JANUARY 2012
Host strengthens Operational team
Independent contract caterer Host Contract Management has boosted its Operations team with the arrival of Paul Blacker from BaxterStorey and Alan McDonald from Avenance. Paul is the 3rd member of Host’s senior team to join from BaxterStorey in the past year following the arrivals of Jon Fassam, Operations Manager and Stephen England, Food Academy Executive Chef.
Paul and Alan both joined at the end of November with Paul heading up Operations for Host in the South and Alan taking responsibility for both operations and new business in Scotland.
Bill Toner, Host’s CEO stated he was delighted to bring in two highly experienced operators to head up these regions. “The volume of interest in these roles from candidates at larger organisations clearly demonstrates employees desire to move to a smaller company where new ideas are openly welcomed and managers have the autonomy to run their own business.”
Alan commented “The ability to move quickly and make quick decisions really helps our clients as we can react to changes with speed. I’ve been really impressed with the emphasis on people development and the fact that the senior team know everyone in the units by name. It’s also been very refreshing to have the flexibility and freedom to buy fresh ingredients from local suppliers”.
Paul added “I’ve been really impressed with the online MIS system through Caternet which gives our managers live data so they can manage their budgets effectively and our clients have access to ensure totally transparency”.
JUNE 2011
'Who’s Who in Contract Catering | Setting the Tone: One to watch'
Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 5 August 2011
Article on pages 30 to 33
View article as a PDF >>
PRESS RELEASE - 16 JUNE 2011
Box Hill School in Surrey becomes first venue
for Host’s ‘Chef’s Table’ initiative
Host, the national contract catering company now run by former Aramark chief executive Bill Toner, has this week launched a premium dining facility at Box Hill School in Surrey, designed to showcase the quality of its food and service.
Diners can book the Chef’s Table in advance and will be served a five-course lunch including an amuse bouche, starter and choice of four main courses from the school dining room menu, as well as a palate cleansing pre-dessert and a dessert. Appropriate wines will accompany the food with front-of-house service provided by a specially-trained member of the Host catering team.
“The Chef’s Table is primarily for the use of governors, trustees, staff and guests of the school but will also be a useful training facility for our chefs,” said Box Hill School catering manager Des del Frate, who has masterminded the project.
The dining room is situated in a former storage room off the main kitchen, which was given an eight-week makeover by an interior designer. The transformed room now features oak-panelled walls, atmospheric lighting and a CCTV screen giving diners a view of the working kitchen. The Chef’s Table seats six and will operate for lunch twice a week during term-time.
“Each Chef’s Table sitting will be run by myself or our head chef Ben Gardiner, along with one of the junior chefs. We have re-organised our kitchen so that it operates much more along the lines of a commercial restaurant kitchen. Each chef has his own section – whether it be pastry, cold, mains or sauces – and we have created a pass where we can oversee the plating up,” added Des.
Host chief executive Bill Toner said: “This is the first Chef’s Table in the education sector and will give the team at Box Hill School a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate their cooking and service skills. In time we hope to roll the concept out to our other independent school contracts.”
The launch of the Chef’s Table is part of new emphasis on food quality at Host. Earlier this year the company launched its Food Academy initiative to provide a central focus for training, recipe development, ideas for special promotions and best practice across the business. Former Baxter Storey head chef Stephen England joins Host on 20 June as the company’s Food Academy Executive Chef.
Host has also entered an agreement with Gleneagles’ Michelin-starred chef Andrew Fairlie in which Fairlie will act as trainer and mentor to Host chefs. Host chefs will visit Gleneagles for three-day training courses, spending time in the kitchens to improve their cooking skills and food knowledge.
For further information, interviews or comment please contact Linda Pettit
at Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
A high resolution photograph of the Chef’s Table at Box Hill School, Surrey, can be downloaded by clicking here.
