saluting shanghai - the Savoy Gastronomes

Transcription

GnomedePlume2010:Layout 1 01/09/2010 11:49 Page 1
Published Autumn 2010
F OU N D E D I N 1 9 71
The Newsletter of The Savoy Gastronomes • www.savoygastronomes.com
•
D E LI V E R I N G T H E N E W S T H AT M AT T E R S
•
SALUTING SHANGHAI
A GASTRONOMES VISIT TO EXPO 2010
The incredible pace of change culminated in the success of Shanghai Expo 2010. There are now five new
tunnels running under the Huangpu River, three additional bridges and a massively improved metro system.
That’s apart from acres of freshly created green space and, of course, some fabulous new hotels.
rolling out great talent. The perfect
trading partner and place to study.
Belgium, according to its pavilion, is
the home of perfection in chocolate
making. Godiva had a very strong
brand presence. Lovely pictures
portraying the country as a green
and pleasant place to live, perhaps
in some ways rather old fashioned,
yet the exhibit offered a glimpse into
a modern future with the world’s first
solar-powered car (I’m not quite sure
it would fit into my garage, however).
Mark Norris
in Shanghai
The Expo theme – ‘Better City, Better
Life’ is clever. Of course this has been
China’s chance to showcase
Shanghai. However, there is far more
to Shanghai Expo 2010 than Sino
self-promotion.
For those of us lucky enough to go,
the message Shanghai invites us to
take back seems to be more about a
global ‘we’ than an inward-looking,
territorial ‘us’. This World’s Fair
brilliantly enables the visitor, whether
an overseas dignitary, tourist or one
of the millions of inhabitants of
mainland China, to visualise and
understand the value that ‘great cities’
– as a collective — bring to society.
But in doing so, Shanghai positions
itself as an essential part of the
global jigsaw, with every right to be
proud.
I was delighted to see great strides
towards liberalism in a country
hobbled by a reputation for restricting
freedom of expression, particularly
through the availability of free content
on the internet. Naturally, there was
plenty of information about the
benefits of the Expo to both Shanghai
and China. One cannot help but
wonder what Londoners will be
saying about the 2012 Olympics a
few years hence.
Perhaps I should share my own
experience visiting three of the Expo
exhibitions. Sadly, due to queues
estimated to be in excess of three
hours, a visit to the China Pavilion
was not viable. That was a great
disappointment as I had very much
hoped to experience China’s vision
for the future, particularly in the
provinces, first hand. So I must issue
a serious warning to London 2012
organisers: unless all entry
arrangements are thoroughly thought
through and planned, we seriously
risk another Millennium Dome
disaster. The over-riding experience
should not be tainted by the lack of
organisation. So to the three
exhibitions we visited:
The Polish Pavilion had a very clear
theme: lovely country, landscape,
heritage and a proud people, the
driving force for the future, brought
into the 21st century by EU
membership. Fabulous education
Our own UK Pavilion, where Lewis
Hamilton of F1 fame is said to have
been truly moved by our innovation
with the Seed Cathedral. First of all, I
hugely appreciate the warm
hospitality that we were given - true
British style – however, I do question
whether the majority of visitors the
world over will share Lewis’ and my
enthusiasm for an exhibition clearly
developed from the right (i.e. logical)
side of the brain. When other
countries were pushing messages of
heritage, cuisine, climate and
resources what was our story?
Well, the stand is undoubtedly very
clever: an open and undulating
space made of grey astro turf
surrounding the famed acrylic ‘Seed
Cathedral’ fashioned out of rods
containing little seeds from different
plants. Seeds? The source of all living
things! Hmm. Was it symbolising the
UK as a place of unpredictable
winds and weather where we
treasure the opportunity to get
outside? In fact, I think we could do
better, and I only hope that for 2012,
the legacy will not be ‘Better city, yes,
but we could have done better’.
As far as Shanghai goes, I think Expo
will serve it well. Greener, better
understood and with a bright future
ahead. Roll on 2012!
Submitted by Gastronome Mark
Norris
Members’ dinner at Brooks’s Friday 20th November 2009
We do not think there are many
amicales that have the very good
fortune to be able to offer to their
Members such a rich opportunity of
dining in private clubs such as
Brooks’s. So it was with a fair amount
of anticipation for most members that
we gathered behind the 1776
façade of Brooks’s in St James’s
Street. Here, through the kind
intervention of Martin Harvey, we
were greeted with glasses of
Champagne Besserat Bellefon and
by Graham Snell, Secretary. We
dined in the historic Subscription
Room, looked down upon by a pair
of pictures depicting groups of
Dilettanti by Joshua Reynolds.
An Assiette of Cured Fish, followed
by delicious Roast Partridge, Black
Velvet Cream and Welsh Rarebit was
the order of the day. Graham then
gave an illuminating potted history of
the club. We are greatly in his debt
for giving us such a great privilege to
dine at Brooks’s but the tragic
accident that befell June Johnston
that afternoon cast a long shadow
over the proceedings.
P U B LI S H ED I N L O N D O N F O R T H E W O R L D
Andrew
Farquharson
M.V.O.
The granting of membership of the
Royal Victorian Order is in the
personal gift of the Sovereign and it
is therefore huge congratulations we
extend to Gastronome Andrew
Farquharson on receiving this
Honour recently.
Andrew was in charge of the Her
Majesty’s entertaining for ten years
before joining The Prince of Wales
at Clarence House as Deputy
Master of the Household in
February 2006.
Recently Andrew has been in Doha
advising the Ruling family on
hospitality matters and hopes to
return to that part of the world.
Tree planting
We are delighted to announce that
we have permission to plant a tree in
the Embankment Gardens in
front of the Savoy’s River Entrance to
commemorate our 40th Anniversary.
We plan to make a little event out of
this in 2011 and further details will
be sent out once our plans are firm.
Service of
Thanksgiving
Another commemorative occasion
will be held in 2011 to mark our 40th
Anniversary at the Queen’s Chapel
of the Savoy. This Chapel will have
poignant memories for some
members who have been married
there. The Chaplain, The Reverend
Professor Peter Galloway, O.B.E.,
has graciously given us permission to
hold a Service there, and we are
planning an uplifting occasion which
we hope will be attended by many
Members, their friends and those
who have been associated with us.
The date and format of the occasion
will be advised in due course. If any
Member would like to put forward
any suggestions please send them to
Jim Sarton jim@dedhamhall.
demon.co.uk
Lanson
International
The Savoy Gastronomes is indebted
to Paul Beavis, Managing Director of
Lanson International and
Champagne Besserat Bellefon in
London (telephone 020 7499 0070)
for his generous support of
The Savoy Gastronomes.
www.lansoninternational.com
Important diary date 2011 – Please put Monday 7th March 2011 in the diary as the evening of the 40th Anniversary
Annual Reunion Dinner which will be held at The Savoy, through the great co-operation of Kiaran W. MacDonald, General Manager
and his team. Plans are being formulated and details will be announced in due course.
GNOME DE PLUME
1
Natale
Rusconi is
President
2010/11 see page 2
Tyrie leaves the
Eton Collection
Having created the Eton Collection
just ten years ago past President
Peter Tyrie, who sold the company
in 2007, has stood down from the
company and is taking a little time off
for reflection. This meant that he could
participate in the reunion in Rapallo –
a coast line he has often sailed, but
sadly his partner Uruguayan born
Catherine Coates had to stay behind
in England on family watch duty.
Volcanic Ash
Delay Leads to
European
Adventure by
Terry Foremen
Following the successful AGM and
Reunion this year in Rapallo, several
Gastronomes and their guests decided
to stay an extra day to enjoy the town
on their own. The following day, when
arriving at Genoa airport, they found all
flights back to the UK cancelled due to
the volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Fortunately Natale Rusconi had a
contact at the Sheraton at the Genoa
Airport, and called to alert him that
there might be a travel problem for his
fellow Gastronomes. He was assured
that the Sheraton would help in any
way possible.
Although some of the party decided to
return via Paris, Cheryl and I decided to
relax and enjoy the journey home,
spending two nights at the Sheraton.
The staff were welcoming and
accommodated us in a suite. The
Assistant Manager introduced us to the
British Airways crew, who kept us well
informed of flight news. At dinner in the
hotel’s restaurant, we had a wonderful
surprise - the extremely helpful and
friendly waiter told us he had learned
his well spoken English while working at
The Savoy! Lorenzo spent two years
working in Private Rooms and the Grill.
On Friday, the hotel’s shuttle took us to
the centre of Genoa for additional
sightseeing.
By Saturday it became obvious that it
was not going to be possible to fly
back to Gatwick, so we rented the last
available car from Avis – a bright
orange Ford Ka. After a drive north
through the Mont Blanc tunnel, we
spent the night at Mâcon, in southern
Burgundy. An excellent Burgundian
dinner was enjoyed at Le Poisson d’Or
on the banks of the River Saône
(www.lepoissondor. com). Sunday was
spent driving north through rural France
to arrive in Calais by early evening, in
time for a meal at La Mer Restaurant
(www.resaurant-lamer.com) which
offered everything that a seafood lover
could want! After returning the car to
Avis on Monday, we managed to
board the P&O Ferry to Dover. Getting
back to the UK had become an
enjoyable extended holiday, rather than
a traumatic escape.
AUTUMN 2010
and practice in the kitchen, Natale’s
parents did not think he would
become an hotelier because he was
very shy as a boy. Instead, they
encouraged him to continue studying
and to get a university degree, which
he later earned in Latin literature and
history.
After earning his doctorate, Natale still
had to choose what to do with his life
and it was then that he decided to
become an hotelier. He accepted a
“stage” at the Savoy where he worked
for a year in many different
departments including of course the
Reception Office.
Natale
Rusconi
President
2010/11
For many of the great independent
hoteliers, the story is the same – they
are born to hotelier parents and
reared in hotels. So it goes with
Natale, widely acknowledged as one
of the greatest hoteliers in the world.
The Savoy Gastronomes are indeed
already hugely grateful to him and his
wife Connie, for being so generous
with their lavish hospitality when he
was Managing Director of the
iconic Cipriani in Venice. Now in
retirement we welcome him as our
President for this 40th anniversary year.
