US/UK/Canada

Share

About Us

Changing school food for good. Doubling and tripling uptakes with meals young customers want to eat.

Quotes

We consider our vegetarian choices to be a central part of our food offering, which is why we actively plan our vegetarian menus with all of our customers in mind, not just those who are vegetarians
Sam Davies, Director of Food, Cucina Restaurants
Since the restaurant opened at the start of term, there has been unbelievable excitement throughout the school and take-up rates have soared
Helen Price, Headteacher, Hampton College, Peterborough
The restaurant has already made a difference in a few short weeks with a demonstrable surge in enthusiasm for school meals. “A particular favourite with our older students and staff is the new Italian style coffee shop, which offers lighter bites and hot beverages throughout the day
Andy Squires, Headteacher, Denbigh School
We are very proud of Rosie, what an amazing achievement.  The school community have enjoyed Rosie’s Berry Sponge Tart
John WIlkinson, Head Teacher, Teddington School
I am delighted for both our students and in particular for Peter who is passionate about cooking and wants to be a MasterChef in the future. Cucina’s role in promoting initiatives at the Academy has been well received and the really are more than just a catering company; ‘You’re The Chef’ is just one of many competitions that have been taking place througout the year, including parent workshops and our very own ‘Seed-to-plate’ Eco-Garden project, where produce is grown and sold in the restaurant, with the help of the Head Chef Aaron Oliphant
Deborah Warwick, Principal, Francis Combe Academy
Hampton College is a very exciting opportunity for us being an all through school. Throughout the tender it became very clear that their school food provision was of the highest priority. This is why Hampton College is the ideal partnership for Cucina and we very much look forward to delivering our new restaurant service from January.
Stuart Lenton, Managing Director, Cucina Restaurants
Putting it simply, this is my dream job. I have long been an admirer of Cucina and the lead that it has shown in putting food quality at the very centre of its business model. This unique approach has enabled Cucina to become the well respected and highly regarded school provider it is today. I am really excited about working with the Cucina team to make the most of the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in the future
Stuart Lenton
Continuous healthy growth has made this the perfect time for us to be restructuring our company in this way. Moving to Chief Executive will enable me to spend a little more time on my other work in the food industry, as well as continuing my involvement with Cucina. I have known Stuart Lenton for many years and we share the same values when it comes to school food. We are also excited about the new ideas that he undoubtedly will bring to Cucina
Steve Quinn
Once again the food from Cucina was fantastic. The Year 10 students from Leigh Academy were brilliant at getting the food out to the guests. What an excellent initiative to get them involved. It would be great to see them at other events
Lashings All-Stars Event Manager, James Honey- Green
Cucina is like no other school food company I have ever come across. The food this company produces is actually better than at a lot of places I have eaten at in the high street. They just refuse to take shortcuts
Ash Mair
The work we are doing with Ash isn't just about the food, it is about teaching about food, too. This is why we are put so much into research - taking note of food trends and developing new dishes in popular and trending formats
Sam Davies
Paul’s book was ideal for this group. It was such a surprise for them to see that the guest author I had invited was actually the Head Chef from their own school restaurant. The students loved the session and have already started writing their own stories
Lisa Shannon, Director of Inclusions, Maltings Academy
our vegetarian options have never just been add-ons. As well as being an excellent way to show our vegetarian credentials, the accreditation brings a renewed focus to our work in developing exciting vegetarian taste and flavour combinations for our customers
Steve Quinn, MD, Cucina Restaurants
