Harbour & Jones chef calls on event catering chefs to back his 'Real Food' campaign
The Zimbabwe-born chef, who has worked for Harbour & Jones at the Marylebone conference centre since 2007, has started a blog and begun sharing his thoughts on the subject on Twitter in an attempt to change perceptions about the quality of event catering food.
"Although we do some high-end food and molecular cuisine, we still use basic, good ingredients - free-range chicken and locally-sourced vegetables," he told BigHospitality. "Harbour & Jones has based its ethos on using smaller producers where possible.
"A lot more could be done (in the industry). Are all firms using free-range eggs? Are people recycling everything? If you are going to be green, be green - don't talk about it and not do it," he said.
Business sense
Rodley said fellow event catering chefs should be encouraged to follow suit because clients are increasingly demanding to know what things venues are doing to monitor supplier standards, in the same way diners are increasingly interested in a restaurant's sustainable credentials.
"Once you have got the systems in place everyone buys into it but it doesn't come cheap at first," he explained.
"Installing bins, buying equipment and monitoring collections - food waste is twice a week, cardboard is once a week - can be prohibitive for companies and they shy away from it and don't buy into it.
"Clients have booked here because we have promoted what we do. We do get asked where our stuff is from and if we use ethically-sourced chicken," he added.
Leo Rodley
Rodley heads up the kitchen team who work for Harbour & Jones at the home of the Institute of Physics (IOP) in Portland Place.
He is involved with developing menus and organising events - from fine-dining occasions to meeting and receptions - both in London and Bristol.
Before starting work at 76 Portland Place, Rodley had worked for a number of years as a self-employed event catering chef for various clients in London after studying in South Africa.
