Allan Pickett's Piquet hosts first young Chefs' Forum event of 2016
Chef Allan Pickett has hosted a group of chefs and suppliers at Piquet, his Fitzrovia London restaurant as part of the first young learners' Chefs' Forum event of 2016.
Held on 25 January, the day was designed to encourage networking and also featured cooking demonstrations, in collaboration with chef learners from HIT Training.
Pickett, who launched his new site in September last year and is one of the founding members of the Chefs' Forum in both London and Kent, cooked a range of dishes from his menu with the help of HIT Training learners, including showcasing fresh pasta making techniques (pictured, below).
The day culminated in a ravioli-making competition for the learners, which was won by Lewis Mullings of the Green Man in Lewisham (pictured, thumbnail), who was chosen by Pickett's sous chef, Rory Lumsden, as "the clear winner", who had made ravioli of "a good enough quality to serve at Piquet".
Guests also tasted some Delizzimo strawberries, a variety that has been developed in partnership between herb suppliers Koppert Cress and Dutch strawberry suppliers Holland Strawberry House.
This also allowed the chef to use his Cooktek Induction and Charvet One kitchen range.
Pickett added: "It was a privilege to host the first Chef's Forum event of 2016 [as it] does crucial work in helping young chefs to connect with professionals. The young people working with me in the kitchen today all worked exceptionally hard and proved why the future of this industry is so exciting."
Founder of the Chefs' Forum, Catherine Farinha, said: "It is a real honour to be working with Allan again. The Chefs' Forum was born out of a desire to make a positive change in hospitality. We connect chefs with education, suppliers with chefs, and education with suppliers to help the industry unite and work towards the shared goal of showcasing the incredible talent we have."
Pickett launched the 98-cover Piquet in September 2015, with friend and business partner André Blais. Prior to that his career had included roles at the Michelin-starred Escargot in Soho, D&D London's Orrery, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, the Aviator hotel, and most recently, D&D London's Plateau.
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