Having a school catering company showing this level of commitment to its vegetarian customers, especially in a school environment, makes it easier to be veggie as well as giving reassurance to both parents and students
Vanessa Brown, Head of Business and Catering Services, The Vegetarian Society
It was great to bake with the chefs at Cucina for such a brilliant cause as Children in Need. I’ve had a fantastic time
Martha Collison
In the world of school cooking Cucina stands out as the beacon of hope. A walk into one of their kitchens will reveal all - local produce, and abundance of fresh vegetables, vibrant cooking and plenty of evidence that kids will queue up to get their hungry hands on it all.
Phil Howard
This collaboration with Phil is an opportunity to showcase just what can be possible with school food, with a little imagination and the right priorities in place. We're not only highlighting the best of British food; with Phil's help, we are aiming to bring a new level of awareness to British food.
Steve Quinn, MD, Cucina Restaurants
In the world of school cooking Cucina stands out as the beacon of hope. A walk into one of their kitchens will reveal all - local produce, an abundance of fresh vegetables, vibrant cooking and plenty of evidence that kids will queue up to get their hungry hands on it all
Phil Howard, owner and proprietor, The Square Restaurant
I am delighted that we will be partnering with Love British Food for British Food Fortnight, an annual event which does so much to help people enjoy the diverse food of Britain. In its pursuit of true excellence
Steve Quinn
Cucina’s values fit perfectly with those of Love British Food – their determined use of good food in schools, and in a way that really inspires children to eat it, shows exactly what can be achieved in the education sector. The result is an outstandingly positive one for children, schools and the wider community.
Alexia Robinson
Francis Combe Academy is a school which places a great deal of importance on school food. Its motto 'transforming lives through learning' closely matches our own vision for school food. I am very excited about embarking on this new partnership
Steve Quinn, MD, Cucina Restaurants
All three of these schools set catering and food education as a high priority and we are delighted to become their catering partners
Steve Quinn
Getting the students involved was a wonderful initiative and I would love to see this at many more of our events
James Honey-Green, Event Manager, Lashings All-Stars
I have not eaten food in any other school canteen that can equal that offered by Cucina
Julie Goswell, Headteacher, Southfield School for Girls
Let's make the standards work for us by incorporating them into the rigorous system of accountability that has helped drive up educational standards in our schools.
Steve Quinn
If 'food service' were to be integrated into the school inspection agenda, it would straightaway become a high priority for all schools.
Steve Quinn
It was great to chat to Princess Anne and hear how enthusiastic she was about what we are doing at Wilmington Academy
Scott McKenzie
It's amazing to win against such high class competition
Dean Wentworth
Andrew Hemmings
Cucina, a company at the forefront of excellent school food
We're delighted to be able to lend our support in this way
Sam Davies, Director of Food, Cucina Restaurants
Our company continues to grow at an ideal rate, allowing us to maintain our excellent standard of food and service across all of our contracts across the UK
Steve Quinn
If supermarkets and suppliers are only driven by the need to drive costs lower and lower in order to make bigger margins, other links in the manufacturing chain will be under great pressure to take shortcuts just so that they too can make their profit.
Steve Quinn
Having chef on board has ben brilliant for the boys, he's actually become a role model for them.
Alison Panting, Head of Food Tech, Marlborough Science Academy
It's got them thinking about food. It's given them a career path to think about.
Marlborough's chef Stuart Hubbard of Cucina
The Marketplace is the hub of activity in our incredible new £30m building
Andrew Hemmings, Principal, The Bushey Academy
Exciting food in an exciting place - it's perfect.
Sam Davies
Pick a time period -
Tags ( Active)

