Dionne De Sousa, Chef Manager, Devonshire House School
I have been working for Accent Catering for the last two years and I am extremely happy with them.
There are many differences compared to the larger company I had spent the previous five years working with. For example the suppliers used by Accent deliver fresh meat and vegetables daily and you can count on the quality and freshness are of a very high standard and the sales reps are very friendly and helpful.
Accent took over the contract from a larger company that was at Devonshire House School two years ago. At first I was a little worried because I did not know Accent, but they seemed very friendly and eager to raise the standards, and they promised new and up to date equipment because my kitchen was in a bad way.
Every thing that they promised they did and much more. My daughter also works for Accent as a trainee chef and Accent said they would put her on a course N.V.Q which she has now nearly completed.
Also I have been trained on the computer system and allowed more responsibility in my unit, the larger company did not do this because they never visited the unit, knew who I was or showed any interest in anything that I did.
Another marked difference is I know everyone in the company and they know me, they are sincere and really care. I have told them my future ambitions and they have shown complete support for me and have taken steps in my favour to make it happen.
I have been approached by my previous employers to work for them again but I would find it very difficult to work as I did before and not have the support which Accent gives and also the quality of foods, menus and fun days we do for the kids such as theme days and taste days.
Another thing I would like to add is the way Accent show appreciation for your hard work for all the staff with a gift for everybody individually, something I have not had before.
I would like to say that I hope Accent Catering and I spend many working years together.
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Mark Ellis, Catering Manager, Devonshire House School
After working for one of the biggest contract caterers, I decided it was time for a change and an opportunity came my way to work for a small contract catering company called Accent. I jumped to the challenge and it is the best thing I have done, I have now been with Accent Catering for two years the support is fantastic; you are treated like a person instead of a number.
Any issues Head Office are there to help and being a small company you always get the person you need instead of being passed around with other departments.
Staff who have transferred are still here they don’t want to leave as they see the difference; all Accent staff are happy staff.
Training from Head Office is superb from the Catering Management courses to the general kitchen staff.
Accent expects first class and nothing less, so ingredients are delivered fresh daily with no purchasing restrictions or issues, so that we can produce quality on the plate for our customers. We source some organic produce directly from an award winning farm in Berkshire who have consistently been annual award winners by The Soil Association
A TV Celebrity Chef’s daughters attend our School and he takes a very keen interest in the food we serve. He has commented on the very high standards that Accent produces.
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Brahim Ghebache, Catering Manager, More House School
I have been working at More House School since 1994 during this time I have worked for five different contract catering companies from large organisations to medium operators. The last change to Accent has been the best for a variety of reasons which I have highlighted below.
The suppliers before Accent Catering
The quality of fruit, vegetables and meat previously was very poor, all delivered from the same supplier with limited deliveries. I could buy my vegetables cheaper from Harrods Food Halls which is round the corner because of the inflated prices. If I ordered lamb they would deliver mutton but still charge me for lamb. I was restricted by my previous employer on the choice of dry and frozen goods that I could purchase. For example if I only wanted one tin of Heinz baked beans and they were not on my contracted price list I would be delivered the suppliers own label product of an inferior quality and instead of one tin I would be delivered six as this was their pack size, They would not split cases. As a result this affected what I could put on the menu and with little storage my menus had less variety.
With Accent Catering the quality of fruit, vegetables and meat is excellent through quality suppliers and none of the above is an issue any more.
Working for Accent
I TUPE over to Accent in August 2004 and was delighted to get paid on the last Friday of the month. Previously I was paid on the last day of the month even if the last day was Monday the 31st which was not very convenient.
With one previous contract catering company within 6 months I had 5 different area managers and with another contractor I had no area manager for more than 10 months.
Previously at managers’ meetings other companies focused on ways to make more money for the company with no interest in quality of food or new ideas. At Accent manager’s meetings they are at interesting venues like Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Borough Market to stimulate us and the meetings are all focused around food with ideas on how to present food differently how to improve standards within our units.
Other companies made the paperwork very complicated and time consuming now I have more time to spend in the kitchen with an easier system to operate.