AAK UK Ltd, Hull, East Yorkshire, England - News

Stuart’s got the KFC-Factor!

Chris Tough — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:00:21 +0100

As well as taking home the Account Manager of the Year award, AAK were also nominated for the KFC ‘Customer Mania’ Award, which is voted for by the company’s Supply Chain team and is awarded to the company that has gone above and beyond the call of duty for KFC.

Stuart, who has been working on the KFC account since 2009 and took full responsibility in 2011, attended the dinner at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel along with suppliers from other industries including drinks, packaging, equipment and development in which twelve awards are given in total across sales, NPD, equipment and service.

He was delighted with his award: “It was a great night, not only for me personally, but also for AAK. In a room full of 400 people, to be represented in two award categories was fantastic.

“The Customer Mania Award shows that AAK are very highly thought of by the KFC Supply Chain Team, but equally the Account Manager Award is also a prestigious accolade.

“There are a lot of opportunities with the KFC account – not only are we an established supplier of oil, but there are other opportunities from our site in Runcorn.

“I believe that AAK sell solutions rather than oil and working with KFC is rather like a partnership – we are always looking to identify ways we can benefit each other’s businesses.”

A spokesperson for KFC said Stuart demonstrated ‘dedication to the KFC brand by way of NPD, business innovation and offering solutions to meet the changing wants and needs of the KFC brand.’

The event is organised annually to celebrate the achievements of KFC’s suppliers and to thank them for their contribution to the continuing success of the business.

It’s very gratifying to know that AAK were in the top five in this category – well done to Stuart and everyone within AAK who works on the KFC account and towards delivering the KFC product. Keep up the good work!

AAK Celebrates Next Generation of Cutting Edge Chefs

Chris Tough — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:10:28 +0000

In their 10^th year, the esteemed awards give chefs under 23 the chance to prove they really are at the cutting edge and are making great strides up the career ladder.

They recognise a young, working chef’s culinary excellence, testing their knowledge and skills in a series of culinary challenges in a high pressured environment.

Of the 10 chefs who made it to last year’s final cooking exam, only four achieved the 85 percent needed to make the coveted Craft Guild hall of fame.

“Becoming a Craft Guild of Chefs graduate is no mean feat and those who make the mark are definitely ones to watch out for,” said Rachel Neale, foodservice marketing manager at AAK Foodservice. “There are chefs out there who go through training and show signs of greatness and, in our view, the awards are the perfect platform to test out this greatness.”

Vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs and awards organiser Steve Munkley said they were now keen to hear from young chefs who wanted to push their boundaries to the limit.

“We want to hear from chefs who are 23 or under to put themselves forward for the chance to prove they have taken the skills they learnt in college to the next level,” said Steve, executive chef at London’s Royal Garden Hotel. “These awards offer young chefs the chance to be verified by the best chefs in the industry, a great endorsement to be able to cite on a CV.”

After submitting entries by email, a select few will be asked to take a regional cooking test at University College Birmingham or Westminster Kingsway, London, on July 18^th 2012.

Chefs who make it through will then be invited to take a final cooking exam at the University of West London (formerly TVU) on September 6^th 2012, judged by a panel of top chefs including Chris Galvin as chairman of examiners.

This year’s successful graduates will be announced in front of hundreds of influential guests at a glittering awards luncheon at London’s Royal Garden Hotel on September 18^th 2012.

In addition to gaining new skills and an industry-recognised achievement for your CV, a host of unique opportunities are opened up as a graduate, including a study tour to Luxembourg with Villeroy & Boch and a Scottish fish farm arranged by James Knight of Mayfair.

The Highest Graduate Achiever also receives a special prize. Warner Hotels (Bourne Leisure Group) is offering a 3 night / 4 night break (weekend / midweek) for the winner plus a partner. There will also be an Employers' trophy for excellence in training, which last year went to Fergus Martin at Wyboston Lakes.

The deadline for this year’s entries is 30^th April 2012 (chefs do not have to be members of the Craft Guild). Ingredients will be supplied (Chefs must bring own knives and small equipment) and assistance will be given to chefs with special needs.

In a bid to be ‘greener’, the Craft Guild is inviting chefs to download and submit their application forms online at www.craftguildofchefs.org, where potential graduates can also peruse a Q&A. For more information, call 020 8948 3870 or email craftguild@btconnect.com.

AAK Foodservice Sponsors National Fish and Chip Awards 2012

Chris Tough — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:50:34 +0100

The National Fish & Chip Awards, which celebrated its 23rd birthday this year, is a prestigious competition that continues to celebrate the great British tradition that is fish and chips, and reward outstanding businesses across a variety of award categories.

AAK have chosen to sponsor the Awards as we have always had very strong links with the industry as we currently supply it with nearly 20,000mt of oil.

At AAK we are always producing new blends to cater for specific needs, for example, our sustainable and low saturate oils, and the fish and chip shop industry are always extremely supportive and respond very well to these innovations. The industry always wants to offer something more to their customers, an ethos AAK itself has always strongly adhered to.

The 2012 awards, like every year, look set to be a great celebration of the industries finest, a celebration AAK is both proud and honoured to be part of.

Companies show their support with fish and chips!

Ricki — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:05:09 +0100

This year the charity has support from companies, restaurants and chippies throughout the UK including DFDS Seaways, Seafish, Maersk, NYK Group Europe, Fish‘n’Chick‘n, Fishy Fishy and many more. A full list of participating businesses can be found at www.fishandchipfeast.org. The event takes place from Monday October 10 until Sunday October 16 and is an opportunity for staff canteens, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and fish and chip shops and their customers to raise much-needed funds for Seafarers UK.

Celebrity chef and fish fan Mitch Tonks is an enthusiastic supporter. At his Rockfish restaurant in Dartmouth he said: ‘Fish is the lifeblood of our business and it is important for us not to forget the huge effort and risk that goes with catching it and bringing it ashore. The Seafarers UK charity does a great job in supporting so many of the amazing people in this industry and we are really proud to play a small part in helping.’

By supporting the Fish & Chip Feast, businesses will be helping fishing communities throughout the UK. Inshore and deep sea commercial fishing is the UK’s toughest and most dangerous civilian occupation. Fishermen are 115 times more likely than other workers to suffer a fatal accident. And life for the 50,000 retired fishermen and their dependants has its own hazards, with inadequate pensions, scant savings and personal debt meaning no respite from hardship.

For more information visit www.fishandchipfeast.org, email events@seafarers-uk.org or phone 020 7932 5961.

Praise gained for AAK

Chris Tough — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:55:38 +0100

Both AAK Foodservice & Retail were recently awarded runner up for the Best Foodservice Supplier & Best Retail Supplier to Nisa Today’s Group. Suppliers that work hard for the group are chosen at their head office, and then sent out to their members to vote for who should win. The announcements were made at the respective Nisa Foodservice and Retail annual dinner’s held throughout the Nisa show. This is a fantastic accolade for AAK Foodservice and Retail and a welcome reward for all the hard work put in to ensure we remain a top supplier to our customers.