Cucina Restaurants awarded Vegetarian Society approved status for second consecutive year

Vegetarian Society Approved trademark underlines school caterer’s commitment to excellenceFor the second successive year, products and dishes of artisan school catering company Cucina Restaurants have been licensed to carry the Vegetarian Society Approved trademark. This accreditation gives continuing assurance to students and staff that all vegetarian dishes served in its restaurants are of the highest quality, free from animal fats and containing no GMOs. The innovative catering company, recently endorsed with The Soil Association's Gold Catering Mark for food quality and provenance,

Cucina Restaurants awarded Soil Association Gold Catering Mark

Pioneering school caterer and Southfield School for Girls win top Catering Mark accreditationArtisan secondary school caterer Cucina Restaurants and Southfield School for Girls have been awarded the Soil Association's coveted Food for Life Gold Catering Mark. The award followed a rigorous process of auditing for the highest standards of provenance and traceability, to provide reassurance to customers that all meals at the school are freshly prepared using environmentally sustainable and seasonal ingredients, free from undesirable additives and trans fats, and which are better for animal

Cucina Restaurants wins business worth £1.4 million

Artisan school catering company Cucina Restaurants has won a new contract at Hurstmere Foundation School for Boys in Sidcup, Kent - a secondary academy with 1050 pupils on roll, aged 11-16 years. The contract, commencing on 1 April 2016 is worth an estimated £1.4 million over a 5 year period. Stuart Lenton, Managing Director of Cucina Restaurants said: "We are delighted to be opening a new restaurant in Hurstmere Foundation School and we are looking forward to this new school partnership."

Newest Peterborough restaurant opens in a school

City's new dining outlet offers students and staff 40 daily lunch optionsOne of Peterborough's newest restaurant has opened - in a school. The thriving new food outlet, which was opened at Hampton College by artisan school food company Cucina Restaurants on January 5, replaced the school's traditional canteen with a team of hotel and restaurant chefs who are now preparing more than 40 separate food choices for students each school day. According to Hampton College’s Executive Headteacher Helen Price, the impact of the new restaurant on school life has been dramatic: "Since the

Newest Milton Keynes restaurant opens in school

City's new dining outlet offers students 40 daily lunch optionsMilton Keynes' newest restaurant has opened in a school. The new food outlet, which was opened at Denbigh School by artisan school food company Cucina Restaurants on January 5, has replaced the traditional canteen with a team of hotel and restaurant chefs who are now preparing more than 40 separate food choices for students each school day. Impressed with the varied and healthy food choices Cucina is offering to students and staff, Denbigh School Headteacher Andy Squires said: “The restaurant has already made a difference

Teddington School student runner up in national recipe competition

Year 8 student wins £100 and signed copy of Michelin Star chef’s recipe bookRosie Swan, a Year 9 student from Teddington School, has won second place in a national ‘You’re The Chef’ recipe competition run jointly by the Love British Food organisation and school catering firm Cucina Restaurants. This competition involved students from schools across the UK designing original British recipes, with winners eating free in their school restaurants for a fortnight and having their dishes cooked for the entire school. Rosie, whose dish ‘Berry Sponge Tart’ won her first place in the school

Francis Combe Academy student wins National recipe competition

Year 8 student wins £100 and signed copy of Michelin Star TV chef’s recipe bookPeter Bishop, a Year 8 student from Francis Combe Academy, has won a national ‘You’re The Chef’ recipe competition run jointly by the Love British Food organisation and school catering firm Cucina Restaurants. This competition involved students from schools across the UK designing original British recipes, with winners eating free in their school restaurants for a fortnight and having their dishes cooked for the entire school. Peter, whose dish ‘Roast Beef Bites’ won him first place in the school round of

Cucina wins catering contract at Hampton College, Peterborough

New contract worth £2million over 5 yearsArtisan school caterer Cucina Restaurants has won the catering contract for Hampton College in Peterborough, an all-through Academy with 1348 pupils aged 4-18 on roll.Commencing on 1 January 2016, the contract is worth an estimated £2 million over a five year period.Commenting on the the new contract win, Cucina's Managing Director Stuart Lenton said:"Hampton College is a very exciting opportunity for us, being an all through school.  Throughout the tender it became very clear that their school food provision was of the highest priority.  This

Management restructure at Cucina Restaurants

Steve Quinn moves to Chief Executive, Stuart Lenton appointed new Managing DirectorIn response to the healthy growth of its business in recent years, school catering firm Cucina Restaurants has reorganised its management structure, with owner Steve Quinn moving to the position of Chief Executive and Mr Stuart Lenton taking over as Managing Director. Stuart, with over 28 years in the school food industry, has spent the past 15 years of his career developing new business opportunities in schools, colleges and universities in a variety of UK based organisations including Compass, Sodexo,

