29/09/2007
Top chef in Venus Crabfest event
Fresh, locally caught crabs are the stars of a unique CrabFest taking place in the South Hams during October when Michelin Star award winning chef, Jacques Marechal, teams up with the Venus Company to promote CrabFest speciality dishes at Blackpool Sands, Bigbury on Sea and East Portlemouth in support of the Dartmouth Food Festival.
Jacques Marechal is well known locally, as the award winning chef patron for some 30 years at Plymouth’s Chez Nous Restaurant, one of the first restaurants in the region to gain a Michelin star.
Jacques has helped Venus create a selection of tasty crab recipes, alfresco style, with two Devon crab menu items available each day at the three Venus Cafes, with cracked crab the star choice on Friday and Saturday evenings at Blackpool Sands.
Michael Smith, Venus managing director explains how the CrabFest has come about. “We wanted to do something special at the start of the month to herald the Dartmouth Food Festival which runs from 10th – 14th October, and then carry it on right through October. The timing coincides with the start of our working relationship with Jacques Marechal to combine his talented, culinary skills with Venus expertise in our menu development.
“Quality, locally sourced ingredients are always our natural choice so the idea of using fresh crabs caught right off our coast is perfect for the CrabFest at our beach locations. October is one of the best months of the year for crab and our local crab is probably the best in Britain.”
Venus has recently invested £450,000 in a new distribution and administration centre at Halwell, near Dartmouth, with a centralised kitchen to allow the company to gradually extend its outdoor catering arm for special functions and wedding receptions. Jacques Marechal and the Venus team have been trying out the new kitchen in creating new Venus menu ideas. The facility will save transport miles for Venus suppliers and make sourcing of local food products easier.
www.venuscompany.co.uk
Jacques Marechal is well known locally, as the award winning chef patron for some 30 years at Plymouth’s Chez Nous Restaurant, one of the first restaurants in the region to gain a Michelin star.
Jacques has helped Venus create a selection of tasty crab recipes, alfresco style, with two Devon crab menu items available each day at the three Venus Cafes, with cracked crab the star choice on Friday and Saturday evenings at Blackpool Sands.
Michael Smith, Venus managing director explains how the CrabFest has come about. “We wanted to do something special at the start of the month to herald the Dartmouth Food Festival which runs from 10th – 14th October, and then carry it on right through October. The timing coincides with the start of our working relationship with Jacques Marechal to combine his talented, culinary skills with Venus expertise in our menu development.
“Quality, locally sourced ingredients are always our natural choice so the idea of using fresh crabs caught right off our coast is perfect for the CrabFest at our beach locations. October is one of the best months of the year for crab and our local crab is probably the best in Britain.”
Venus has recently invested £450,000 in a new distribution and administration centre at Halwell, near Dartmouth, with a centralised kitchen to allow the company to gradually extend its outdoor catering arm for special functions and wedding receptions. Jacques Marechal and the Venus team have been trying out the new kitchen in creating new Venus menu ideas. The facility will save transport miles for Venus suppliers and make sourcing of local food products easier.
www.venuscompany.co.uk