Fuller’s Chefs Cook for the Community
On 9 November chefs taking part in the Fuller’s Chefs’ Guild Level Three Scholarship Programme cooked at Refettorio Felix at St Cuthbert's, a drop-in centre and community kitchen in Earl’s Court that uses surplus ingredients to provide lunch for people in need – including rough sleepers, homeless and people with mental health and substance misuse problems.
Fuller’s Catering Trainer, Craig Parsons, said: “We wanted to get involved with a community project and thought this was a great way for team members to give back, while also providing the chefs with learning and development opportunities. It’s something we would like to do much more often.”
Fifteen Fuller’s chefs helped with the project which began with preparations at 7.30am to serve a three-course lunch to about 80 guests by 12.30pm.
The Menu
The chefs created the menu based on what surplus ingredients were delivered that morning and everything was made from scratch.
The starter was spiced pumpkin soup, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and croutons, followed by a choice of creamy chicken tikka masala and mixed rice or braised lentil broth served with crusty bread for the main course. Dessert was apple crumble served with homemade banana and blueberry ice cream.
About Refettorio Felix at St Cuthbert’s
Refettorio Felix’s Communications and Development Manager, Zoe McIntyre, said the project’s mission is to provide guests with a three-course meal and a dignified restaurant-like dining experience.
“St Cuthbert’s has been a drop-in centre for about 30 years for people in need, including rough sleepers, homeless and those with mental health and substance misuse problems. A partnership was established in 2017 to launch the community kitchen and lunch project, called Refettorio Felix, which is addressing food waste and hunger by supplying highly nutritious meals using surplus food,” she said.
“Our partner is The Felix Project, a charity that collects surplus food and brings some of it here for us to use. The menu changes each day depending on the food that is available and we only serve fresh, nutritious meals. For many people this is their only meal for the whole day so it needs to be as nutritious as possible.”
Refettorio Felix at St Cuthbert's is open Monday to Friday where 60 to 80 people in need visit for lunch, as well as other services such as counselling and mental health support, showers and washing facilities and training and creative activities.
Fuller’s intends to cook regularly at the Refettorio. To find out more about this project, or to get involved, visit www.refettoriofelix.com or follow them on social media @RefettorioFelix
ABOUT FULLER’S CHEF’S GUILD
Formed in 2015, the Fuller’s Chef’s Guild formed in 2015 to promote and endorse the use of local, British produce, work with farmers, manufacturers, and suppliers to create innovative ingredients and recipes, develop internal talent, careers and prospects for their chefs.