Mech
BANNED
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2011
- Messages
- 3,161
- Reaction score
- -5
- Country
- Location
Eric Pickles 'curry colleges' and the secret of chopping onions
Government hopes centres will address skills shortage in Asian restaurant industry, worth £3.6bn a year to British economy
Cyrus Todiwala held out his large hands and turned them, to show a yellowish tinge on his palms. Since 7am, he had been chopping onions, in preparation for a banquet for 400 people. Todiwala is one of Britain's leading Asian chefs, chef patron of the celebrated Cafe Spice Namaste in east London, a consultant for Tesco and a regular on TV cookery shows including Saturday Kitchen. Surely he has someone who could chop his onions for him? "Ah" a smile "but I want them chopped in a particular way."
"Let me tell you," interrupted his friend Enam Ali, owner of Le Raj in Epsom, Surrey, and the driving force behind the British Curry Awards, "chopping onions is a skill. "If you turn the onion this way, it will colour differently than if you turn it in that way. It makes a difference to how you cook them. People don't really know that."
They may not now, but the government is hoping that, thanks to a new initiative launched on Tuesday, a few more soon will. Backed by £1.75m in funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, five "Asian and Oriental centres of excellence" are to open across England, offering training to young unemployed people in the highly specialised techniques of south and far east Asian cookery.
Dubbed "curry colleges" when first trailed by communities and local government minister Eric Pickles last year, the courses were initially flagged as part of his "integration strategy" aimed at bringing together Britain's diverse ethnic communities.
In truth, however, the scheme's origins lie less with shared onion bhaji recipes than stricter border controls. Chinese, Thai and Indian restaurants many of which are very small, family-run enterprises have traditionally relied on bringing in migrants to replenish their kitchens. But strict controls on immigration imposed by the coalition government mean that only the most skilled 5% of chefs, being paid more than £28,000 a year, are now eligible for visas.
It has led to what some describe as a skills crisis in the Bangladeshi, Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurant industry a sector worth £3.6bn a year to the British economy where restaurateurs simply cannot find chefs experienced enough to spice an authentic dhansak or chow mein.
"The industry has been making its case about the impact of migration controls for a while now," said Martin-Christian Kent from People 1st, the hospitality industry skills council that first sought funding for the project. "It needs more skilled chefs. This is about putting in place a tangible solution for employers."
Trainees will spend six weeks in one of the colleges in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, before being placed with an employer in an 18-month apprenticeship. That's when the real training will begin, according to Ali.
"After a six-week course you could make a nice samosa to eat in your home, but you couldn't make one starter for my restaurant. It's about discipline, handling a knife "
Far from perfecting pakoras while at college, admitted Kent, the trainees will learn soft skills such as hygiene, the importance of turning up on time, and "cultural awareness, primarily". The pilot scheme will initially offer just 50 places, but could be extended to other aspects of the hospitality sector, he said.
Having seen similar initiatives come and quickly go, Todiwala is a little wary of yet another scheme, and insisted that unless there is a long term government commitment to fund the necessary training, its impact could be negligible. In skills minister John Hayes, he certainly appeared to have a convert to the cause. "My passion is unremitting," he said yesterday, when asked about the coalition's commitment. "Recalibrating workforce skills is vital. This is not just about the short term, or the medium term, or even the long term. It's about the past, present and future of Britain."
Hayes, who admits to being a committed jam-maker in his spare time, said that as a result of his involvement in the scheme he had resolved to make his first ever mango chutney.
Eric Pickles 'curry colleges' and the secret of chopping onions | Life and style | The Guardian
ERIC Pickles has ordered a new curry college for Brits as tougher immigration policies reduce the number of skilled Asian chefs in the UK.
The Communities Secretary a big fan of the spicy grub fears Britains £3.5billion curry industry could be hit by a lack of cooks.
Under Home Office rules only the top five per cent of skilled chefs from India can work in the UK.
It means many restaurants and take-aways are now short-staffed.
Curry entrepreneurs have asked the Government for help. A Communities spokesman said: The Government is working with the sector.
The move will be part of the Coalitions new integration policy.
