Host boosts senior management team with new appointments

Host senior management team at a recent strategy day in Hampshire

With the New Year underway and the majority of new members of staff now started work, Host CEO Bill Toner is delighted to unveil his new-look management team. 

Joining the company from Elior is Alan McDonald, who becomes regional director for Scotland. Alan spent 12 years with Elior and joins Host from his position as operations director for Scotland. He also spent 11 years with Sodexo. Alan is based in Newton Mearns, Glasgow, and brings over 23 years of contract catering experience to Host. Alan will oversee operations and sales in Scotland.

Paul Blacker becomes operations director – south, leaving his previous position as operations group manager for Baxter Storey. Jon Fassam joins the ops team as operations manager - south, also from Baxter Storey, and before that Charlton House. Paul and Jon join the strengthened client-focused team headed by UK operations director Deborah Homshaw.

Two former sales executives have left Aramark to join Host. Martin Jones as sales director – south, from a previous job as Aramark regional sales director, and Dave Croshaw joins Host as sales director – north, also from Aramark where he was also a sales director. Dave returns to Host, having work for the company before joining Aramark. Dave and Martin are a great addition to the sales team headed by UK sales director Andrew Scott.

In addition there have been two internal promotions at Host. Tim Priestman becomes operations director – North and Donna Debenedictis becomes senior operations manager.

The new line-up also includes Food Academy executive chef Stephen England who joined Host last year from Baxter Storey, where he was executive chef at one of the company's leading London contracts at IPC Media. Stephen has also worked as head chef for leading contracts at Restaurant Associates, Holroyd Howe and Leiths. Stephen’s focus at Host is on chef training, recipe development and developing the working partnership with Gleneagles’ chef Andrew Fairlie.

Host CEO Bill Toner said: “We have now put together a team of high calibre people who know the market and who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Host. We've now got a great team of experienced people - and people who have left the competition to join us!

“Our aim is to deliver on the promises we make, become an extension to our clients’ team, be approachable and to work with our clients in providing the catering service that they want. I’m confident our new-look team will deliver this pledge and enable us to carry out our strategy for growth in the UK.”

What a great episode of MasterChef

Did you get a chance to see Host Head Chef Steve Lilly on Weds 1st February?

It was a great episode and had me on the edge of my seat, here is the episode available on BBC iPlayer until the beginning of April:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bp9v8/MasterChef_Series_8_Episode_6/

What really comes across is the incredible feat Host chefs manage to conquer on a daily basis, the challenge of providing healthy, tasty and enticing food is not one which comes without its difficulties and requires careful planning and consideration.

Thank you to Steve Lilly and his team for all the hard work and representing Host in such a professional manner.

Briony

Masterchef 2012 comes to Host

Last weeks Masterchef saw 5 amateurs lose their challenge to another team, this week those 5 have to take part in another challenge, to survive the world of mass catering!

The contestants have to work in one of Hosts kitchens, run by Chef Steve Lilly, to prepare lunch for 350 hungry factory workers. With only 20 mins to design their menu and only two and a half hours to create over 100 portions each of two tasty and satisfying meat dishes , and one substantial vegetarian option. The pressure is mounting and the contestants are cracking, watch tonight, 1st February to see if they can meet the requirements of the challenge.

Click on the link to watch the trailer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nkjs3.

Are you following Host on twitter @HostCatering?

Host Partners with Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles

Host make the Apprenticeships Roll of Honour

 

Host has recently been added to the Apprenticeships.org “Roll of Honour” which showcases businesses who are committed to Apprenticeships and recognises the business benefits that can be gained from employing apprentices and developing skills.

Maria Connolly, site manager at Hashimoto in Tyne and Wear, has always been a true ambassador for training and continual improvement -  not only developing her own skills but also encouraging others to better themselves as well. In the last 18 months Maria has achieved level 2 NVQ in team leading and is working her way through the level 3 supervision and leadership apprenticeship as well.

At the recent National Apprenticeship Awards, Maria made the initial stages for the category “Apprentice of the year” and Host made the regionals for “small employer of the year”. 

To view the websites roll of honour click on the Apprenticeships logo.

HR have their cake and eat it!

The coffee & walnut cake went down a treat for a delicious fund-raising coffee morning on 16^th June organised by those budding Delia Smiths in HR.

Well, if Bill Toner did a sponsored run to raise money for the Children’s Trust charity, we reckoned that our CEO and other members of staff needed a treat with this creative, culinary event at Liss House.

So, responding to Deborah Homshaw’s throwing down the gauntlet for all units to raise a minimum of £20, HR decided to have their cake and eat it!

Thanks to Gerald Biggs, head chef at the St Faith’s Nursing Home for his contribution of homemade cakes and biscuits which really went down a treat.

And thanks too to my team of Kim Goss, Hayley Bulbeck and Susie Thurston for getting involved.

In total, the fund-raiser made an impressive £42.57, so thanks to everyone for getting involved to swell the charity’s coffers.

FSM magazine featuring Host

Bill Toner and Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles

This months FSM magazine http://www.fsmmagazine.co.uk/ features the appointment of Bill Toner as Chief Executive of Host.  The article gives a bio of Bill’s Career over the years before joining Host.

It also features the training link with Host and Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie.  Host chefs will attend three-day training programmes at the Scottish hotel.