View, print or download a PDF of this Press Release >>
JUNE 2011
'The big interview: Bill Toner, chief executive of Host'
FSM for Contract Caterers, June 2011
Articles on page 6 and pages 16 to 18
View article as a PDF >>
PRESS RELEASE - 19 MAY 2011
Bill Toner becomes Chief Executive as Jerry Brand steps down at Host
Bill Toner, 52, the former chief executive of Aramark UK, has been appointed chief executive of Host Contract Management, replacing company founder Jerry Brand at the helm of the company.
Brand, 53, who established Host in 2004, will remain on the board as the non-executive chairman but will relinquish the day-to-day running and development of the company. He will maintain a hands–off involvement in its long-term strategic plans but will retain his majority shares. Brand will now concentrate on Caternet, his integrated catering management software house.
“Launching the Caternet concept is the culmination of several years’ work on the part of myself and my development team. It has been a significant investment and bringing it to market now provides me with a new challenge, and one that I need to devote all my time to,” said Brand. “Caternet has been well received and we are already working with several large organisations and achieving big savings on their annual budgets. With Bill Toner as chief executive Host will be in the hands of an experienced, corporate operator with the skills and knowledge to take the business through its next phase of development.”
Scottish-born Toner, who joined Host as non-executive director in November 2010, has spent most of his 30-year career with Sodexo UK (formerly Gardner Merchant) including five years as managing director. In 1999 he left Sodexo to become chief executive of Aramark UK which he built into the UK’s third-largest contract caterer with over 1,000 contracts and an annual turnover of £400m.
Toner’s immediate priority as Host’s chief executive will be to work closely with sales director Andrew Scott and operations director Deborah Homshaw to strengthen links between the company’s head office and its restaurants. He will also play a pivotal role in client liaison and the growth of the company through new contracts in its core markets and via strategic acquisitions.
“I’m very excited by the opportunity to take over the running of Host. There is much to be done and many new business opportunities. I have a great team in Deborah and Andrew and I strongly believe that Host can grow to become a major market player,” he said. “Jerry has built a great cultural foundation and we have enjoyed working together but he now needs to focus on Caternet, so I will run and develop the Host business.”
Toner will continue his emphasis on food quality and the training of Host chefs, forging ahead with the new working partnership with Michelin-starred Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie. Host chefs will attend three-day training courses at Gleneagles to improve their cooking skills and inspire them to use new techniques and ingredients.
Host was established by Jerry Brand as an independent, national, environmentally-friendly contract catering company, partly owned by its management. The company has 86 contracts across the UK in business & industry, directors and partners’ dining rooms, conference facilities, independent schools, further and higher education and the healthcare industry.
Last year Host doubled its pre-tax profits to £416,000. Turnover to the year ending 31 December 2010 decreased marginally to £14.2m, from £14.5m the previous year.
For further information, interviews or comment please contact Linda Pettit
at Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
You can download a high resolution photography of Bill Toner by clicking the link here
View, print or download a PDF of this Press Release >>
18 MARCH 2011
'Host teams up with Andrew Fairlie (Restaurant Andrew Fairlie)'
Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 18 March 2011
Article on pages 10 to 11
View article online >>
View article as a PDF >>
PRESS RELEASE - 15 MARCH 2011
Host joins forces with Gleneagles’ chef Andrew Fairlie
Host has announced a formal working partnership with Gleneagles’ Andrew Fairlie which will see the two Michelin-starred chef become trainer and mentor to the contract caterer’s growing team of head chefs.
Key staff from Host will visit the 50-cover Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles for a three to four-day training course, spending time in the kitchens with Andrew and his team in order to gain better knowledge and understanding of food and flavours and to provide inspiration and ideas for use in their own restaurants.
"The chefs from Host will get involved in our normal day-to-day kitchen routine and will be working with my chef and myself. I’ll be looking at their techniques and they’ll be introduced to new ways of cooking and new ingredients," said Andrew Fairlie. "I’m certain they will go home inspired about food and cooking."