Cucina wins business worth £10m

Three contract retentions and two new contracts for school catering firmSchool catering company Cucina Restaurants has won two new secondary school catering contracts and retained three existing contracts, with a combined estimated turnover of around £10m. The new contracts are at The Bulmershe School, an 11-16 secondary school in Woodley, Reading, with 891 students on roll, and Denbigh School in Milton Keynes, an 11-18 school with 1400 students on roll. Cucina has also retained contracts at The Hazeley Academy in Milton Keynes, Queens' School in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and Teddington

Howzat for hospitality - The Leigh Academy students serve three course gourmet meal for cricket legends and   guests

Cucina's school catering team complete a clockwork operation at the Lashings All-Stars charity cricket match at Bexley Cricket Club50 students from The Leigh Academy served a gourmet three course luncheon to more than 375 guests at the Lashings All-Stars v Leigh Academy celebrity cricket match hosted at Bexley Cricket Club on Friday 3 July, 2015.  The first innings from Cucina was a Duo of Smoked Fish or a Tomato and Mozzarella Tian with Provencale Vegetables followed by Poached Chicken Breast with Parmentier Potatoes or a Shallot and Goats Cheese Tarte Tatin. The mouthwatering trio of

Professional MasterChef winner joins national school caterer

'Culinary genius' Ash Mair to lead Cucina Restaurants development chef teamAsh Mair, the professional MasterChef champion once described by Michel Roux Jr. as "a supreme talent" and having "the gift of culinary genius" has joined Cucina Restaurants to lead its development team in creating new food styles and menu ranges for 60,000 school customers nationally. Ash will be working with Cucina's chefs to develop and roll out a range of new menu ideas, including a special travelling street food range which is being planned for the start of new school year in September. Discussing his new

Maltings Academy Head Chef publishes children’s book

Guest author works with English department to help students with reading and writingNewly published children's author Paul Skilton, Head Chef for Cucina Restaurants at Maltings Academy Witham, has been working with the school’s English department to help students develop a love of reading and writing. Paul's book: ‘The Search for Daisy’s Stolen Treasure’ is the first of a planned series, ‘The Daisy Daydream Collection’. Chef Paul, who works for the school catering firm Cucina Restaurants, and who has himself had to face the challenges of dyslexia, was invited to give a guest presentation

School caterer wins official recognition from Vegetarian Society

Cucina Restaurants joins The Vegetarian Society Food & Drink GuildState school catering firm Cucina Restaurants has won Vegetarian Society accreditation, earning the right to display the Society's renowned trademark on all of its vegetarian food products. This symbol, respected worldwide as the only vegetarian logo to recognise the ethical preferences of vegetarians, confirms that the food items on which it appears are free from animal fats and contain no GMOs. Cucina is widely recognised as a school food industry innovator, being the first school catering company to employ trained chefs

Cambridgeshire school students to cook and serve Michelin star menu

Arthur Mellows Village College students set to impress with Phil Howard Michelin Star creations at November 20 public ‘Bistro Evening’School students from Arthur Mellows Village College will be working with their school catering company Cucina Restaurants to cook and serve Michelin Star meal creations at a public Bistro Evening on Thursday November 20, 2014. Working with school Head Chef Simon Pollendine of Cucina, the students will prepare and serve three Cucina dishes of their choice from ten ‘British Classics’ created by double Michelin Star chef Phil Howard of The Square Restaurant

Martha’s BakeOff for Children in Need

Great British Bake Off Quarter Finalist Martha Collison bakes with Cucina Restaurants for ‘Children In Need’Great British Bake Off Quarter Finalist Martha Collison has teamed with her school catering company Cucina Restaurants to raise money for Children In Need in 47 schools across the UK. The Year 13 student from Charters School in Sunningdale Berkshire has designed five of her own cakes and goodies which will be baked and served to more than 50,000 school students at Cucina school restaurants across England, with 10p from every sale going to Children in Need. Recipes for the creations