But Natale’s story is no ordinary tale
because after five years of working in
his parents’ hotel in Milan he left. “I
couldn’t stand it any longer” he says.
My Mother was very difficult. We
learn from the errors of our teachers:
our parents.”
Natale indeed learned by working for
his parents, but his decision to leave
would take him to the Savoy, a place
he credits in grounding his career as
an hotelier. It was there that he went
from behind the scenes under the stairs
in the Reception office, to the kitchens
and restaurant. Those experiences
would prove valuable to him later in
life at the Cipriani and to being
nominated by his peers as the 2007
Independent Hotelier of the
Year.
Natalie’s Grandfather on his Mother’s
side was the catalyst for his family’s
entrée into the hotel world – he made
his living buying old buildings and
transforming them into hotels. His last
project, the Hotel Argentina in
Milan was left to his daughter –
Natale’s Mother – who was just a
teenager. Because she couldn’t
manage it, she and her Mother rented
the hotel to a group of men, one of
whom would eventually buy out his
partner, marry Rusconi’s Mother, and
run the hotel with her.
Natalie was born there, at the hotel in
Milan in 1926, and grew up under
the supervision of a nanny because his
Mother was so busy working in the
hotel. He was sent to the Swiss School
where he learned German at a young
age, because his parents wanted a
son who could speak languages. To
further Natale’s German skills he was
packed off to Bern. So during the
summer “instead of going to the
beach I was in Bern.”
Another part of growing up in an hotel
was being in constant touch with
members of the staff. “We had a very
good cook in Milan” Natale recalls
and I competed with him. It was quite
amusing at my young age – he was
doing it his professional way and I
was doing it the way my Grandmother
taught me.
And yet despite his language study
GNOME DE PLUME
After this happy time he returned to
Milan because his Mother had told
him the hotel would eventually
become his. He stayed in Milan for
five years and helped transform and
up-grade the hotel from a third-class
establishment. However in 1959 he
became fed up and left.
“I wrote to the Savoy” Natale
continues, “where I had been before
in 1954 and they were very happy
when I returned to the Reception
Office. “I arrived and they told me, Mr
Rusconi, you were probably treated
too well as a trainee, now you are No
3 in Reception. You mustn’t be seen by
any clients!” Through hard work
Natale rose eventually through the
ranks but his Father suggested that he
should return to Italy once more. So
back Natale went and, after a short
time in Sicily, ended up in Milan as
General Manager of the Hotel Piano.
“ I started to work with him, and he
said Natalino, you are going to be my
General Manager but between you
and me I am going to supervise the
hotel and you are only going to take
care of the restaurant.” It was an
impossible situation. So there again I
left. Natale wanted nothing more but
to run his own hotel, but his Mother
had sold the management of the
family hotel so Natale joined CIGA
Head Office in Venice in 1960 at a
time when that company was
expanding. After “suffering” there for
three years Natale was able to move
into the Gritti Palace as Resident
Manager in 1963. During his five
years there he built key relationships
and truly learnt how to be a Manager.
Eventually he became General
Manager but not before a stint in
Naples as Joint General Manager
of the Excelsior and another in
Rome as General Manager of the
Grand Hotel. CIGA hotels was
sold in 1969, a year after Natale
moved to the Grand. He did not like
the new management and in late
1972 was “transferred in disgrace”
back to the Gritti where the staff
were delighted to see him and he
stayed another few years honing his
skills until being transferred to Paris in
1976 to oversee the three newly
purchased hotels, the Grand Hotel
and the Café de Paris, the
Prince de Galles and the
Meurice. Natale was there only a
short time before CIGA sold the hotels
in 1977. Natale was transferred once
again back to Head Office where he
was not happy without an hotel to run.
His next move would turn out to be his
final. His neighbour in Venice
happened to be the administration
manager of the Cipriani, which had
just been purchased from the
Guiness family, by James
Sherwood of Sea Containers Inc.
His neighbour suggested that he
should meet Mr Sherwood and the
rest, as they say, is history. As
Managing Director of the Cipriani,
Natale was finally able to fulfil his lifetime ambition. Natalie found an hotel
which had not seen any investment for
many years and “was a shambles.”
However thanks to the on-going
investment of Sea Containers (a
subsidiary of which would become
Orient Express Hotels) and the
devoted leadership of Natale, the offthe-beaten path hotel would become
more and more famous eventually
becoming No 1 hotel in the world.
Natale’s gracious style and
unparalleled skills at the very highest
level made his name and that of the
Cipriani famous worldwide. This
company would grow at its zenith into
forty nine de-luxe leisure properties in
twenty five countries. Most of the
properties were owned but some
were partly owned. Its hotels,
restaurants, river cruise ships and
tourist trains competed in the top end
of the market. In the UK, the train
operator GNER was run by
Christopher Garnett, which The
Gastronomes sampled in First
Class comfort en-route to the annual
reunion in Edinburgh, was
representative of the style of the whole
Sea Containers group. Independent
assessors said GNER was a “beacon
of excellence” for the way it managed
and motivated its employees.
Early on in his tenure at the Cipriani
Natale was charged with finding
other properties for Sea Containers
that would fit into the expanding
group. His success in this field led to
the transformation of the Villa San
Michele perched on the hills outside
Florence, and the Hotel Splendido
in Portofino, amongst others, into
the Orient Express family. For a while
Natalie ran all three but spent most of
his time at the Cipriani. Natale
recognises wholeheartedly the
devoted support of his wife Connie,
who “always followed me with
patience and love.” In his retirement
Natale is much sought after as a
consultant and he can now happily
devote more time to his family and
grandchildren. He plans to spend
more time walking and particularly to
returning to one of his favourite cities,
London, where he feels very much at
home.
Editorial note: CIGA hotels traces its
heritage to Compagnia Italiana
Grandi Alberghi (CIGA), founded in
1906, owner of some of Italy’s most
renowned luxury hotels, including the
Hotel Danieli in Venice, the Grand
Hotel in Florence and The
Excelsior in Rome. In 1985,
Prince Karim Aga Khan acquired
a controlling interest in CIGA and
began to expand the company’s
luxury hotel portfolio beyond Italy,
most notably with purchases in Spain
and Austria. CIGA later expanded in
geographic focus to include
legendary properties in Sardinia,
including Hotel Cala di Volpe,
Hotel Pitrizza and Hotel
Romazzino. In 1994, Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
acquired CIGA and created The
Luxury Collection designed to be the
world’s most renowned assemblage
of hotels and resorts. Raising cash was
no problem for the Aga Khan’s
illustrious grandfather, Sultan Sir
Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. He
simply let followers hoist his 243lb.
frame onto a scale and then match his
weight in diamonds or gold — a quaint
practice that lapsed long ago. The
present Aga Khan, Prince Karim,
retains the reverence that goes with his
heritage: he is the spiritual leader of
the 15 million Ismaili Muslims, who
regard him as a direct descendant of
the prophet Muhammad. But even
though Prince Karim has long been
ranked as one of the world’s richest
men, his financial clout suddenly seems
less princely: a group of his banks and
creditors seized the crown jewel of his
business empire, the CIGA hotel chain,
which ran some of Europe’s most
palatial lodgings.
The setback left business leaders and
jet-setters abuzz over the billionaire’s
misfortunes. Says Baron Edmond
de Rothschild, patriarch of the
2
French banking dynasty: “Karim, like
so many others, has been caught in a
cyclical downturn more severe than
any we have seen in Europe since the
end of World War II.”
The humiliation was particularly painful
because the Aga Khan, had long
been regarded as a conscientious and
sober-sided businessman. Unlike his
playboy father, best known in the West
for marrying actress Rita
Hayworth, the Harvard-educated
Aga Khan kept a low-key image while
raising Thoroughbred racehorses and
amassing holdings that include resorts,
newspapers and airlines. He spends
most of his time overseeing a personal
secretariat outside Paris that manages
his Ismaili religious foundation and its
16,000 worldwide employees. The
philanthropies fund dozens of clinics,
orphanages and schools controlled by
his followers in Asia, Africa and the
Middle East.
The Aga Khan’s business empire
began to wobble in the late 1980s
when the CIGA hotel group embarked
on a spectacularly ill-timed expansion.
The goal was to build on its worldfamous string of luxury hotels such as
the Grand in Rome and the Danieli in
Venice. Just as the global economy
was about to falter, Prince Karim
began piling up debt to pay for costly
renovations and the purchase of more
than a dozen new hostelries, including
the Palace in Madrid. Banks remained
eager to put up the money because
CIGA could pledge real estate worth
more than $1 billion as collateral.
“This was a very hot company,” says a
London banker.
Then wave after wave of mishaps
struck the now overleveraged firm. The
world recession hobbled tourism, just
as Italy — the home of most CIGA
hotels — was hit by scandals that
toppled several governments. Officials
devalued the lira nearly 50%, which
almost doubled the cost of repaying
CIGA’s $670 million debt. Property
values plunged, eating away at the
collateral of CIGA’s creditors, and the
war in the gulf deflated what was left
of the 1980s travel boom. Many of
CIGA‘s hotels emptied virtually
overnight. “They were good guys,
really,” says the London banker. “But
the problem was they had no way to
make money from the hotels despite
the high prices they were charging.”
The Aga Khan, who had always been
something of a loner on the clubby
Italian business scene, lacked financial
alliances within the country and had
nowhere to turn for help. His long time
friend Fiat chairman Giovanni
Agnelli was preoccupied with the
financial woes of his own scandaltainted automotive empire.
In a desperate effort to pare down the
debt, Fimpar, the Aga Khan’s holding
company, planned to raise $200
million on the Milan stock exchange.
But the Gulf War scared off investors,
and the plans had to be dropped.
Finally, the Aga Khan hired Goldman
Sachs to sell off some of CIGA’‘s
lesser hotels in hopes of raising
roughly $175 million to repay loans
and stem losses. One of the few
buyers that stepped forward was Situr,
an Italian property group, but before
a deal could be struck, Situr alleged
that CIGA’s books contained serious
irregularities and dropped out of the
negotiations.
