Raymond Blanc hails work in hospitality during careers fair at Dumfries House
Celebrated chef Raymond Blanc encouraged teenagers to consider working in the hospitality industry during a careers fair organised by The King's Foundation.
Blanc, 75, who became an ambassador for the foundation in March, spoke to 250 pupils from 16 schools at the event at Dumfries House, East Ayrshire, on Tuesday.
The French chef, who has two Michelin stars at his Oxfordshire hotel and restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, shared stories about working his way up the ranks in kitchens, after starting as a pot-washer, and gave them an insight into the variety of jobs in the industry.
Blanc has mentored notable chefs including Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White, and also worked with aspiring chefs on BBC programme The Restaurant between 2007 and 2009 when couples competed to open a restaurant with his support.
10 pupils visited Dumfries House for The King's Foundation annual hospitality day. The pupils learned about all areas of the industry. World renowned chef Raymond Blanc was in attendance and pupils Noel and Phoebe chatted with him about becoming a chef. It was awe inspiring. pic.twitter.com/0ruPPxF3x6
— Doon Academy (@DoonAcad) June 11, 2025
Dumfries House hosts an introduction to hospitality course run by the foundation, which aims to provide students with the skills, experience and confidence to work in both front and back-of-house roles. The course is accredited by City and Guilds and includes a week-long industry placement.
Blanc, a father-of-two, said he is using his new role to 'encourage excellence' in the next generation working in hospitality.
He said: 'At their age, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I started off as a cleaner before becoming the best dishwasher and glass cleaner.
'It's so important that young people are encouraged and supported to work in the hospitality industry as there's an enormous opportunity there for those willing to work hard.
'Education is something that's very important to me so I was proud to be a part of The King's Foundation's hospitality careers fair.
'Young people need good mentors to reach their full potential.
'As an ambassador for The King's Foundation, I want to take what we've learnt at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and pair it with the excellent work of The King's Foundation to encourage excellence amongst the next generation of culinary and horticulture professionals.'
Livia Alexander, hospitality education manager at the foundation, said: 'The hospitality industry continues to face challenges in terms of recruitment and retention, and events like this are so important as they show young people what the industry is really like, and give them an insight into the careers available.
'Having Raymond Blanc OBE come and talk to the pupils was an amazing opportunity for them.
'His story is so incredible, and the pupils left feeling inspired and motivated.'
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Los Angeles Times
43 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
How does a ‘fancy' L.A. restaurant reopen as casual in just two weeks? A play-by-play
Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol. Snoop Dogg went by Snoop Lion for a time, and briefly Snoopzilla. Shifting your brand as an artist can be a welcome, and sometimes predictable, step in a career that spans a lifetime. But what happens when a well-established, award-winning restaurant decides to rebrand itself as a casual neighborhood bistro? And attempts to do it in just two weeks? It's a challenge Dave Beran and his staff at Pasjoli restaurant just attempted — and completed — in time to reopen tonight. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how they did it, step by step. Dave Beran is balancing a baby in one arm and a laptop in the other. His toddler is asking for cereal. The chef is on a Zoom call to discuss the future of Pasjoli, the Santa Monica French restaurant best known for Beran's reimagined French classics, and most notably, his whole pressed duck. Ann Hsing, chief executive and chief operating officer of Beran's restaurants, and investor Michael Simkin, a film and TV producer, are also on the call. 'I'm astonished that people set things on fire at our bar, but apparently they do,' says Beran. The team is discussing menu placement on the table. Should they put a candle on the table to illuminate the menu? Maybe they can use a wire hanger to leave the menu hanging? Should servers bring over a small menu board? The specifics of a menu presentation may seem like a trivial detail when considering the overall experience at a restaurant. But for Beran and his team, it's a first impression, and the first step in recalibrating diners' assumptions about what Pasjoli is, and what the new Pasjoli could be. Beran, the former executive chef at Next in Chicago, established himself as a fine-dining chef in Los Angeles with the 2017 opening of Dialogue, a thrilling, 18-seat tasting menu restaurant. In 2019, he followed with Pasjoli, a destination-worthy French restaurant that offered a showstopping tableside pressed duck presentation, thon et tomate and a shower of truffles over foie de poulet à la Strasbourgeoise. When he reviewed the restaurant in late 2019, critic Bill Addison called Pasjoli 'a return to grand French dining in L.A.' Then the pandemic happened, and the restaurant underwent a series of changes, shifting to takeout, then to in-person dining again. Dialogue closed. Pasjoli started offering more casual bistro fare and an expanded bar menu. Most recently there was a prix fixe menu. But somehow, despite adjustments, the restaurant couldn't quite shake its original 'grand' identity. 'Dave is Dave,' says Hsing. 'He comes from a very high-caliber restaurant resume. When we opened, to us, it was a version of casual. Meanwhile, the rest of L.A. was saying this is one of the fanciest restaurants in L.A.' In December, Beran opened Seline, a $295 per person tasting menu restaurant down the street, further solidifying himself as a fine-dining chef. Though the restaurant recently introduced a limited eight-course, $165 tasting menu. And Beran is determined to bring an air of fun to Pasjoli. 