Cucina's Steve Quinn to be interviewed on Monday's Channel 4 'Dispatches'
School caterer to share insights on the state of school dinners in the UK: 'The School Dinner Scandal' - airing 8pm, this coming Monday 10 September
Steve Quinn, MD of leading school catering company Cucina Restaurants, was recently interviewed for a Channel 4 'Dispatches' programme, to be aired this coming Monday evening, 10 September, at 8pm.
The programme surveyed 190 local authorities and 108 Academy schools and found appreciable variations in the amount spent on school dinners, with some even opting out of providing daily hot meals altogether.
Quinn, whose company operates 40 chef-led restaurants in state schools around the UK, had the opportunity to share his thoughts on the issues which continue to undermine progress in the area of school food. Chief among these is the lack of close monitoring of the government's nutritional guidelines for schools, supposedly mandatory in all maintained schools.
Whilst companies like Cucina continue to invest in a wide choice of quality food cooked 'from scratch' at every site, others are opting for cheaper, lower quality bought-in ingredients, to the severe detriment, says Quinn, of good nutrition in schools.
Steve Quinn said: "We are proving that with the right kind of business model, school caterers certainly can present restaurant-quality food in schools. I am delighted, for the sake of the health of future generations, to have been given the opportunity to contribute to this important debate."
NOTES:
* Cucina Restaurants has been operating since 2005
* A commitment to restaurant standards results in an average three-fold increase in uptake of school meals in new Cucina contracts
* Cucina's 40 restaurants are overseen by a team of Executive Chefs whose experience includes working in some of the UK's most highly-regarded Michelin-Star establishments
* Cucina produces many of its own ingredients, including all of its own breads. The company employs a full time gardener and is making steady progress towards becoming its own supplier
(Photo: Steve Quinn, MD, Cucina Restaurants)
doug@cucina.co.uk
07973 751039
Website: www.cucina.co.uk
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cucina_kitchen
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