Press release

University’s Albert Roux Dinner nearly sells out before event is promoted

The majority of the tickets for The Albert Roux Dinner, organised by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (QMU), have been sold before the event has even been promoted.

Following the success of the University’s first Albert Roux Dinner held last year, Queen Margaret University is delighted to announce that it will host the event for a second time.  The 2012 event will be an even more ambitious culinary extravaganza; it will bring together Scotland’s most celebrated chefs and will be staged on the 12 May 2012. A team of chefs including Andrew Fairlie (Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles), Brian Maule (Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or, Glasgow), Martin Wishart (Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh, and Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond) and Derek Johnstone (Chez Roux, Greywalls, Gullane, East Lothian) all of whom have a connection with Albert Roux, will be taking part in this unique dinner which is set to be the highlight of the 2012 Scottish culinary calendar.

A team of Scotland’s culinary finest will join Albert Roux OBE, known to be one of the world’s most influential chefs, to create a truly memorable dining experience. Each chef, along with Albert, will host a table of eight guests. Andrew, Brian, Martin and Derek will be involved in the design of the menu, and some of the rising stars from their own kitchens will help to cook the dinner, alongside a number of QMU’s first year Hospitality Management students. To ensure that the young people get the most out of this unique learning opportunity, chef Steven Doherty, former head chef at Le Gavroche and Glen Watson, chef consultant to Albert Roux, will cook with the protégés and students at the event.

Trevor Laffin, Head of Business, Enterprise and Management at Queen Margaret University, said: “The connection to young people in the hospitality industry is the key focus for the dinner. Developing young talent is one of Albert Roux’s main principles, something in which he fervently believes and this dinner, held in his honour, will celebrate that. This event will not only offer an exquisite dining experience for guests, it will provide an outstanding learning opportunity for our young students.”

Guests can expect a truly remarkable dining experience featuring Albert Roux’s own champagne, an exquisite selection of canapés, followed by four mouth-watering courses, each created by a different chef. The champagne reception will allow guests to mingle with the chefs prior to being seated for dinner. Some of the diners will have a once in a lifetime experience with the opportunity to dine with the chefs at their tables.

To preserve the intimacy of the evening, a limited number of 100 tickets only are available. However, even before the event is promoted only 18 tickets remain. Priced at £150 each, these particular tickets allow the guest to dine at chef hosted table. The menu will showcase the best of Scotland’s natural larder and guests will be treated to carefully matched wines from leading Scottish wine houses.

Trevor Laffin said: “This year’s Albert Roux Dinner promises to be more flamboyant than last year, with a touch of the theatrical creating a truly memorable occasion. The University’s costume design and performing arts students will showcase a selection of stunning period costumes all focused on the theme of ‘Catherine The Great’ and lavishly embracing the concept of food within their designs. And to enhance the visual experience, film and media students will present a number of film excerpts linked to the theme. By bringing together these key elements – period costume, food and film - we hope to create a truly unique gourmet dining experience.”

Professor Petra Wend, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “This event demonstrates QMU’s commitment to supporting the Scottish Government’s key priority areas of food & drink and hospitality & tourism. We are honoured that Albert Roux, Andrew Fairlie, Brian Maule, Martin Wishart and Derek Johnstone have all given their support to this wonderful evening. It provides a platform, like no other, to showcase of the talents of young aspiring chefs, enthusiastic students and the very best of Scotland’s food and drink.”

Funds raised from the dinner will help support the Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland, as well as a number of student initiatives at QMU in connection with social enterprise projects, volunteering and third sector work, and for student bursaries in the School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management.

For tickets and further information about the event visit: http://www.qmu.ac.uk/albert-roux-dinner/chefs.htm

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Queen Margaret University

From its very inception, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, has focused on providing relevant education and research, addressing real-life issues to enhance the social and economic well-being of all the communities we serve. We have flagships in health and rehabilitation, creativity and culture, and sustainable business. As a small university, we aim to offer a community environment to our students in which they can fulfil their potential and where they need never feel lost in the crowd.  A commitment to social, ecological and economic sustainability underpins all our work. For further information about Queen Margaret University visit: www.qmu.ac.uk

Albert Roux OBE

Albert Roux OBE and Legion d’Honneur, is one of the world’s best known and best loved chefs. In 1967 he and his younger brother Michel opened Le Gavroche, Britain’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, in London. In a poll of UK chefs carried out by Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine in 2003, Albert and Michel were voted the most influential chefs in the country. Albert Roux is now a supremely respected food consultant and publisher.