Curry fan Eric in policy Pickle | The Sun |News|Politics
Government hopes centres will address skills shortage in Asian restaurant industry, worth £3.6bn a year to British economy
Cyrus Todiwala held out his large hands and turned them, to show a yellowish tinge on his palms. Since 7am, he had been chopping onions, in preparation for a banquet for 400 people. Todiwala is one of Britain's leading Asian chefs, chef patron of the celebrated Cafe Spice Namaste in east London, a consultant for Tesco and a regular on TV cookery shows including Saturday Kitchen. Surely he has someone who could chop his onions for him? "Ah" a smile "but I want them chopped in a particular way."
"Let me tell you," interrupted his friend Enam Ali, owner of Le Raj in Epsom, Surrey, and the driving force behind the British Curry Awards, "chopping onions is a skill. "If you turn the onion this way, it will colour differently than if you turn it in that way. It makes a difference to how you cook them. People don't really know that."
They may not now, but the government is hoping that, thanks to a new initiative launched on Tuesday, a few more soon will. Backed by £1.75m in funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, five "Asian and Oriental centres of excellence" are to open across England, offering training to young unemployed people in the highly specialised techniques of south and far east Asian cookery.
Dubbed "curry colleges" when first trailed by communities and local government minister Eric Pickles last year, the courses were initially flagged as part of his "integration strategy" aimed at bringing together Britain's diverse ethnic communities.
In truth, however, the scheme's origins lie less with shared onion bhaji recipes than stricter border controls. Chinese, Thai and Indian restaurants many of which are very small, family-run enterprises have traditionally relied on bringing in migrants to replenish their kitchens. But strict controls on immigration imposed by the coalition government mean that only the most skilled 5% of chefs, being paid more than £28,000 a year, are now eligible for visas.
It has led to what some describe as a skills crisis in the Bangladeshi, Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurant industry a sector worth £3.6bn a year to the British economy where restaurateurs simply cannot find chefs experienced enough to spice an authentic dhansak or chow mein.
"The industry has been making its case about the impact of migration controls for a while now," said Martin-Christian Kent from People 1st, the hospitality industry skills council that first sought funding for the project. "It needs more skilled chefs. This is about putting in place a tangible solution for employers."
Trainees will spend six weeks in one of the colleges in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, before being placed with an employer in an 18-month apprenticeship. That's when the real training will begin, according to Ali.
"After a six-week course you could make a nice samosa to eat in your home, but you couldn't make one starter for my restaurant. It's about discipline, handling a knife "
Far from perfecting pakoras while at college, admitted Kent, the trainees will learn soft skills such as hygiene, the importance of turning up on time, and "cultural awareness, primarily". The pilot scheme will initially offer just 50 places, but could be extended to other aspects of the hospitality sector, he said.
Having seen similar initiatives come and quickly go, Todiwala is a little wary of yet another scheme, and insisted that unless there is a long term government commitment to fund the necessary training, its impact could be negligible. In skills minister John Hayes, he certainly appeared to have a convert to the cause. "My passion is unremitting," he said yesterday, when asked about the coalition's commitment. "Recalibrating workforce skills is vital. This is not just about the short term, or the medium term, or even the long term. It's about the past, present and future of Britain."
Hayes, who admits to being a committed jam-maker in his spare time, said that as a result of his involvement in the scheme he had resolved to make his first ever mango chutney.
Eric Pickles 'curry colleges' and the secret of chopping onions | Life and style | The Guardian
ERIC Pickles has ordered a new curry college for Brits as tougher immigration policies reduce the number of skilled Asian chefs in the UK.
The Communities Secretary a big fan of the spicy grub fears Britains £3.5billion curry industry could be hit by a lack of cooks.
Under Home Office rules only the top five per cent of skilled chefs from India can work in the UK.
It means many restaurants and take-aways are now short-staffed.
Curry entrepreneurs have asked the Government for help. A Communities spokesman said: The Government is working with the sector.
The move will be part of the Coalitions new integration policy.
Curry fan Eric in policy Pickle | The Sun |News|Politics
The irony is incredible.
