Kudos’ latest on-the-job training recruit, Nicole Rance - Sous Chef at Central Hall Westminster - has completed an invaluable and insightful two day stint at Midsummer House.
Daniel Clifford (pictured left) is Chef Patron of Midsummer House in Cambridge which holds two Michelin stars & five AA Rosettes and he also plays an important development role as Creative Director of Kudos. He said, 'As part of our School of Know How learning and development programme, our leading chefs receive first-hand experience of working in one of the best restaurants in the UK.
'Our chefs get to work alongside Daniel and his team with the goal of igniting their creative minds to deliver the extraordinary. They quickly gain an insight in to ‘Michelin life’ and understand what it takes to win two Michelin stars and what details they can instil in their teams at their units.'
Midsummer House has seen many chefs pass through the kitchen during the years and progressing to gain their own Michelin stars, including Mark Poynton, Tim Allen, Matt Gillan, and Lawrence Yates. As a result, Kudos felt this was the perfect place for Nicole to undertake her staff development programme.
Rance said, 'I had watched Daniel Clifford on 'The Great British Menu' before but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant, let alone this one!'
In terms of knowledge sharing, Rance was able to pick up many skills and tricks of the trade. She said, 'During my first day at Midsummer House, I was able to learn the different sections in the kitchen and thoroughly enjoyed watching different elements of service; from lunches to dinners. Teamwork really is essential, with every individual needing to complete their element of the dish in unison. It was impressive watching so many chefs come together.'
'I was put through my paces but I feel as though I’ve learnt some new skills to bring back and pass on to my team. It will be a challenge in trying to incorporate these elements into our service for such large banquets but I’m looking forward to improving our standards and pushing the team forward.'
Nigel Hutson, Operations Director for Kudos, said, 'We are fully committed to training our staff and developing their skillset. Nicole did a fantastic job during her two days at Midsummer House and we've heard nothing but great feedback from every member of staff that came into contact with her. We look forward to awarding similar opportunities to more aspiring and hard-working chefs in the near-future.'