Cucina chefs and students invited to present local harvest boxes to the Duchess of Cornwall

Students selected to present regional produce at  National Harvest Service at Birmingham Cathedral on 20 OctoberStudents and Cucina chefs from two UK schools are to present specially prepared harvest boxes to HRH the Duchess of Cornwall in a high profile service at Birmingham Cathedral on 20 October. The boxes, prepared by the school's students with Head Chefs Steve Bott and Matthew Kent, feature local breads, vegetables, fruit, herbs, jams and conserves from the counties of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. At the conclusion of the special harvest service, the students and their

Berkshire schools students line up for Michelin Star lunches

Chef Phil Howard's gourmet school food range for British Food Fortnight celebrationStudents at Edgbarrow Secondary School, Charters School, Sandhurst School and St. Crispin's School are being treated to some very special food creations for British Food Fortnight and School caterer Cucina Restaurants for British Food Fortnight running from 22 September to 3 October. The special dishes have been created by renowned double Michelin Star chef Phil Howard, owner and proprietor at top London restaurant 'The Square'. For these two weeks, students are being offered such dishes as 'Salt and

Phil Howard to create British Classics menu with Cucina for British Food Fortnight

Two Michelin Star Great British Menu judge to produce school food range for annual harvest celebration of British foodHigh profile chef Phil Howard, the two Michelin Star owner and proprietor of The Square restaurant in Mayfair, is teaming with school catering firm Cucina Restaurants to produce a special 'British Classics' school food range for British Food Fortnight, the celebration of British food organised annually by Love British Food. The new menu, to be prepared and offered at all 47 of Cucina's school restaurants during the special fortnight which runs from 20 September to 5

Students in Surrey schools to enjoy 'British Classics' creations by renowned two Michelin Star chef Phil Howard

Two Michelin Star 'Great British Menu' judge producing gastronomic school food range for Surrey schools in autumn celebration of British foodHigh profile chef Phil Howard, the two Michelin Star owner and proprietor of The Square restaurant in Mayfair, is teaming with school catering firm Cucina Restaurants to produce a special 'British Classics' school food range for British Food Fortnight, the celebration of British food organised annually by Love British Food. The new menu, to be prepared and offered at Esher Curch of England High School and Glyn School and during the special fortnight

Cucina partners with 'Love British Food’ for British Food Fortnight

School caterer working with celebrity chef to develop special 'British Classics' rangePioneering school caterer Cucina Restaurants, the first school food company to install high calibre chefs into each of its school kitchens, has become a partner of British Food Fortnight, the UK's national celebration of the very best of British food and British food traditions, organised annually by Love British Food. Among the activities being organised to celebrate the fortnight is a special harvest service in which schools are invited to present harvest boxes featuring food from their own region of

Cucina wins catering contract at Francis Combe Academy, Watford

New three-year deal to commence September 2014Pioneering educational catering firm Cucina Restaurants has won the catering contract at Francis Combe, a Watford secondary academy with 1140 pupils on roll. The contract, commencing September 2014, is worth around £750,000 over three years. Cucina Restaurants MD Steve Quinn said: "Francis Combe Academy is a school which places a great deal of importance on food provision and food education. Its motto, 'transforming lives through learning', closely matches our own vision for school food. We are very excited about embarking on this new

Cucina wins three new school catering contracts

School caterer signs deals worth an estimated £2.5m over 3 yearsLeading school catering firm Cucina restaurants has won three new catering contracts worth an estimated £2.5m over 3 years. The new contracts are with Charters School, Berkshire, a secondary school with 1685 pupils on roll, St Crispin’s School in Berkshire, a secondary school with 1125 pupils on roll and Wollaston School In Northamptonshire, a secondary school with 1400 pupils on roll. The Charters School and St Crispin’s School contracts commence on 1 August 2014 with the Wollaston School contract commencing on 1

There are no items matching the current filter
There are no more items matching the current filter
Back to top

Media