Shares of CIGA remained frozen on
the Milan stock exchange as the hotel
company reported losses of $173
million for 1992. Yet because he deftly
avoided putting any of his private
fortune of about $1.4 billion on the line
to bail out CIGA, Prince Karim remains
one of the world’s richest men. He may
thus become the first in his line to be in
financial trouble despite being worth
his weight in diamonds!
Picot still
on the road
Former General Manager of the
Kuwait Hilton, The King
Edward in Toronto, the
Meridians in Sydney and
Piccadilly and long time and
almost forgotten inhabitant of a 12th
floor office at 166 High Holborn,
now GM of the Jumeirah
Carlton Tower, Derek Picot could
not make the annual reunion as he
was on a USA travel industry road
show. Derek’s colourful career
includes being blown up in Kuwait
just prior to the first Gulf war!
However, his literary legacy is
“Hotel Reservations” in which
he spilt many other people’s beans.
In this anecdotal colourful tome,
published in the last millennia, he
recounts and relishes the cadences
of the English language to their
extremity.
Faster –
faster!
Not content with having cracked the
London Marathon twice at
commendable speeds, (4.03 hours)
General Manager of
Threadneedle’s Hotel, in the City of
London, Julian Payne pounded
his way round the gruelling New
York Marathon in November at a
great time of 4.28. The proceeds of
his stirling efforts went to his
nominated Charity - Children with
Leukemia. His next target is the
Berlin marathon in September. An
easier challenge was to be for Julian
and his family, skiing on holiday in
Davos in February, whilst Payne
Senior was spotted decidedly offpiste at Suvretta House in St
Moritz.
Members’ only
dinner Friday
November 5th
2010
This will be held at the ROYAL
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS 11
St Andrew’s Place London NW1
4LE Telephone 020 7935 1174
www.rcplondon.ac.uk The Royal
College of Physicians is the oldest
and most prestigious English medical
foundation, incorporated by Royal
Charter in 1518. We shall have a
guided tour relating to eminent
physician Sir Hans Sloane (who
invented drinking chocolate and,
amongst other things, has Sloane
Square named after him) followed
by dinner. There are a plethora of
medical artefacts to be seen going
back to the 16th century and the
library is magnificent. Do join us in
the dramatic interior spaces of one
of London's most important post-war
Grade 1 buildings designed by Sir
Denys Lasdun in 1964. We are most
fortunate to be allowed to hold our
dinner there and extend our grateful
thanks to Clive Ostler, General
Manager and his team together with
Executive Chef David
Summerell, who worked in the
Savoy Restaurant kitchens
under Maitre Chef de Cuisine
Silvino Trompetto M.B.E.
Further details will be sent out shortly.
Generous
raffle prize
donors
We are most grateful to everyone
who donated so generously with
gifts or vouchers to make the raffle
such fun and to help swell our
coffers. Prizes ranged from dinner for
two in New York at the Trump Tower
donated by Suzie Mills, to a
round of golf at The Grove donated
by Committee member Victoria
Smalley.
AUTUMN 2010
39TH ANNUAL REUNION
10th–14th April 2010 in Rapallo
Monday 12th dawned with partially
cloudy skies and a stiff wind as we
made our way to join our chartered
launch to visit the UNESCO World
Heritage Site, The Cinque Terre 65
kms away. This rugged portion of
coast and comprises five villages:
Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza,
Corniglia, Manarola, and
Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five
villages, and the surrounding hillsides
are all part of the Cinque Terre
National Park.
Once again much pre-trip planning
had gone into this exciting four day
series of events that had entailed a visit
to the charming water-front city of
Rapallo in 2009 with Michael
Bentley, Tony Giacomin and Ian
and June Johnston (where they
spent their honeymoon fifty-one years
before) checking out some of the
locations in advance. June’s desire was
to make this Reunion truly special and
it was a tragedy that she was not with
us. Arrangements were co-ordinated
by Natale and Connie Rusconi
to ensure that the best possible times
were had by all. Flying into Genoa,
only half an hour away made Rapallo
an excellent choice of destination with
transfers to our hotels, the Bristol and
Miramere, laid on.
We kicked off with a Welcome
Prosecco-charged Reception under a
palm tree on the sea front and typical
Italian style dinner at a local informal
restaurant to catch up with old friends.
Some Members had travelled from as
far afield as Chicago and Israel. It
was very nice to have Anders and
Tina Haggbom with us from
Sweden. They had driven all the way
stopping off to visit some friends enroute.
Sunday 11th was a day at leisure with
some members venturing to charming
Portofino by public boat and
stopping off at Santa Margherita on
the way. Some Gastronomes thought
they had spotted the £17m 62 metre
yacht, Blue Lagoon, belonging to the
former Formula One boss Flavio
Briatore, 58, which was subsequently
seized by Italian police, over
suspicions that he owes up to £3.5m
in unpaid taxes. Mr Briatore’s wife,
28 year old “Wonderbra” model
was on board with their young son
and the crew of 17 when it was
boarded by armed police officers
along the coast in La Spezia where
they found cabins full of designer
furniture and sculptures.
Later that day we assembled to
transfer by small coaches up the
hillside to La Cervara. www.cervara.it
a privately owned 18th Century
monastery where the owner
Gianenrico Mapelli and his daughter
were waiting for us. Mr Mapelli, an
old friend of Natale and Connie
Rusconi, has created the most
spectacular location for special
occasions. We had the run of the
whole estate, Champagne in hand,
to wander through the gardens prior
to our spectacular dinner. However
the inevitable Annual General
Meeting took only a minimum of time
and we returned to our guests on the
terrace overlooking the sea and also
to admire the three hundred year old
wisteria that was in full bloom. The
39th Annual Reunion Dinner kicked off
with Grace said by Linzi Smith
(one of June and Ian Johnston’s
daughters). A delicious four course
dinner followed and finally we
reached the final touch of the evening
which was to sample minature bottles
of home made Grappa produced by
Michael and Christine
Holland, labelled especially for The
Savoy Gastronomes. Thank you
Michael and Christine for this nice
touch.
The traditional Toast to Absent
Gastronomes was read by Claire
Austin and included many messages
from far away Members including
Rosie and David Wardle,
Andrew Hirst President 2007,
Julian Payne Jnr, Mark
Norris, Herbert Streissnig
President 1995, Derek Picot
President 1990, Bruno
Kilchman, Gerard Van der
Veen, Andrew Barham, Anna
Coakley. David Ward, John
Iversen, Michael Duffell,
Duncan Palmer and Kirk
Ritchie.
To conclude the formalities Victoria
Smalley burst into verse with
“Gastronomes enjoying the
Italian Sun
Wonderful venue for much food
and fun
Enjoy all the vino
Send my love to Portofino
Best wishes to Ian and Everyone!
A brief opportunity for us to look
around the Monastery prior to joining
our mini-coaches concluded another
spectacular milestone in the
Gastronomes’ annals.
The Cinque Terre is noted for its
beauty. Over centuries, people have
carefully built terraces on the rugged,
steep landscape right up to the cliffs
that overlook the sea. Part of its
charm is the lack of visible “modern”
development. Paths, trains and boats
connect the villages, and cars cannot
reach it from the outside. This
extraordinary centuries old hill-side
site called for very sturdy footwear as
we made our way up some steep
paths. We stopped for a casual
lunch at a local fish restaurant and
returned to Rapallo by coach after
another fascinating day. Dinner was
arranged at a local Pizza restaurant,
in Rapallo.
Tuesday 13th arrived all too soon but
coaches had been arranged for a
full day tour to Genoa with a stop for
lunch at an excellent water-front
restaurant. Everyone had time to
explore this wonderful City before
leaving to prepare for our final dinner
at the charming de-luxe Hotel
Miramare in Santa Margherita. This
town is the home of Paolo and Carol
Biscioni and although they could not
be with us as Paolo had just had an
operation he sent us warm greetings
and a surprise Grappa with his
compliments at the end of Dinner.
The next day it was time to say farewell
for the majority of Members but a few
stayed on only to be caught up in the
volcanic ash debacle and travelling
difficulties.
Looki
looki
Rapallo
This is the catchy title of Graham
Bamford’s wonderful DVD on the
whole trip to Rapallo which he
compiled with great skill on the
cutting room floor, so as to speak, on
his return. If you have not ordered a
copy please do so as it is a very fine
and amusing souvenir of this
memorable occasion. Contact
Graham on graham.bamford
@royalgarden-hotel.co.uk
Not so
Bonny
Banks of
Loch
Lomond
This world class golf club has been
put up for sale by its owners the
Lloyds Banking Group where until
recently Gastronome Knut Wylde
has been in charge, taking over from
another Gastronome who helped put
it on the map Keith Williams, now
to be found in Hong Kong.
I understand there is a stand off
between Lloyds and the club members
– which include City bankers and
executives – who fear that a sale
would reduce the value of their
debentures by opening up the course
to the public. However there is a
happy ending to this story as I hear that
Knut left Loch Lomond after three
happy years at the end of August. He
has moved as Director of Operations
to the St Pancras Hotel London.
Knut, his wife Imina and their two little
girls are excited about moving back to
London.
The hotel will be managed by
Renaissance Hotels and will be their
European Flagship. After a major
restoration in conjunction with English
Heritage this Grade I listed building
dating from 1868 will open its doors
again in March 2011, seventy-five
years since closing when it was the
Midland Grand St Pancras.
There are some very fine architectural
features in this building, inside and
out.
New
Members
A warm welcome to Gemma
Lawrence and Saurabh
Kukreja both in London and Paul
Merrigan who recently made
contact with us from Victoria, Australia
Spotted!
Marie Koehler seen on the slopes
of Australia! (Editorial note: really?)
Stefano Leone seen fishing on the
rivers and lakes of the northern Italy
while taking time out from managing
two spa resorts in Livigno.
Ulrich Schwerr is still residing in
New York busy looking after his new
twins.
GNOME DE PLUME
3
Roll over
Royston
Secretary Anna Coakley left her
Essex roots and has moved to
Royston in Hertfordshire. Walks in the
countryside, shopping trips in
Cambridge and being close to all the
family seem to have ticked most of
the boxes. When not in the pastures
of Royston Anna clocks up the train
miles visiting her offices in Leeds
staying in the rather functional City
Inn.
