Page 5 - Flaming Cauldron – Issue 61
P. 5
ACC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
The ACC – and its influence on the UK
hospitality industry By Peter A Jones MBE
When the ACC was established it Our influence was not just restricted to chefs.
needed to draw on the strengths It also extended into the world of
and skills of the industry of the day innovation and management.
and to use those skills to develop We were the first military organi-
the professional training and sation to develop and implement
management of army catering. a computer based catering man-
I have long thought that whilst we agement system, that at the time,
all recognised the huge skills, pro- what is the largest installed sys-
fessionalism and talent, that was tem in the UK. The ACC was at
the ACC, we did not always give the forefront of unit computing,
ourselves credit for the significant long before the administrative and
impact and influence that we had logistics systems were introduced.
on the wider industry. Our management training provided
St Omer Barracks was the the knowledge and skills to be able
epicentre of our professional to manage not just complex kitchen
training, and at its peak was the operations but also very large-scale
largest technical training insti- feeding businesses. There were very
tution in the country. We trained few hospitality organisations that
more chefs in a year, at all levels, provided the levels of detailed
than there are currently young management training, that was
level 2 chef apprentices in the UK. part of our normal career and
(less than 3,000). It was not just a training opportunities.
question of numbers. It was also a The Corps should be very
question of standards, and our trade proud of its influence and impact on the
standards throughout were recog- industry. We have had individuals
nised as being of the highest. in their second careers, achieving
It was our attention to detail, the sense of significant industry influence. From
discipline, and the culture and pride in being the head of AA hotel services, to
ACC that created a professional esprit de academics and university professors,
corps not found elsewhere. The rigourous to chief executives of industry associa-
training and operational standards made tions, to hotel, general managers, senior
our training, the envy of the industry. foodservice executives, senior develop-
Not every one of our chefs would ment chefs and probably many more.
go on into the hospitality industry The sheer scale of our influence over
in their further careers, but what the history of the Corps has now clearly
everyone took with them was that reduced given the number of chefs that
sense of professional pride and the are required for the army of today. The
rigour the training commanded. For number has diminished, but we still
those that did go into the industry, their have an influence and will have for
influence spread far and wide. some considerable time to come.
A significant number, especially The Army Catering Corps has
those who were trained as had a profound impact on the
instructors, went into further hospitality industry it has helped
education and training where to shape its culture, standards, and
they passed on those skills to practices in numerous ways. Its
the new generations. Others legacy can be seen in the many
went to work for contractors, talented chefs and hospitality
in restaurants or opened their professionals and in the endur-
own businesses, or worked in ing commitment to excellence
allied food logistics organisations. and professionalism that it has
Wherever they ended up, in helped to instil in the industry.
public sector catering or in the
Note: I hope this article might generate a number of
wider commercial world they took
further stories about the successes of the ACC and it’s
with them professional skills that influenced and
continuing influence on the hospitality industry.
conditioned their further careers.
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