Gate Gourmet Wins ITCA's Silver Mercury Award

Gate Gourmet won the Silver Mercury Award in the Category “Training and Skills Development” for its SPICE program at the recent annual International Travel Catering Association (ITCA) Convention in Cologne, Germany.

SPICE stands for Sustaining Progress In Culinary Excellence and is a skills development and improvement program for Gate Gourmet chefs. The program motivates and empowers Gate Gourmet’s frontline chefs in Europe to improve their kitchen management skills, share working practices, and experience the influence of the world’s culinary trends. The program was developed by Vice President Mike Pooley’s Centre of Product Innovation and Culinary Excellence for Gate Gourmet Europe.

“We have a long tradition of culinary excellence, but after the impact of the significant challenges to the airline catering industry, we wanted to be more active in channeling the talent and energy in our kitchen brigades,” he said. “The award is a tremendous achievement for all the hard work and enthusiasm my team and the chefs have shown and the strong corporate empowerment we have enjoyed in rolling out SPICE – now we want to go global!” Pooley said.

One feature of the program is the quarterly workshops that bring together colleagues from across Europe for an exchange of ideas and best practices, such as a three-day visit last fall to the Umbria and Tuscany regions in Italy. New tools also have been introduced. For instance, a new camera set was developed to allow professional style food photos. Presentations are made on specially designed tableware by Villeroy & Boch. Executive chefs have been issued new uniforms and major remodeling has been done at showrooms in key locations such as London, Frankfurt and Madrid.

Photo:
Accepting the Silver Award for Gate Gourmet in the category of Skills Development at the ITCA Mercury Awards competition in Cologne, Germany, were, from left, Chef René Bleiker, Zurich, Mike Pooley, VP Product Innovation and Culinary Excellence; ITCA Judge Tim McMahan of American Airlines; Beat Ehlers, Director of Product Development; Gottfried Menge, Head Executive Chef – Europe; and Rik Krieger Product Manager - Europe.

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