Tax tax
tax!
Not content with his Barclays bike
scheme flamboyant Mayor of
London, Boris Johnson, has his sights
set on the hospitality industry and
word is that we’ll soon have a hotel
development tax to pay for the
Crossrail scheme running from
Maidenhead in the west to Stratford
in the east. It’s not that long ago
when hoteliers were encouraged to
build hotels with a grant of £1,000
per room!
Unlucky
for some
Kaspar the cat will undoubtedly return
to the Savoy and make up the
numbers again beyond unlucky 13 if
needed. This goes back to 1898,
when a party of 13 men had dinner
at the Savoy. One of them dismissed
the notion that the first to leave would
suffer ill fortune. A few weeks later, he
was shot dead in his office in
Johannesburg.
Duffell to
retire on 31st
December
2010 – finally
With about ninety days to go
Chicago-based Founder Member
Michael Duffell cannot wait to
call it a day and have some time for
himself. I suspect this might mean a
little more time at Wilmette Golf Club
and at their home in Palm Beach
Gardens, Florida. Meanwhile his wife
Gisela was spotted amidst the
glamour of the Paris collections in July
seeking inspiration for her boss, Her
Royal Highness Princess Haya
Bint Al Hussein wife of HRH
Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum.
Donations
The Committee acknowledge most
gratefully a generous donation from a
Member (who wishes to remain
anonymous). If other Members would
like to follow this fine example and
make a donation please contact the
Treasurer Maggi Smit.
Archives
Committee member Victoria
Smalley, at the Athenaeum Hotel in
Piccadilly, now has care over our
archives so if you would like to see
them please contact Victoria on
smalley_victoria@hotmail.com
The Savoy
goes social
networking!
New
handbook
Those Facebookers and Tweeters
among you may have noticed the
presence of The Savoy with some
tempting photos of the new rooms
and confirmations being sent via
these channels.
Gastronomes should have received
their copy of the 2010/11 handbook
which was distributed earlier in the
year. If you have not done so and
would like a copy please contact the
Secretary Anna Coakley.
AUTUMN 2010
THE SAVOY GASTRONOMES’
OLIVE BARNETT AWARD 2010
The Savoy Gastronomes’ Olive Barnett Award was created in 1974 by The Savoy Gastronomes to recognise the huge
input that Miss Olive Barnett made to training young hoteliers within the Savoy Hotel Company.
Tony Elliott, on behalf of The
Savoy Gastronomes, worked
tirelessly since the Award began in
1974 to organise and ensure that
the Award was a great success. In
recent years, Virginia Masser,
herself a winner in 1993, assisted
him.
Following the sale of The Savoy
Group, The Savoy Gastronomes
Committee voted that the Award
should be re-structured in order to
ensure its continued work in
developing talent in the industry
and its great success.
In 2004 The Savoy Educational
Trust, who had supported The Olive
Barnett Award for many years,
suggested that Springboard UK
should be invited to administer the
growing Award and that Dr Anne
Pierce, the Chief Executive, should
join the Panel of Judges.
At the same time, a previous Olive
Barnett Award Winner, Ian Scarth,
who is now a professor at the world
renowned Swiss Hotel School in
Lausanne (Ecole Hôtelière de
Lausanne), was in discussion with
The Savoy Gastronomes regarding
ways for the school to be more
involved with the hospitality industry
in the United Kingdom. Ian kindly
agreed to join Anne on the Panel of
Judges, bringing a new educational
dimension to the Award. The Award
was re-designed and we
approached The Savoy
Educational Trust to provide
increased prize money for the new
Award.
The Savoy Gastronomes’ Olive
Barnett Award is now open to
anyone under the age of 30, in full
time employment in a customer
facing role, in any aspect of the
hospitality industry, anywhere in the
United Kingdom.
Each year The Savoy Gastronomes’
Olive Barnett Award tests the
entrants in varying ways, including
educational, presentation and
people skills. The Panel of Judges
is looking for the star of the future,
the person that will use the Award
to advance their career and
personal progress, and in whom
Olive Barnett would approve.
The Award goes from strength to
strength, receiving over 100 entries
every year and attracting over 300
people from the hospitality industry
throughout the UK to the Finals
Reception, where the Winners are
announced. It has become a
recognised industry Award, and
The Savoy Gastronomes are justly
proud of this great achievement.
This would not be possible without
the generous support of the
following current partners and
sponsors:
The principal sponsor, currently The
Savoy Hotel
The administration and
organisational skills of Springboard
UK
The Savoy Educational Trust, who
continue to provide funds for prize
money
The Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne,
who provide course places for the
finalists Caterer.com who provide
additional financial support for the
Award.
Since 2008, Virginia took over the
organisation of the Award together
with Terry Foreman. Log onto
the website for details of previous
winners and of the current Award,
the guidelines to enter and details
of this year’s wonderful prizes.
www.savoygastronomes.com
Below are the eight finalists of the 2010 competition and they share with Members why they should be the winner of the
prestigious 2010 Award.
Marianne
Brown
Thistle
Piccadilly
The Royal
Trafalgar by
Thistle
Accreditation with such a
prestigious award would be an
absolute privilege; there’s always
more to learn and the training
would be a unique opportunity for
my personal development. The
award would also serve as a big
‘thank you’ to all to those who have
encouraged and supported me
throughout my career.
Lucinda
Creech
London
Heathrow
Marriott
“This prestigious award represents
all that I stand for and aspire to
become while working in the
hospitality industry. Passion for the
service, commitment to delight our
guests and responsibility to develop
and mentor talent is my career goal.
With these traits I look forward to
being a leader in our industry and
taking hospitality and all that it
encompasses to the next level!”
“I get a ‘buzz’ - a tremendous sense
of fulfilment when interacting with
guests. I live it, breathe it and
execute it daily - and it’s ‘the buzz’
that drives me forward. Winning this
award will enable me to further
develop my skills and share my
learning with industry colleagues
with the aim of delivering genuine
& caring customer service. The
‘buzz’ is truly contagious.”
Casper E. Manz
who died on 22nd February 2010
GNOME DE PLUME
Red
Carnation
Hotels
“The more I have, the more I can
give. With recently being
nominated a Springboard
Ambassador, winning The Savoy
Gastronomes’ Olive Barnett award
would help me give back so much
more to the industry that I have
dedicated my life to and for me
personally, a dream come true.”
Jannes
Soeresen
The
Connaught
Hotel
Amy Kate
Dignon
Cameron
House Hotel,
Loch Lomond
“I truly believe in the warmth and
honesty of Scottish hospitality and I
strive for excellence in my role to
achieve this. It would be such an
honour to bring the prestige of the
Olive Barnett Award 2010 to
Cameron House and Scotland.”
Casper displayed all the insignia of
the worthy patrician: upright carriage,
impeccable manners, constantly
correct attire, a finely-chiselled and
noble face with a high forehead and
alert, kindly eyes. The charisma which
radiated from Caspar emanated from
a mature and lovable personality,
and was enhanced yet further by an
impressive career.
An appreciation of
Antoinette
Le Grange
Nick Davis
London
Marriott
Hotel Marble
Arch
Caspar Manz was born on 24
October 1923 in Zurich, the son of a
highly-esteemed family of hoteliers.
He passed through primary school
and commercial college, before
attending the Hotel College at
Lausanne. Following this, he
completed several practical
experience courses both at home
“In the sumptuous world of the
luxury hotel industry, only the truly
caring, committed and passionate
individual will make the difference,
winning his guests for a lifetime.”
and abroad, before attending the
Swiss Mercantile School at London in
1946-7, when he worked in the
Savoy Reception Office.
Back in Zurich, he worked at the St.
Gotthard in the first instance, and then
broadened his horizons again by
working for Hilton Hotels in the United
States from 1948 until 1950. He also
studied at the eminent Cornell
University, in New York. This equipped
him outstandingly, in every respect, to
take over his parents business.
Caspar did not merely concern
himself with the St. Gotthard, the
parent establishment; he also
expanded his widely known hotel
empire. In 1966, the Hotel
Continental at Lausanne was
4
Nicola
Sproston
Pennyhill
Park Hotel &
Spa
“You can’t beat the buzz you get
when a guest thanks you for a
wonderful stay and you know that
you played a big part in that.
Delivering excellence is what it is all
about and is what I strive to achieve
every day in my job at Pennyhill. I
believe I have the drive and
ambition to succeed in this industry
and hopefully to win this award
which would be the most fantastic
career boost for me.”
Alec
Stansfeld
The
Connaught
Hotel
“Born in Spain of English nationality
and educated in France, I strive to
deliver the best from all worlds warm, well mannered service with a
hint of “je ne sais quoi”“.
purchased; this was followed in 1977
by the acquisition of the Hotel De La
Paix in Geneva, and the Hotel Euler at
Basel in 1980. The hotel chain had
extended over the Atlantic as long
ago as 1975. A variety of luxury
projects were implemented in
Ecuador, Mexico and Brazil, under
the name ‘Oro Verde‘. Until 1992,
Caspar was Chairman of CEM Inter,
which was entrusted with the
management.
In 1989, when he handed over
management of the enterprise to his
wife, Ljuba Manz-Lurje, Caspar
concentrated on professional
consultancy and support for the
company.
He was an outstanding and
New date for
The Savoy
Gastronomes’
Olive Barnett
Award
presentation
The Savoy Gastronomes’ Olive
Barnett Award finals will be over the
weekend of 23rd - 24th October
with the Finals Reception on Monday
25th October 2010 at the Savoy.
Mr A Sovera
We send our condolences to the
family of Mr Sovera who died
recently.
Ina Whitehead
Tim Whitehead’s wife Ina passed
away peacefully on May 8th 2010
surrounded by her family and friends
after a long courageous battle with
Melanoma. We extend our heartfelt
condolences to Tim and his family.
Wedding
bells
On Saturday 28th August, in the
lovely Normandy costal town of
Villers sur Mer, Tony Elliott married
Christiane. They met shortly after Tony
moved to France, both having
been recently widowed.
