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The Endurance Launches Food Spectrum, An Innovative New Foodie Concept
Food Spectrum is an initiative which sees renowned Soho pub, The Endurance, opening its doors to young, creative, passionate and under-the-radar chefs. Acting as a platform from which they can showcase their talent and achieve the credibility they deserve, Food Spectrum not only gives young chefs a head start in the fiercely competitive restaurant industry, but it satisfies an ever growing culture of food enthusiasts.
The main catalyst behind the concept is the lack of space for young restaurateurs who have the skills, dedication and passion but not necessarily the contacts, business skills or investor backing to embark upon the costly – not to mention risky – process of setting up a new restaurant. With Food Spectrum each chef will move into The Endurance kitchen for a month and will be given the opportunity to see their vision fully realised with free reign over the menu’s offerings. Every extreme of their creativity will be explored through a number of different sittings throughout the week which will add a different dimension to the food on show.
Primarily, there will be a lunch service from Monday to Friday where the chefs will choose a number of dishes specially selected to highlight the pinnacles of their expertise. Every Saturday they will run a full day service allowing the possibility for something more along the lines of a taster menu, acting as an extension of the skills exhibited during the week. One Sunday a month the chefs will be given the freedom to choose which kind of service they will run, allowing them to fully unleash their creativity and ideas to bring an experience to the diner which epitomises their approach to food. A drinks menu specially selected by a sommelier to match the food offerings will complement the whole experience.
The plan allows the chefs to test their food-making skills in a normal restaurant environment and customer interaction will be at the forefront of the experience. The project will serve as a great opportunity to learn and for this reason feedback will be encouraged. A regular blog and a meticulously monitored Twitter feed will prove key in the interaction between customers and the restaurant; an essential priority to any modern day start-up which should not be overlooked. The diner will participate in a restaurant experience which will not only let them sample food from the culinary names of tomorrow, but they will also play an integral part in establishing the foundation from which these young chefs can move forward. The use of good, honest, locally sourced produce means that Food Spectrum is tapping into the current trend for mid market, non-mobile, street food by bringing an option to diners that is simultaneously experimental, high quality and affordable.
Logistically, the plan has all the ingredients of a good one; simple, innovative and effective. With a fully equipped kitchen, a front-of house area with 54 covers, waiting staff, a management team, cleaning staff, a website portal and a PR team, Food Spectrum banishes the usual logistical challenges and costly obstacles of setting up a restaurant, offering a package that rationalises the prospects of making the dream possible once again. Whilst a proven history or established reputation are not at all required, owner of The Endurance, Billy Drew explains that, “The three characteristics for a good chef are determination, passion and talent – and they have to be deeply ingrained in that individual. The rest can be learnt.”
Through a combination of talent, flair and commitment from the chefs, along with customer interaction and support from the Food Spectrum team, The Endurance is set to be the stage from which aspiring chefs can build upon their own experience towards an established reputation and successful career within the Restaurant industry.
So, How Do Charities Spend Your Money?
Oxfam launches nationwide search to find a member of the public to see for themselves how money donated to the charity is spent 
Oxfam is today launching a nationwide search to find a member of the public to travel to one of their projects and see for themselves how money donated to the charity is spent. The successful applicant of this unique opportunity will report back with their personal experience of Oxfam’s work helping communities out of poverty and will feature in a major advertising campaign.
Oxfam’s research highlights that uncertainty about whether donated money gets to where it’s needed or if it even makes a difference long term can be a major barrier to giving. The ‘See For Yourself’ campaign aims to dispel these myths and show how giving just £3 a month to Oxfam really can transform people’s lives. The core of the initiative is being open and honest about how donated money is spent by showing Oxfam’s work from an impartial point of view.
Earlier this year mum-of-two and Oxfam supporter, Jodie Sandford, became the first person ever to take part in ‘See For Yourself’ when she travelled to Zimbabwe to see Oxfam’s work first-hand. Now, in an unprecedented step, the charity is widening the recruitment for the next phase and is specifically looking for someone who is not an Oxfam supporter to travel with them to Malawi, southeast Africa.
Oxfam are looking for someone who is curious and not afraid to ask questions. They will need to be willing to embrace new experiences as the trip itself will be physically and emotionally challenging. The journey will take them to an Oxfam project, where they will meet the local people and share their personal account of their thoughts and feelings about directly witnessing Oxfam’s work.
The whole experience will be filmed as part of a TV, print and online campaign which will launch this autumn to encourage more people to donate to Oxfam on a regular basis.
Oxfam’s Paul Vanags, Head of Public Fundraising added: “Regular donations make Oxfam’s life-changing, life-saving projects possible but we urgently need to do more. We believe that the most powerful way to encourage more people to give is to show them our work through the eyes of someone impartial who’s never seen it before. This trip will not only offer an experience of a lifetime, it will also form the basis of a major initiative to help us find new regular supporters.”
Prospective candidates will need to hold a valid UK passport and be available to travel for up to two weeks in July or August 2012. Recruitment is open from 6-14 June 2012 and Oxfam will be interviewing short-listed applicants on 21-22 June 2012.
To apply go to www.oxfam.org.uk/apply