Member Article

Local suppliers a key ingredient to workforce training

A love of all things local at Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter is being taken a step further with the development of a staff training programme run in partnership with the hotel’s North East-based food and drink suppliers.

A series of visits to local suppliers have been organised as part of the training and development of the hotel’s food and beverage team who provide service in Hawthorns Brasserie and The GIN Bar.

Being able to talk to guests and share knowledge about the origins and provenance of food is an increasingly important part of their role and so the training aims to provide a hands-on experience to learn about the suppliers and how the ingredients used to create the menu of Northern British-inspired dishes are produced.

The first visit took place at family owned craft bakery, Geordie Bakers, in Newcastle. Owner, Mike Henderson hosted a bread making session, giving the Crowne Plaza team the chance to learn all about the ingredients, baking processes and machinery used to produce the bread served in the hotel.

Chris Wood, executive chef, Hawthorns Brasserie at Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter, said: “Using locally sourced ingredients is key to making the fresh and tasty dishes on our menu. Traceability and provenance of the food we serve is very important and there’s no better way to understand the produce we’re working with than to experience how and where it’s made.

“Working closely with suppliers and being so knowledgeable about the food and drink we serve is great for our diners too. As well as the kitchen team, the waiting staff also have a greater knowledge of the dishes and so they are better equipped to provide help and advice for customers when making their choices.

“The visit to Geordie Bakers was hugely successful and I’m looking forward to continuing the training programme with our other suppliers.”

Mike Henderson, owner of Geordie Bakers, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter with their staff training. It’s great to see a business we supply not only embracing local produce but celebrating it too. Taking the time to really get to know our produce will ensure that they get the best out of it and it’s a pleasure to see that they’re as passionate about the goods we bake as we are.”

Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter works closely with local growers, butchers, fishermen, dairy farmers and distillers to source the fresh, regional produce that goes into every dish on the Northern British-inspired menu.

For more information visit www.hawthorns-ncl.com or call 0191 562 3333

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Crowne Plaza Newcastle - Stephenson Quarter .