Smit with
the
Stranded
Gentry
Indomitable Maggi Smit was
spotted in July manning her own
promotional tent at the Game Fair
held this year in the Capability Brown
designed grounds of stately home
Ragley Hall, home of the Henry
Seymour the 9th Earl of Hertford.
This was not far from Stratford-onAvon where Founder Member
David Ward opened the Hilton in
the 1970’s. The Fair next year will be
at Blenheim Palace so Members
wanting to catch up with Maggi and
view Blenheim at the same time could
make it a fabulous day out.
distinguished oenologist; he continued
to be an active rider; and had time to
attend to his many club memberships.
He was a member of the Zurich
Riding Club, the Lions Club, the
Académie Suisse du Vin and
Académie Internationale du Vin.
He served for 5 years as a universally
respected member of the Central
Board of the Swiss Hoteliers‘
Association. As their delegate
representative, he held office for two
years as a Member of the Federal
Commission for the Wine Trade. A
special honour was conferred upon
Caspar by the King of Italy, who
raised him to the order of Cavaliere
Ufficiale del Ordine de San Maurizio
e Lazaro
AUTUMN 2010
An appreciation of
Dodie Cotter
10th March 1915 –
10th August 2009
Dodie was born in Hampshire and
had no siblings. She was educated at
a school near Southampton. At
sixteen, after leaving school, she
worked at the Piccadilly Hotel in
London in the reservations office.
She received her first (and possibly
only) proposal of marriage from a Mr
Levy, a rich Jewish client of the hotel,
but Dodie declined thinking there
might be better fish to fry. She was
very pretty and found employment at
the Savoy. During the Savoy staff
strike in 1947 (when she willingly
became a waiter in the Grill Room)
she came across Michael
Bentley’s father and years later
said to Michael “If you are as nice as
your father we will get on”. She later
headed to Jersey to work in an hotel,
through a Savoy client, for two or
three years.
Many Gastronomes have such
fond memories of Miss Cotter
that we have tried to piece
together some of the strings
that made up her colourful
and full life.
As a life-long loyal Savoy member of
staff she represented a more gracious
post-war era when the hotel had
more than five hundred rooms all of
which were more or less allocated
and controlled by Dodie. The jet
engine was a new phenomenon,
telegrams and overseas cables often
the preferred method of quick
communication and confirmation.
Even though Receptionists thought
they might have something to do with
it, ultimately it was Miss Cotter,
seated under a brass lamp upstairs,
who had the controlling hand. A
devoted subordinate to Reception
Manager Nicholas St John
Brooks, in whose honour The
Savoy Gastronomes was founded in
1971, she worked in Reception until
she was 70 before going on to the
Coffee Department and later to the
Archives as a duck to water. Raw
recruits to the Reception Office were
greeted warmly but cautiously until
she had summed them up and only
then did she trust your ability not to
make a pig’s ear of her allocations.
One wife of a Gastronome, who
worked in the General Manager’s
Office recalls her always “walking in
a cloud of Ma Griffe and at first I
had great difficulty in not calling her
‘Auntie’ as both the perfume and
Dodie herself were just like my
favourite aunt.” Like all of us, she was
held in great affection.
Returning to the Savoy Reception
Office in 1952 the Reception
Manager, Mr Michel Michon, was
killed in a car crash in the South of
France whilst on holiday and
Nicholas St John Brooks was
promoted to his position. Dodie
lived for many years in Blackheath
before moving to Temple Fortune
Lane in North London to share with a
friend of Mr Brooks’.
During the course of time in the
Reception Office her role evolved.
Her main task was to work out
bookings and availability. She had
an amazing sixth sense at picking out
people who wouldn’t turn up. In those
days all payments were by cheque –
there were no credit cards and many
bookings were via the noisy clattering
telex (which was only used after
6pm) or telephone and letters.
Confirmations were sent out (with
carbon paper copies and fixed with
paper clips). Dodie worked happily
with Nicholas St. John Brooks and the
late Gastronome Walter
Schweinbacher for a number of
years. There were huge monthly
ledgers with binders to keep up to
date and all correspondence was put
into a blue folder at the end of the
week. The Room inventory was
coded such as SB = single, TB = twin
beds, DXB = double bed, DSB =
double single and one bath
connecting, 2SB = 2 singles and 1
bath connecting, DXBSR = double
bed and sitting room, TBSR = twin
bed with sitting room.
General Manager Claudio
Buttafava arranged for Dodie to
have the first home of her own next to
the Savoy Laundry in Stockwell. She
One lump or two?
In March 1940, at the height of the
London Blitz, a communist Councillor in
the East End of London was so
outraged by the lack of deep shelters in
Stepney whilst “up West the
Government’s rich friends were sleeping
in double beds in their own deep
shelters” that he organised a march.
He set his sights on the Savoy, where
the cellars had indeed been turned
into comfortable shelters with bunks for
patrons including the Duke and
Duchess of Kent. Headed by half a
dozen pregnant women, the marchers
quickly occupied the front hall, some
tied themselves to the pillars; others ran
down the stairs to the shelters. A few
entered the restaurant and ordered
food before the doors were locked.
Savoy staff panicked; someone
called the police and asked them to
expel the militants. The police refused,
pointing out that the Savoy came
under the Innkeepers’ Act and
therefore the Stepney people, as
bona fide travellers asking for a meal,
had the right to be served. Mr
Wontner, Managing Director, was
a sensible man; he ordered that tea
should be served to all the
demonstrators. The occupation ended
peacefully, and censorship ensured
that newspapers gave the story little
space.
Submitted by Henry von Ferstel in
Chicago
On the move
Ian Johnston has moved, but not
far, to 65 Rednal Road, Kings
Norton, Birmingham B38 8DT Tel:
0121 458 1573.
Von Ferstel’s
Henry and Marylou had a wonderful
summer, trying to get used again to a
GNOME DE PLUME
summer in Chicago. For the last 10
years they were in Montana from
mid-May to late October but, having
sold their house there last year, this
year they only went for three weeks,
having rented a wonderful house and
creating closure for them.
was thrilled to be there and loved
having her furniture and things around
her. After she had been there about 3
years she was mugged near
Stockwell tube station on her way
home. Her purse was stolen (and a
precious bottle of gin broken) and her
hip and shoulder broken and she
spent some time in St Thomas’s
Hospital. When Sir Hugh
Wontner, Chairman of the Savoy,
found out he arranged for food to be
sent to her to St Thomas’s from the
Savoy kitchens, much to the delight of
Dodie but to the annoyance of some
of the staff and patients. After 3
weeks in hospital Sir Hugh paid for
her to go to the Savoy-owned health
farm in Hampshire, Forest Mere, to
recuperate. She was told that she
would never walk properly again but
with excellent treatment she was soon
back on her feet. Maggi Smit,
who worked alongside Dodie
upstairs in Reception, became a lifelong friend and bought her an
antique walking stick which she
treasured for the rest of her life. On
leaving Forest Mere Sir Hugh
arranged for her to stay in a modest
Savoy guest room for a short time
and because of the accident at
Stockwell decided that she would be
safer in an apartment at York
Buildings just off the Adelphi in 1974.
He graciously gave her the flat for
the rest of her life. This was a
charming terraced house owned by
the Savoy consisting of four flats. Her
neighbours, at that time, were
Barbara Potts and Claudio
Buttafava. She always wondered
if her flat had been the one occupied
previously by the charismatic
Australian-born Savoy Assistant
General Manager Peter Stafford,
with whom she established a close
relationship and he adored her.
Dodie loved her first floor flat in York
Buildings which she filled with her
Mothers’ beautiful furniture and china;
the Savoy provided the carpet and
she was very proud of her little roof
garden which was always a splash
of colour in an otherwise grey desert.
In spite of its restricted size many
Gastronomes have been treated to
Smoked Salmon canapés and a
glass of Champagne in this oasis of
calm. With the use of her bus pass
she would happily shop for her ham
and bacon at Selfridge’s, her
coffee from Fortnum’s and her
meat from Harrods as well as
purchasing cheese for the many
dinner parties she attended.
Managers and Reception Managers
including Claudio Buttafava,
Derek Picot, Mark Norris,
Rudi Schreiner, Roland
Linhardt, Duncan Palmer and
Willy Bauer. She finally left the
Reception Office in 1984.
She moved to the Savoy Coffee
Department and later to the Archives
which had been set up by Sir Hugh
as the first air-conditioned office in the
Savoy. Here she worked alongside
the Archivist Peggy Wark, helping to
catalogue the thousands of artefacts
collected during the life of the hotel
spanning nearly 100 years.
Dodie was a huge and generous
supporter of The Savoy
Gastronomes entering into the
spirit of every reunion she could
possibly attend. She was elected
President in 1996 although sadly
she did not attend her Annual
Reunion in Israel due to an accident
on a bus where she broke her arm.
In 1995, just months after the
opening of the Channel tunnel, John
Iversen arranged a magnificent
house party weekend in France for
Dodie at his chateau in Normandy to
celebrate her 80th birthday with
twenty of her close friends. The
adrenaline surge of being able to put
your foot down in London and not
really taking it off until you arrived in
Normandy added to the frisson of
the occasion.
She was a great traveller spending
many holidays with Maggi visiting
South Africa in 1999 and staying
in Cape Town and the wine region.
Again with Maggi she had many
happy visits to Madeira to stay with
Gastronomes Chico and Eva de
Silva. The Loire Valley, Venice,
Canada, the Gastronomes Reunion
in Gstaad in 1994, Geneva,
New York, and Russia all
featured in her travel itineraries. In
Malta she met her friend Lilly when
on holiday after her Mother died. In
Venice Dodie stayed with
Gastronome Natale Rusconi at
the Cipriani, and in Paris she stayed
with Gastronome Frank Klein at
The Ritz.
Dodie worked with many General
She made firm friends wherever she
went including the Church of Corpus
Christi Maiden Lane. There she met
Maureen who ran a pub in Maiden
Lane and often after Church they
would share a bottle of Champagne
together. Another close friend was
David Wardle. She attended with
gusto and alacrity his 21st birthday in
Our man in
China
Nor on
Park Lane
David Thornton reports that he
recently met up with Gastronome
Michel Rey of the Baur au
Lac in Zurich, who was
attending the annual Luxury Travel
Show which is held in Shanghai
where he lives and teaches at the
Les Roches Hotel School at their
Shanghai Campus. David recently
returned from Canada where
Maggi Smit sends many clients
on fishing expeditions. David went
fishing too and apparently finds it a
good way to relax after the hectic
life in Shanghai.