'Start the night at the bar with a few people and just saber a bottle of Champagne,' he suggests as an opening image. Yes, he's talking about the celebratory practice of opening a bottle of Champagne by striking the seam of the bottle with a sword. Or maybe batch cocktails? Frozen martinis? It would cut down on labor, the drinks will come out faster, allowing them to lower the cost of each drink by around $2 and provide a more consistent experience for guests. 'We had this idea, whether it's tableside or at the bar, having some sort of punch-esque scenario, partially for cost but also, it's aesthetically interesting,' Beran says. 'We're looking into absinthe towers.' Beran and chef Jack Joyce are in the kitchen at Pasjoli, inspecting a tomato salad. 'It looks too fancy,' Hsing declares. 'It's literally chunks of tomato and arugula and radish,' Beran counters. The bowl in question is a bowl of frill lettuce, a cross between iceberg lettuce and curly endive that lives up to its name. Over the top are hunks of tomato covered in delicate shaved radish. The bowl has a scalloped edge with a rim of gold. The staff are deep into the research and development phase of the menu, with Joyce and Beran preparing a handful of dishes for feedback from Hsing, general manager Hayley Sedlock and head of people (yes, that is her title) Keely Obbards. Joyce emerges from the kitchen carrying a whole, fried maitake mushroom. 'It's a Bloomin' maitake mushroom,' he says. 'With ranch.' Next up is a caramelized leek tart over a smear of hollandaise sauce. The tart is painted in a white wine reduction and finished with a smattering of smoked trout roe. 'I want more leeks,' offers Hsing. 'Hollandaise makes me think of brunch,' says Obbards. Joyce looks mildly miffed but determined, and heads back into the kitchen. Hsing attempts to break down the pricing. While the check average at Pasjoli may not be as high as some of the other restaurants in town, there is a perception, however misguided, that French is synonymous with fancy. A few lower-priced items on the menu could go a long way in changing that perception. 'For me, there are two large buckets of cost to control, it's food and labor,' she says. 'Say you have this item like a tomato that is on the cheaper side, but it takes three different people over the course of a week to do something with it to produce the final product, then it's a much more expensive item on the menu than the food cost is reflecting. Our stocks and sauces here take three to four days.' There's a range of prices Hsing is aiming to hit, with a group of courses in the $10 to $20 range, another in the $20 to $35 area and plates viewed as entrees in the $40 range. A few larger-format dishes or things designed to be shared by the entire table will be priced at $150 or higher. And the desserts, with the exception of the chocolate soufflé, will be under $20. 'I know people think we are really expensive. We want to make sure you feel like the amount of money you pay when you're done feels like it was worth it, whether that be from a food side or service side or the overall experience,' Hsing says. The dining room is starting to show signs of a facelift, with lush plants punctuating the room. The art on the walls is being reconsidered. The front will be repainted. Beran returns from the kitchen with two small white porcelain bowls of soup, each with a cap of melted cheese. 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Bar manager Tom Sullivan brings a few cocktails over to the table of managers. One is a gin drink with a tiny, yellow ice cube in the shape of a ducky sitting in the glass. The other is what Beran likes to call a 'fluffy' drink, made by swapping in meringue for simple syrup, creating a layer of fluff atop the cocktail. We're back to discussing the table menu. And the place setting. The team has decided to present guests with narrow menus that fit neatly into a square gold placeholder Beran previously used to serve chips at Dialogue. Tables will be pre-set, with a stack of plates and roll ups, the term for napkins rolled around a set of silverware. Approachable. Easy. Hsing brings up a copy of the working menu to discuss with the team. Every detail, from the name of a dish to where it is listed to the description, is debated. Do they want to rename the chicken liver? Call it a mousse so people don't expect a plate of sautéed chicken livers? What should the beef tartare come with? Chips are too much labor. Maybe a chunk of baguette. Do they need to explain the French onion souplette? Should the mussels come with fries or should people order the fries separately? Which one feels more approachable? More like an entree? The pressed duck will return to its original tableside presentation. Most recently, it was relegated to one an evening, at a table in front of the kitchen. When the restaurant reopens, the duck will be available with updated accouterments in limited quantities, with a deposit required for the reservation. Hsing grabs a stack of cards from the office printer and presents them to Beran and the other managers. The team is testing prototypes for a cocktail card that will allow guests to customize a cocktail. 'We know the food is awesome, but what can we do to make it fun and interactive?' she says. 'This could totally bomb. We'll find out.' It's three hours before the doors open for friends and family, the first night of practice service for the staff. The team has invited investors and other guests for a dress rehearsal of sorts, with the restaurant serving guests a free dinner while they work out any kinks in the dining room or kitchen. Pasjoli already feels like a different space, with four new seats along the front window. Two additional seats were added to the main bar. The big table that sat at the front of the open kitchen is gone, leaving no barrier between diners and the chefs. The chandeliers are gone. In the kitchen, Joyce and the team are stuffing half-chickens into bags to poach with pats of butter. Later, they will be seared and then roasted to order. Another chef is prepping Fresno chiles for a hot sauce. Tomatoes are being sliced. Shallots brunoised. In total, the kitchen will prepare 28 orders of roast chicken, 40 French onion souplettes, 30 orders of Cordon bleu chicken wings, 20 cheeseburgers, 30 plates of halibut crudo (made by breaking down a 10-pound fish) and two rock fish for the evening. 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