Andrew Fairlie began his career aged 15 with a four-year apprenticeship in his hometown of Perth in central Scotland. Age 20 he was awarded the first ever Roux Scholarship, giving him the opportunity to train with legendary chef Michel Guérard at Les Prés d’Eugénie in Gascony. He went on to work at the prestigious Hôtel de Crillon in Paris before returning to Scotland to work on the Royal Scotsman train, and later as executive chef of One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow.
In 2001 Andrew opened his eponymous restaurant at the Gleneagles Hotel and Resort, receiving a Michelin star in 2002 followed by a second star in 2006. His personal accolades include Chef’s Chef of the Year 2006 and Scottish Chef of the Year 2008.
"We are delighted to be working with someone of Andrew’s calibre," commented Host chairman Bill Toner. "The idea is to inspire our chefs and reward them with a fantastic experience at Gleneagles. It will give our chefs a chance to really focus on food and flavours away from the day-to-day pressure of their jobs."
The announcement coincides with the launch of Host’s Food Academy initiative which will operate from key service centres and provide a central focus for training, recipe development, ideas for special promotions and best practice across the business. The Food Academy will increase the profile, importance, understanding, standards and awareness of food and service within all aspects of the Host estate.
For further information, interviews or comment please contact Linda Pettit
at Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
PRESS RELEASE - 27 JANUARY 2011
Host wins catering contract at Abbey College
Host, the national contract catering group based in Liss, Hampshire, has boosted its coverage of the independent schools sector with a five-year contract to run the catering at Abbey College, Worcester.
The contract, worth £1.25m over five years, will see Host operating a seven-day week, three meals a day service during term time for the College’s 100 international students, rising to 200 students during the summer months.
Host was awarded the contract based on its innovative marketing plans and flexible approach to catering with strong emphasis on world food.
Host currently has 85 contracts, but is this year aiming to expand to over 100. The company recently appointed former Aramark chief executive Bill Toner as non-executive chairman to assist with the company’s focus on growth for the next five years.
For further information, interviews or comment please contact Linda Pettit at
Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
View, print or download a PDF of this Press Release >>
PRESS RELEASE - 25 NOVEMBER 2010
Bill Toner joins Host as non-executive chairman
Bill Toner, the former chief executive of Aramark UK, is to join Hampshire-based Host Contract Management as non-executive chairman with immediate effect.
Scottish-born Toner is one of the most respected names in the UK’s foodservice sector becoming one of the first operators to join forces with high profile chefs such as Gordon Ramsey and Gary Rhodes to boost craft skills within contract catering.
Much of his 30-year career in the business has been spent with Sodexo, formerly Gardner Merchant, including five years as managing director. In 1999 he left Sodexo to become chief executive of Aramark UK, building the company into the UK’s third-largest contract caterer with over 1,000 contracts and an annual turnover of £310m.
Toner, 52, retired from Aramark in February 2005 and has since taken time out to renovate a listed building near Edinburgh and to travel with his family.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the business again and using the experience I’ve got in running large companies to help grow the Host business in the marketplace. Jerry Brand is a dynamic and challenging operator who I’ve known for many years. He and the team at Host have already impressed me with their enthusiasm, commitment and forward-thinking ideas,” he said.
Host managing director Jerry Brand commented: “Bill brings a huge amount of experience to our board as well as a fantastic track record, so we are delighted he is joining us. I’ve been trying to persuade him to work with Host for several years but now the time is right for him.
“Bill’s corporate experience will complement my entrepreneurialism. The focus going forward will be on taking advantage of the opportunities in the current marketplace with the benefit of our strong emphasis on bright ideas, honest food, passionate people, careful spending and an ethical approach.”
Toner will assist Brand and Host’s senior management team implement a five-year corporate development and growth strategy which includes establishing nine trading territories across the UK enabling Host to give clients local service on a national basis.
Also read the cover feature of the Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 3rd December 2010.
For further information, interviews or comment please contact Linda Pettit at
Tilburstow Media Partners on 01737 823721/07973 789853 or email linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk.
View, print or download a PDF of this Press Release >>