It’s not only Lloyd’s that is trying to
shift some of its assets around as the
For Sale board is also up outside
Marriott-operated 494 room
Grosvenor House on Park Lane
hoisted by another state-owned
bank Royal Bank of Scotland. It is
expected to realize between £600
- £700 million. RBS has tried before
to off load this hotel in 2007/08
with a number of Middle East
groups linked to a deal including
Kuwait’s Adeem and Bahrain’s
ruling families but as yet to no avail.
Two Gastronomes tie
the knot!
Felicitacion to Xavier Peirani and Becky Preston who tied the knot
on St. George’s Day this year. With an intimate family celebration in Esher,
unfortunately their request to have Caspar the Cat join them to make a
table of 14 was declined! He apparently was out chasing the hundreds
of mice dislodged by the renovations in the Thames Foyer!
5
Greenwich being seated next to an
Admiral which amused her greatly
and was a great supporter of his
restaurant Quincy’s spending many
happy hours there with Maggi,
Robert and Christopher.
She was also friendly with Portugalbased Christopher Stilwell
whose father created Penina Golf
Resort in the 1960’s, Ian and June
Johnston, Natale Rusconi,
Ricki Walton (who owned a
highly successful restaurant in Notting
Hill called “Chez Moi”), Paolo
Biscioni, Derek Picot. She was
very fond of David O’Brien,
Richard Lendi and John
Iversen and his sister Margaret and
Michael Holiday.
Dodie was always fastidious about
her appearance. Her beautiful hair
was carefully looked after by Robert
Wright since 1967 at the Savoy
Ladies Hairdressing. On the closure
of this department she followed him
firstly to the Berkeley and
subsequently to his salon on the top
of The Ritz.
She continued part-time in the
Archives until nearing 80 and still
living in York Buildings until finally
moving to St. Wilfred’s in Tite Street
Chelsea for the last seven years of
her life.
Dodie converted to Roman
Catholicism in later life and was a
devout Churchgoer, worshiping at the
Church of Corpus Christi in Maiden
Lane, Farm Street and Westminster
Cathedral.
Dodie died on 10th August 2009 at
the great age of 94.
Her well attended Mass of
Thanksgiving at the Church of Corpus
Christi in Maiden Lane, organised by
Maggi and Terry Foreman, with
addresses by David Wardle and
David O’Brien, gave many
Gastronomes time to reflect with
gratitude on having known and learnt
from a remarkable lady. A Reception
followed at the Garrick and
donations, at her request, were sent
to St Wilfred’s.
She was laid to rest in a simple
willow coffin and buried in a
Woodland Burial ground at West
Drayton cemetery in West London.
Compiled by Maggi Smit and
friends.
Gastronome
in Hotel
Opening
Rachel Angell has joined the new
opening team of the Dorchester
Collection’s exciting Coworth Park
in Ascot. Heading up the Events
Department Rachel will be helping
Coworth Park become one of the most
desirable Wedding locations in the
country. We wish her great success in
her new challenge.
Moves
Stefano Leone moves from Bagni
di Bormio to Spa Resort in Livigno
Ollie Ormond is back from the
beach in Hawaii working at the
Fairmont Kea Lani; he is joining Ronald
in London to open The Savoy in
October as Front Office Manager.
Christina Von Celsing moves from
The Dorchester to The Yas Hotel,
Dubai
John Laing moves to The Puli Hotel
and Spa in Shanghai.
AUTUMN 2010
An appreciation of
President
June Johnston
1st June 1933 –
28th November 2009
June tragically died following a fall in
London prior to attending the
Members’ dinner on Friday 20th
November 2009 at Brooks’s. Her
funeral was held on Friday 11th
December at St Nicolas Church,
Kings Norton attended by a large
following of family, friends and many
Gastronomes.
We send our condolences to Ian,
Linzi, Philip, James and Tamsin and
their families for their loss. June was a
great supporter of the Amicale and,
together with her husband Ian, was
planning the Annual Reunion which
subsequently went ahead in Rapallo.
Many members have been fortunate
to get to know Ian and June over the
years and we look forward to having
Ian and the family with us at many
future reunions.
June was educated at the Convent of
the Sacred Heart in Whetstone,
North London and moved onto the
London College of Secretaries in
South Kensington. She joined the
Savoy in September 1950 as
Secretary to Reception Manager
Michel Michon who was soon after
killed in a car crash in Le Touquet
whilst on holiday. Nicholas St John
Brooks assumed the role as
Reception Manager.
engaged in 1957. Ian moved for a
year to the Excelsior Hotel in Naples
and on his return joined the team at
Claridge’s; they prepared for their
wedding in April 1959,
honeymooning in Rapallo. June
stayed on at the Savoy until
Christmas 1959 and left to have their
first child in February 1960. Ian had
just been appointed General
Manager of the Royal Crescent hotel
in Brighton. He drove to collect June
and his daughter from the Maternity
Home in Muswell Hill then took June
out to celebrate over lunch at the De
Vere Hotel in Kensington, before
eventually motoring on to Brighton.
This was the first of many moves to
new towns where they were strangers
but each time they made time to
make friends whilst they settled in their
growing family. By their fourth move,
this time to Birmingham, they had
three children, one girl and two boys
with another girl on the way. June’s
time was taken up looking after the
family and settling into the new
surroundings. Three years later they
moved to Kings Norton, where they
finally settled. Once all the children
were in school, June decided to start
her own business. Her love of clothes,
a short spell in modelling and time
spent helping out in a fashion shop
prompted her to open her own
fashion shop, “Cameo”. With the
help of a close friend she ran the
business successfully for 16 years.
As the children grew up June and Ian
travelled widely but at home her
interests lay in getting involved with
local associations. Amongst them was
a Ladies Evening Group, the local
tennis club, the Kings Norton Society
and Chairmanship of the
Conservatives Supper Club, where
she coordinated guest speakers.
June was a devoted Mother and
Grandmother to her children and
eight grandchildren and enormous
fun to be with. Many Gastronomes
will have very fond memories of her.
If you knew June and would like to
do something in her memory, it was
June’s wish that everyone carry an
organ donor card.
Ian joined the Reception office in
1955 and he and June became
Happy
event
Many congratulations to Andrew
and Alison Barham who had
their first baby Oliver Matthew Ellis
on 27th March weighing 7lbs 4oz in
old money. Oliver was Christened on
29th August in Amberley
Gloucestershire. Andrew also ran in
the London Marathon and clocked
up a good time in well under five
hours.
Tyrie’s
honour
Much to his surprise and delight past
President Peter Tyrie was
honoured with an M.B.E. in the
Queen’s Birthday Honours list in
2010. Many congratulations Peter for
your services to the hospitality
industry. Peter has recently built
himself an eco friendly house in West
Sussex, and remains on the Board of
Aberdeen Asset Management.
GNOME DE PLUME
The Queen
ain’t got
no veg!
It’s not often that we find an amusing
book to suggest but this witty romp by
Alan Payne (no relationship to any
Gastronomes) recounts some of the
pitfalls of outside caterers Payne and
Gunter. Payne takes the reader
behind the scenes at many splendid
events from their early days through
to catering at Buckingham Palace
and the Mansion House. He shares a
life peppered with memorable
moments, colourful characters and
celebrities, including the infamous
time when Her Majesty was left
without her greens. An ideal stocking
filler for Gastronomes looking for
something at Christmas. The ISBN
number is 978-0-9563117-0-2
www.vigohouse.com
All geed up
Entrepreneur and International
Riding Champion, Jane Cockin
has set up an enviable business in
France offering preparation for
Eventing or Dressage, and
personalised Hacking holidays; all
managed and delivered by Jane.
Riding holidays and tuition in La
Vienne, France is a very special
experience. Jane’s Écuries de Bérin
are set in the surroundings of a 300
year old farmhouse where you can
ride by the beautiful Charente River
and enjoy the charm of the
surrounding French villages. The
peaceful roads and off road grass
tracks are wonderful for riding.
Jane’s passion for horses has
brought her to France to create a
peaceful equestrian environment
where guests can enjoy horses as
much as she does, either as a
beginner or working towards Pony
Club tests or BHS Stage 1-4
exams. Throughout the year Jane’s
Écuries de Bérin offer riding lessons
which can include dressage, show
jumping, cross country and stable
management. All training and
instruction is given on well schooled
ponies and horses. Full livery is
available and Jane also works with
owners to find new horses or
ponies for leisure or competition
and often carries out follow up
training, lessons and livery as and
when required.
A member of Jane’s Écuries de
Tosca, 3 years old, getting
used to her stable
Jane’s Écuries de Bérin
Bérin also becomes a member of
the FFE, providing a license and
insurance to cover their riding. In
this way, members become eligible
to take their federal galop exams.
Being a member of Jane’s Écuries
de Bérin also gives discounted
rates for riding (see tariffs under
each main area) and special events
organised during the year, e.g. a
gymkhana and small competitions.
A non-member will need to
organise their own insurance and
will not be able to benefit from the
FFE membership. Also, a nonmember will not benefit from the
discounted rates on offer.
Visit Jane on
http://www.horsemagique.eu/
Summer Reunion
Saturday 19th June
2010
This was the first opportunity for our incoming President Natale Rusconi, and
his wife Connie, to enjoy London at its most endearing best. We had established
that a private visit to the spiritual home of Royal dressmaker Hardy Amies might
be possible so we went ahead and enjoyed a morning in this charming house at
14 Savile Row. Sadly Wendy Sarton couldn’t be with us. Her Grandmother
worked in Savile Row turning collars and cuffs, not for Hardy Amies though and
Jim was in Scotland for a week playing golf with Martin Harvey. On arrival
we were greeted by a spread of delicious pastries and cakes and Austin MuttiMewse, the Curator, and Don Rouse who heads up the Media team for the
House of Hardy Amies. We were allowed full access to the large range of
sketches and archives of Hardy Amies and then shown a most interesting
presentation on his life with endorsements from fashion colleagues and clients.
On conclusion we walked a few hundred yards to Shepherds Market to enjoy
an informal flavoursome Turkish lunch at Sofra Restaurant which had been
arranged through the kindness of the owner Huseyin Ozer.
From a grateful participant - “thank you both for organising such a splendid day
on Saturday. It was fascinating to hear all about the great Hardy Amies and to
see some of his creations - I particularly liked the hand-written letters from the
Queen and Queen Mother. Sofra was certainly cosy, and it was nice to chat to
some Gastronomes that I have never met.”
Personal
Trainer
Gastronome Alec White says he’s
sorry he didn’t make the reunion
again this year. He qualified as a
personal trainer a couple of year ago
and is setting up a new training
studio.
Robinson
moves on
Alan Robinson has joined
Warrington based Taylor Shaw as an
Area Manager
Mobile: 07595 233351 email:
alan.robinson@taylorshaw.com
6
Great job
Many congratulations to Torsten
van Dullemen who, from 18th
September, can be found as Hotel
Manager at the wonderful Oriental
Bangkok 48, Oriental Avenue
Bangkok 10500 (+66 (2) 659
9000) e-mail: torstenv@mohg.com
Torsten says “Although I am very sad
to leave Udaipur after three-and-ahalf wonderful years, I am relishing
the challenge ahead in Bangkok. It
will also be a welcome change for
Paola and the girls”.
(Editor’s note: Paola is the niece of
former GM of the Savoy, Claudio
Buttafava)
Our 40th
anniversary
year 2011
Your committee is currently
considering a number of events to
make this a particularly special year
so if you have any ideas you would
like to put forward please send them
to the Chairman, Jim Sarton
jim@dedhamhall.demon.co.uk
Annual
Subscriptions
If you have not already done so
please let us have your annual
subscription. The very modest amount
of £25 helps to defray some of our
costs; cheques should be sent to the
Treasurer, Maggi Smit, 4 Paxton
Road, London W4 3QX.
maggi@gofishingworldwide.co.uk
Change of
address
Please let us know if you have
moved. We do like to keep in touch
with our far flung Members in forty
four countries. Tell the Secretary Anna
Coakley anna.coakley@
addleshawgoddard.com
Roll on
Casino magnate Sol Kerzner is still
hoping to revive his dream of turning
the now highly successful London
Dome (re-christened O2 Arena) into
a super-casino . However plans are
on hold whilst he sorts out other
troublesome assets such as a £600
million extension of the Atlantis in
Dubai.
AUTUMN 2010
THE SAVOY GASTRONOMES
GOLFING SOCIETY
BEVERLY GRIFFIN MEMORIAL TROPHY
Founder Member
Tony Elliott reports on
this year’s successful
event, named after a
former General
Manager of the
Savoy.
Founded in 2001 by Tony Elliott
and Michael Duffell, the Society
meets every year to play for the
Beverly Griffin Memorial Trophy
(BGMT) in memory of the late
Beverly Griffin (Griff), who, as
General Manager of the Savoy,
was so instrumental in helping with
the foundation of The Savoy
Gastronomes in the early 70’s. The
SGGS Captain and four times
trophy winner, is Christian
Duffell, who does a simply
splendid job of organising our golf
days.
Our 11th annual meeting was held
in early July at the superb Rudding
Park, near Huddersfield, courtesy of
Gastronome member and regular
SGGS player, Peter Banks. The
two days commenced with a fun
speed golf competition on the six
hole par 3 course and culminated
with a nearest the pin elimination
contest. Amid much hilarity, prizes
were awarded as Pimms was
served on the course. That evening
we had a sublime six course dinner
in one of the elegant Rudding Park
dining rooms. The following
morning the international field,
including Peter Thomas from
South Africa, Michael Duffell
from Chicago and Tony Elliott from
France, assembled, resplendent in
new pink shirts, pink golf caps and
grey and pink striped long socks,
for the serious tournament.
Appropriately the Trophy was won
by our host Peter Banks; second
was defending champion,
Chairman Jim Sarton and third
was Tony Elliott.
The “Longest Drive” was achieved
by Christian Duffell with a monster
280 yard drive and “Nearest the
Pin” was Tony Elliott. Champagne
Lanson, the main sponsor of The
Savoy Gastronomes, kindly
provided bottles of their delicious
Champagne BESSERAT BELLEFON
as prizes.
The date and location of the 2012
Meeting will be announced in due
course, but do please contact the
Captain at christianduffell
@hotmail.com should you require
any further information.
New
venture
Highly successful restaurateurs Chris
Corbin and Jeremy King, creators of
the Wolseley restaurant in Piccadilly,
(where Westminster Council rates are
an eye-watering £700,000 per
annum) are creating their first hotel in
an art deco building in a former Avis
building in Balderton Street,
Mayfair with estimated costs of
£40 million. The as yet unnamed
hotel will have 75 rooms and the
Council has given the green light. I
hear that sculptor Antony Gormley,
best known for his “Angel of the
North” in Gateshead, has some
radical features up his sleeve with an
opening scheduled for 2013.
Crown
dropping
Whist on the subject of European
Crown Princes of non existent thrones,
Gastronome and linguist Michael
Holiday worked in his early years
at the Hessischer Hof hotel in
Frankfurt, owned by Prince
Frederick Charles von Hessen.
Indeed Claridge’s used to have a
special room rate for crowned and
uncrowned Heads of State. Sir
Hugh Wontner, quite rightly,
thought it was good for business and
profile for such guests to be under his
roof. Ex-King Umberto of Italy
though preferred The Savoy (Savoy
once being part of Italy) prior to
being assassinated! “Remember to be
a king all you need to know is how to
sign your name, read a newspaper
and mount a horse“ said Umberto.
He might have added “wear body
armour”.
Nearly there – Savoy to re-open –
date set
Republic of China - Fairmont Beijing
and the opening of Fairmont Yang
Cheng Lake, Kunshan I returned to
London in preparation for the most
anticipated opening of the year.
Ronald
Dooremalen
It feels like yesterday
standing in The Savoy’s
Front Hall raising a glass
of Champagne with guests
and colleagues on 15th
December 2007. It was an
historical moment closing
the doors for the first time
in the history of The Savoy
with the anticipation and
excitement of what was to
come.
After a year and a half project work
in Asia, with the re-branding of
Fairmont Singapore, opening
Fairmont’s first hotel in People’s
GNOME DE PLUME
The scaffolding has come down
and every morning when I walk
over Waterloo Bridge I admire the
clean glaze from the River facing
façade. Daily I enter the hotel
kitted out in a hardhat and steeltoed boots. It is amazing to see the
hotel coming together and the
grandeur returning to the Old Lady.
New team members are joining the
Rooms Division team with a variety
of new and familiar faces. Savoy
Gastronomes member Oliver
Ormond re-joins The Savoy as
Front Office Manager after
spending the last 2 years at our
sister property, The Fairmont Kea
Lani, Maui, Hawaii.
Our President Natale Rusconi’s
good friend, Count Rudi von
Schonburg-Glauchau’s son
Frederick (see below) is joining
us from Malaga as a Chef de
Brigade. Other members of the
Front Office team are joining us
from Germany, Brazil, USA, New
Zealand, Switzerland, Italy,
Thailand, Hungary, and Great
Britain.
For more than 25 years the Savoy
Academy (formerly the Training
Centre) has lain dormant, only to
be reawakened this year with much
emphasis placed on internal
training and development within the
hotel. Growth of our internal
colleagues will be the focus, with
Westminster Kingsway College
also forging a strong relationship
with The Savoy. Fairmont’s use of
the Learning Development Program
(LDP) also sees three LDP
colleagues in Reception, five in
Rooms Division and eleven
throughout the hotel.
The Opening Day – Sunday
10th October at 10 .10am
(10.10.10.10.10) - draws ever
closer and the clocks that have
been set and mounted on the walls
within our temporary office tick
away. Each day that ticks by brings
a little more excitement, and little
longer working hours! I very much
look forward to showing
Gastronomes inside the doors at
last.
Submitted by Member Ronald
Dooremalen Director of Rooms –
The Savoy
(Editorial note: Count Rudi von
Schonburg, joined his friend
Prince Alfonso de
Hohenlohe, and took over the
running of the legendary
Marbella Club in 1956 which
became a dignified and stylish
playground for the rich and famous.
7
In the 1940s, Marbella was a small
jasmine-lined village with only 900
inhabitants. But this soon changed
when Prince Max Egon zu
Hohenlohe-Langenburg and
his heir Alfonso de Hohenlohe
experienced a problem with their
Rolls-Royce in the vicinity. This first
encounter with Marbella so
impressed Alfonso that he decided
to buy land commercially, marketing
the area as a tourist destination. In
1954 he opened the Marbella
Club Hotel; his son had recently
returned from California and the
hotel was loosely modelled on the
motel style with lower pitched
terracotta roofs among 23,000
trees.
Given Alfonso’s maternal
membership in Spain’s titled
aristocracy (his mother, Doña
Piedad Iturbe y Scholtz, was
the Marquesa de Belvis de
las Navas), and his paternal
kinship to the royal courts of
Europe, the hotel quickly proved a
hit with vacationing members of
Europe’s ruling elites, and those
privileged to socialise with them in
casual yet discreet luxury. Don
Jaime de Mora y Aragón, a
Spanish bon vivant, brother to
Fabiola, Queen of the
Belgians, Lebanese arms dealer
Adnan Khashoggi and
Guenter Rottman, were
frequent visitors.
Typical was a gala held in August
1998 as a fundraiser at the
Marbella club for AIDS relief.
Prince Alfonso presided, supported
by the sons of his first marriage to
Princess Ira von
Fürstenberg, an Agnelli heiress
who arrived with her own
entourage; Princess MarieLouise of Prussia
(great-granddaughter of Kaiser
Wilhelm II) who, with her
husband Count Rudolf “Rudi”
von Schönburg–Glauchau,
would eventually take over the
Marbella Club Hotel from Prince
Alfonso; and socialite Countess
Gunilla von Bismarck.