Albert Roux  the culinary consultant at Inverlochy Castle Management International, (ICMI) and he oversees the kitchens of Rocpool Reserve in Inverness, Inver Lodge Hotel in Lochinver and Greywalls in Gullane. For further information on Albert Roux visit: http://www.albertroux.co.uk/

Martin Wishart

Martin Wishart opened his eponymous restaurant in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith in 1999. Since then it has become known as one of the UK’s most acclaimed dining venues, currently holding one Michelin star, 4 AA rosettes and a score of 8/10 in the Good Food Guide. Martin was voted UK Chef’s of Chef of the year in September 2010 in the AA guide. His restaurant in Leith was placed at Number 8 in the UK by the Harden’s guide in November 2011.
He has also an established Cook School since 2007 and a second restaurant at Cameron House on Loch Lomond awarded a Michelin star in October 2011. Martin is the only chef in Scotland to hold two one Michelin star restaurants in the country. He has been a columnist in the Saturday Herald Magazine for five years. In July 2011, he opens his first B rasserie in Edinburgh, The Honours . Martin became the first chef to receive, in November 2011, an Honorary Degree from Edinburgh University thanks to the “outstanding culinary contribution” he had made to the city and Scotland. Martin aims to strengthen Scotland's reputation for good food and to encourage others with his enthusiasm for cooking. www.martin-wishart.co.uk

Andrew Fairlie

Aged twenty, Andrew was awarded the first Roux Scholarship, offering him the opportunity to train with legendary chef Michel Guerard at Les Prés d'Eugénie in Gascony. This profoundly influenced his culinary approach. After subsequent years in top Paris kitchens he returned with his family to the UK, eventually coming home to Perthshire in 2001 to open his eponymous restaurant at the Gleneagles Hotel and Resort.

In January 2006 Restaurant Andrew Fairlie became one of only eleven restaurants in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, and was voted one of the world's top ten 'Greatest Hotel Restaurants' by US Hotel magazine. In the same year, Andrew was voted AA Chef's Chef of the Year. www.andrewfairlie.co.uk

Brian Maule

Brian Maule has been serving gourmet food since he opened the doors of his award-winning fine dining restaurant, Brian Maule @ Chardon d’Or, in 2001. At an early age Brian left his Ayrshire home town to travel to Lyon, the culinary capital of France to work with some of the country’s most respected chefs. Building the skills and inspiration for cooking at the highest level. His potential was spotted by the Roux brothers of Le Gavroche fame and at the age of only 24, he was appointed head chef at their world famous Michelin star London Restaurant, in charge of a select brigade of 18 chefs. Achieving a life long dream, Brian opened the doors to Chardon D`or in 2001, bringing his international reputation for preparing some of Europe`s best food with him. Since then the business has grown and now includes private dining suites, meeting facilities and a private bar. Ten years on you will still find Brian in the kitchen nearly every day, working with his team, overseeing the cooking. The result is a consistency and attention to detail which are unparalleled.

Derek Johnstone

Derek left school at the age of 16, going on to study for three years at Glasgow College Of Food Technology (now the Glasgow Metropolitan) . After Leaving College with a HNC in Professional Cookery Derek worked in some of Scotland's most Prestigious  hotels.
 
Derek was a finalist in the Scottish Chef of The Year 2007 resulting in  a bronze medal placing,  finalist in the Scottish Food Scholarship 2007 before going on to be the inaugural winner of the BBC Masterchef the Professional Judged by Michel Roux Jnr in 2008.
 
Since then Derek has graduated as a Roux prodigy after completing 15 month at Le Gavroche in London. He has also spent time in charge of the team at Roux Brassiere at Heathrow airport. Now he is running the kitchen brigade at Chez Roux @ Greywalls hotel in Gullane East Lothian.

Steven Doherty’s

Steven Doherty’s cookery career began as an 18-year-old apprentice at the Savoy in 1976, following which he began at Le Gavroche in 1978, working his way up the ranks, before a 2-year stage to the kitchens of the late Alain Chapel (considered to be the Three-Michelin Star’s chefs ‘Chef) Restaurant in Mionnay, just outside Lyon.

He returned to London in 1982 to restaurant Le Gavroche, which won its Three-Michelin Star status in 1981 and in 1985 Steven became the first ever British person to become Head Chef of a Three-Michelin Star establishment. For the next 5 years, until he left in 1990, Le Gavroche won every major European food accolade and maintained its three-star status.

When he left the kitchen at Le Gavroche, Steven then took up the position as Group Executive Chef for Roux Restaurants Limited and was responsible for the existing food operations in 3 restaurants and 10 food and beverage contracts, which included the likes of Bafta, Kleinwort Benson, Rothschilds, Bank Paribas and Credit Lyonnais. In 1991 Steven became only the 5th chef to achieve the Master of Culinary Arts award, of which there are only 20 in the country to date.

Following a move to the Lake District, with his wife Marjorie, Steven ran award winning The Brown Horse at Winster before taking to the helm at The Punch Bowl Inn at Crosthwaite, where again, his expertise and passion helped a number of awards flood in.

Today, Steven and Marjorie have set up and now run the new cafe within the flagship Lakeland store in Windermere. Steven is still called upon throughout the year to judge in various competitions and to speak at chefs conferences.

Hospitality Industry Trust (Scotland)

For the last 16 years HIT Scotland has helped those training to enter the industry and those already within, to realise their full potential. This is achieved through practical support; including bursary scholarships, Emerging Talent scholarships, industry events and the Emerging Talent conference. For further information about HIT Scotland visit: http://www.hitscotland.co.uk/

ENDS

For further media information please contact Lynne Russell, Press and PR Officer, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, tel: 0131 474 0000, mob: 07711 011239, Email: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk