develop a school for professional cookery to revitalise and safeguard the chef profession has succeeded so well.

Established in 1910, Westminster Kingsway College's School of Hospitality in Vincent Square, London, has gone from strength to strength since its first course was developed.

Called the Cookery Technical Day School course, this was soon formulated into the Professional Chef Diploma that is still going strong 100 years later.

Few colleges can boast such an amazing history and therefore the centenary celebrations will last all year. "We are trying to marry functions we would normally have against the backdrop of the centenary so people are aware of our heritage," says head of culinary arts Gary Hunter. "It's not just a celebration of what's happened in the past but also the future."

The celebrations kicked off in February with a fundraising dinner on behalf of the Gastronomic Society that was launched a year ago.

This was for professional chefs and students who have benefited from cultural visits to places such as Barcelona and Paris, as well as a bio dynamic farm in Dorset, and foraging in Wales.

Hunter says it's about stimulating students and not just about learning in the traditional way and working in the kitchen every day.

"Students that signed up for the Gastronomic Society have taken it to heart and can't get enough," says Hunter. "We also brought chefs in to work with the students such as Shane Osborn of Pied à Terre and the M25 chef Oliver Rowe."

He says some functions such as a luncheon on March 9 with "a special guest" will be badged against centenary events, while others will be low key.

"The centenary is all about recognising the achievements of the college over the last 100 years. We'll be doffing our toques to Augustus Escoffier and Cesar Ritz for putting together a professional catering school for the industry, and taking a moment to see where we have come and how we will move forward to form a formidable team for the next 100 years. We have done our research and can genuinely say we are unique."

But why did Escoffier and Ritz start the school? Was it so hard to get good chefs then? Hunter believes it was.

"I don't see any difference between 100 years ago and the situation we have now. We still have this dearth of young people wanting to come into the industry and staying there. But we are doing a much better job now."

Today Westminster Kingsway College is one of the largest further education colleges in central London with bases in Camden and Westminster.

It has 14,000 students and offers further, adult and higher education programmes, both full and part time. There are currently 1,000 catering students enrolled, double the number eight years ago.

"The industry is now more willing to work alongside colleges and converse with them to share potential problems on recruitment and skills. It has developed; there are more contract caterers now – the biggest sector, two to three Michelin starred hotels and sports arenas, so we have to be aware we are not supplying students for top hotels and restaurants but a more vast industry. However there is a higher expectation from students that we like to satisfy. For the September intake when you talk to them they want to work with Gordon Ramsay, The Ritz or Heston Blumenthal.

"One hundred years ago we didn't have superstar chefs on TV. Now we have an industry that looks very accessible and a good choice of career path. Students realise there are long hours and know about the realities of the industry, and before college most will have worked in kitchens.

"I can only speak for Westminster Kingsway College but the students we get now are better than 10 years ago and certainly better than 20 years ago when I was a student because they are more switched on."

Hunter says the centenary programme is about looking at the next 100 years and the development of Vincent Square. "We realise this is a fantastic space here in a wonderful area in central London but it needs to be maintained with up to date facilities to keep up with the industry."

The kitchens 100 years ago were fairly basic but could they have been used today? "We possibly could use those kitchens," says Hunter.

"We still have the same dishes. There used to be wood fires that needed to be fired up early to get the kitchen ready. But our students come in at 7.30am to prepare their kitchens too and bag equipment for their sections. There is also new stuff with sous vide and Thermo mixers but we are still using traditional techniques such as straining jus and coulis through muslin and making pomme purée in the traditional way."

The college has two restaurants that students can get involved in – The Vincent Rooms and the Escoffier Room. The former is a brasserie that can take 60 covers daily, open five days a week for lunch, which costs £25 per person.

Hunter says everyone eats there from the public and local residents to businessmen and the Government, and he is proud of its reputation.

"The restaurant has been featured three times in the national press and it's the only college to receive recognition from leading critics such as Giles Coren, Toby Young and Fay Maschler.

"Service and food comes exclusively from students and chef lecturers. The menu changes daily and all the food is sustainably sourced. The first years handle the food and drink service while second and third year students cook."

Hunter says the Escoffier Room is a 35-seat fine dining restaurant, open five days a week. Second year students are in charge of serving food and drink while third year and professional chef diploma students cook. "We had a review this year from Matthew Norman of The Guardian, and he thought the service was great," he says.

"The food is modern classical but we still do typical Escoffier dishes such as crêpe suzette. We also have our own ancient silver canard à la presse and, as far as we know, The Ritz has the only other one in the UK.

"We found it and said we must use it, and the front of house team went to La Tour d'Argent in Paris famous for using one to learn about it and how to use it."

Hunter says September 27 is the school's actual birthday but a lot is happening before and after that date involving the students. "We haven't gone down the old recipe route yet but we will," he says.

There's no doubt however that the menus will honour the father of modern French cuisine with a classic Escoffier dish or two.