In 1974 Prince Fahd of Saudi
Arabia arrived in town after
having broken the bank of the
Casino of Monte Carlo. Until his
death in 2005 he was a frequent
and profitable guest at Marbella,
where his retinue of over a
thousand people spending petrodollars was welcome, including the
then-anonymous Osama bin
Laden.
In the eighties, Marbella continued
to be a destination for the jet set,
with the most recognizable face
being that of Gunilla von
Bismarck. (Let history recall that
Gastronome David Ward
also had a property there!)
AUTUMN 2010
Phew
New Chairman
Former Monte Carlo based
Gastronome John Grant must be
sighing with relief that he is now in the
quieter corner of Cap Martin, next
door, whilst Prince Albert
prepares to tie the knot with his long
term girl friend, Charlene Wittstock, a
former South African Olympic
swimmer. Whilst no date has been
set for the wedding she has been
spotted sporting a monster rock in an
official photograph. Once dubbed
“Dirty Bertie” by the red tops, Albert
took the throne in July 2005 after the
death of his Father, having already
fathered two children by different girl
friends. On a less frenzied note John’s
former employer, SBM’s Chief
Executive Bernard Lambert, has
decided against getting involved with
the old In and Out Club premises in
London’s Piccadilly as a potential
location for a new hotel. This Grade I
listed building has been in play since
the former (once billionaire) owner,
Lebanese Simon Halabi, ran aground
on a mountain of debt in 2009.
A long
haul
Graham Bamford, General
Manager of the Royal Garden
Hotel, underwent a lengthy back
operation at the London Clinic in
July, where his modest room on the
sixth floor cost his insurers £900 a
night! He recovered well after a long
convalescence at home.
Ly-on the
beach
It is not often that we can concoct
that headline but Member Richard
Lyon has landed a plum job as
Managing Director of swish hotel
and villa resort “The Landings” on the
idyllic island of St Lucia. Regarded as
the jewel of the Caribbean, St.
Lucia is as well known for its
dramatic inland topography of
rainforest footpaths and ancient
volcanic remnants as it is for its iconic
oceanic scenery of windswept shores
and protected bays. If you’re up for
adventure, enjoy some of the world’s
best sailing, explore the spectacular
Piton mountains, or hike through the
rain forest. If you get bored - go
island hopping. Martinique, the
Grenadines, Barbados or even visit
Gastronome Paul Trevisan in the
Domincan Republic.
Biscioni celebrates at
the Grand in Rome
Word has it that President in 1978
Paolo Biscioni and his wife Carol
gave a party at the Grand in Rome
to celebrate his 70th birthday.
Adieu
On Wednesday 26th May 1915 the
1028-room Regent Place Hotel
opened its doors. A single room cost
six shillings and sixpence (32p). It’s
now a hole in the ground and soon
to be seven floors of offices and
shops. However in the basement is to
be a vast 300 cover restaurant and
20,000 sq ft bar in what will be the
UK’s largest Art Deco space, thanks
to English Heritage scuppering total
demolition.
The Committee is delighted to announce that Graham Bamford
will take over the role as Chairman after the AGM in March 2011.
Graham was Secretary of the Amicale between 1982 – 1986 and
President in November 1987. In that year there was a wonderful Ball
at the Ritz, when Lon Satton, straight from the cast of Starlight
Express, performed in Cabaret; followed by fireworks on the terrace
overlooking Green Park. Follow Graham’s busy life on his blog at
www.royalgardenhotelblog.com
Threadneedles
Hotel in the
hands of the
administrators –
sale opened on
1st September
Boutique hotels operator Eton Group
very sadly collapsed into
administration days after its founder
Gastronome Peter Tyrie was
awarded an M.B.E. in the Queen’s
Birthday Honours list.
Peter sold the business, whose hotels
include Threadneedles in the City,
where Gastronome Julian
Payne remains in charge, in August
2007 to Saudi-based billionaire
Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber’s JJW
hotels group for a reported £70
million just before the worst of the
credit crisis struck.
The Academy in Bloomsbury and The
Colonnade in Little Venice are among
its locations. KPMG were appointed
as joint administrators to the
company. None of the 250
employees has yet been made
redundant and CBRE are the agents.
Incoming Chairman Graham Bamford embarking on a flight in
Alaska to film a dog-sled on the glacier.
Milestones of Graham’s career include prestigious hotels such as Claridge’s,
The Carlton Tower, the Park Lane, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
and the Royal Garden.
His commitment and dedication to the Hospitality Industry is further supported by
his professional activity in numerous industry bodies; He is a Liveryman of the
Worshipful Company of Innholders, became a Master Innholder in
1997 and was a member of their Executive Committee for eight years,
personally transforming the General Managers’ Conference into its present day
format. He was Chairman for two years when he led the improved profile of the
St Julian Scholars resulting in a forum where schemes such as Management
Mentoring, championed by Harry Murray, and the ‘Inspire’ Work Experience
Kits, subsequently developed by Springboard, were created.
KPMG said: “We are continuing to
trade the business while we assess
the position of the hotels. Historically,
however, they have traded
successfully and are well-regarded at
the luxury end of the market so we
are hopeful of securing a successful
resolution to this situation.”
The two other Eton Collection hotels 42 The Calls in Leeds and The
Scotsman in Edinburgh are not
affected by the administration
although The Glasshouse in
Edinburgh and Quebecs in Leeds
are.
Conran in
the City
The Square Mile is to get a new £50
million boutique hotel on a site in
Moorgate a few minutes walk from
Jim Sarton’s London gateway
station, Liverpool Street. Seventyeight year old Sir Terence Conran
has a 51% stake in the group and
hopes to roll out a nation wide chain
with the first outside London likely to
be Birmingham.
Play it
again Sam
Taking a little time off whilst in London
recently Natale and Connie
Rusconi were spotted enjoying
themselves amidst the elegance of
the Garrick with legendary
troubadour of the piano, New York
based “Crown Prince of Cabaret”,
Steve Ross. It was a very happy
reunion as Steve had performed
many years previously at the
Cipriani’s supper club. After an
enjoyable dinner with Natale
indulging his favourite English dish,
lamb chops, they followed Steve
upstairs to the newly acquired
Steinway grand where Steve gave an
impromptu performance of some
Gershwin classics to startled but
thrilled Members. Steve has a huge
affinity to England following his first
sell out summer cabaret season at the
Ritz Restaurant in the
1980’s.Word has it that Steve is
going to be invited back in 2011 to
perform officially at the Garrick.
Did you
know?
The new “staff restaurant” at the
Savoy is called Deco.
He served on the Executive Committee of the Reunion des Gastronomes
for 10 years recently stepping down as President after two years. He is a
member of the London Committee of the British Hospitality Association
and was Chairman from 2004. All positions that reflect the respect he enjoys in
the Industry and beyond.
Graduation
Day!
Graham was a founder of the AICR UK in 1984; he subsequently founded the
International Receptionist of the year competition whilst being International
President of the Association. He also administered the St Julian scholarships for 6
years.
He is married to Janet, whom he met at the Savoy, and who is Executive
Housekeeper at the Lanesborough Hotel.
We are all most grateful to Jim Sarton for his careful and professional
stewardship of the Amicale; having completed a full maximum permitted six year
term as Chairman, and to Graham for so willingly stepping into his shoes.
Bentley at
Mandarin
Oriental Hyde
Park
Much loved Michael Bentley can
now be found one week a month
gently, and successfully, encouraging
new guests in the direction of this
European jewel in the crown of the
Mandarin Oriental family. (Editorial
note: Michael’s father Leslie (Ben)
did his early training with the Savoy
and Claridge’s before joining the
Royal Household in 1932 as
Assistant Comptroller of Supplies to
His Majesty King George V and
Queen Mary).
Losses and
more losses
Former employer of Rupert Elliott,
Julia Hands, clocked up a record loss of
£8.2 million for 2009, up from £3.1
million the year before, with her Hand
Picked Hotels group. She has now gone
on bended knee to hubby of 25 years
Guy to bail her out with more dosh.
Shouldn’t be a problem then.
Ronson plans
City hotel
It’s not only Sir Terence Conran who
has spotted opportunities in the Square
Mile but Gerald Ronson, billionaire and
head of Heron International, has
submitted plans to build a five-star hotel
and more than 100 luxury apartments.
The hotel, on Bishopsgate, will be
operated by Four Seasons.
Bauer’s
Arch
Former President from 2000, Willy
Bauer, is Chairman of AB Hotels.
This small group includes Sopwell
House in St Alban’s, Five Lakes, golf
club and spa in Maldon Essex and
more recently the Arch in Marble
Arch, London. This row of elegant
town houses has been converted into
a five star hotel with eighty two
bedrooms. If you are in the area do
call Willy and he will be delighted to
show you round.
And finally
“………The Savoy Gastronomes
represent an important aspect of the
hotel’s history……” Kiaran W.
MacDonald, General Manager of
the Savoy.
Committee member Terry
Foreman’s interest in art and
culture led him to formal study with
The Open University. Over the past
several years he has taken courses in
Humanities and Art History, enjoying
course-related art tours in London
museums and throughout Italy. All of
his hard work has finally paid off!
After six years’ part-time study, Terry
received a Bachelor of Arts
Degree (Honours) in
Humanities with Art History
on Friday, 30th May at a ceremony
held at the Barbican Centre in
London. Many congratulations Terry.
Please let us know if you have a story for Gnome de Plume which we can include in the next edition.
Printed and Published in London September 2010 by The Savoy Gastronomes • The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Savoy Gastronomes
Secretary Anna Coakley anna.coakley@addleshawgoddard.com
Membership Secretary and Treasurer Maggi Smit 020 8742 1556 maggi@gofishingworldwide.co.uk
Compiled in 2010 by Julian Payne jp@pdpr.freeserve.co.uk and Anna Coakley with contributions from members
Layout and design by Liz Nicoll elizabeth.r.nicoll@btinternet.com | 07958 763448 • Printed by PP Litho trading as Berrico www.berrico.co.uk | 020 8992 6454
GNOME DE PLUME
8
AUTUMN 2010

saluting shanghai - the Savoy Gastronomes

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