School catering company's management team goes back to cooking and cleaning
Top performing Cucina team enjoys treats, while bosses step in to stage super-heroes theme day
The catering staff at Hertfordshire's Bushey Academy were treated to a fun day out on Wednesday 21 November, with the company's management team coming in to replace them for the day.
The outing, which was the team's reward for being Cucina's top performing team of the year, started with a buck's fizz breakfast, followed by a stretch limousine trip to the West End hit show Spamalot' and then dinner at a London restaurant.
While the team members enjoyed their reward, the Cucina management team stepped into their shoes to prepare and present a special 'super heroes' theme day for the Academy's staff and students.
Asked about the rationale behind the day, Cucina's Director of Food Sam Davies said:
"This competition is a huge motivator for our staff and we love to reward top performers in this way. The actual 'back to the floor' experience is fantastic for us. It keeps us grounded and it lets us gauge reactions to our menus first hand."
Cucina MD Steve Quinn, himself a trained chef, added: "We don't really need reminding, but this experience reminds us anyway - we are, all of us here, foodies. This experience has been a fun way to get in close touch with what we are really all about."
Andrew Hemmings, Principal of Bushey Academy said he was delighted with the the 'super heroes' theme day, adding: "Cucina are a brilliant catering company providing us with a first rate service and they are involved in the day-to-day life of the school.
"The team here are, in my opinion, the number one team and I think it is absolutely fantastic that the management of Cucina have sent them for a day out while the managing director is behind the counter, serving the food."
'Back to the Floor' is an annual Cucina event and is the culmination of the company's 'restaurant of the month' awards - a competition designed to drive and recognise peak performance. Each monthly winner is judged by photographic and other evidence and is given 10 points and a small prize. The restaurant with the most points at the end of the year becomes 'Cucina Restaurant of the Year.'
Pictured: Anna Clacton, Donna Booty, Sam Davies, Steve Quinn, Tony Ridgewell, Tony Lones, Ian Morgan, Mark Cartwright
Editors' notes:
* Cucina serves gourmet standard food to 50,000 UK school students at 41 restaurants
* The company's business model is built on tripling uptakes of school meals in its new contracts
* Celebrity chefs working with Cucina include Pro Masterchef champion Ash Mair and 2-Michelin owner of The Square restaurant Phil Howard
* For further info, call Doug: 07973 751039
Best Words
doug@bestwords.co.uk
07973751039
Doug Jenner
doug@bestwords.co.uk
07973 751039
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