TUCO Delivers Inspiring 2017 Conference Line-Up
Hundreds of caterers from the Further and Higher Education sector gathered at the University of Nottingham this week (24th-26th July) for the hotly anticipated TUCO Annual Conference.
Members of The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) travelled from across the UK for the inspirational three-day event designed to drive learning, development and product innovation. This year focusing around ‘Health, Wealth and Wellbeing’, the event’s panel of high-profile speakers included award-winning food blogger, Deliciously Ella; five-time Olympic Champion, Sir Steve Redgrave; and Thomasina Miers, Co-Founder of Wahaca.
Ending on a high, attendees gathered last night for a glittering awards ceremony to celebrate the outstanding achievements of staff at all levels within TUCO’s member institutions. The winners of the first TUCO Awards were revealed as:
- Rising Star: Terri Sadler, Royal Holloway, University of London
- Innovation: The University of Leeds
- Sustainability: The University of Manchester
- TUCO Team of the Year: The University of Huddersfield
- TUCO Member of the Year: The University of South Wales
Matt White, Chair of The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO), said:
“Each year, at the Annual Conference, our ambition is to not only inspire members but also share first-class knowledge so that they can incorporate new, up-to-date ideas into their own catering methods.
“I am delighted to say that this year’s packed events schedule didn’t fail to impress, with guests treated to a line-up of outstanding speakers providing an array of inspirational, thought-provoking, and fun sessions. Attendees had the chance to learn about everything from gastrophysics and multi-sensory dining to how to unleash potential through laughter and the key principles of brain food.
“This year, we also introduced our first ever TUCO Awards, to recognise, and more importantly celebrate, the fantastic achievements and contributions of our member institutions. The quality of the award entries was extremely high and a real testament to all the hard work put in by FE and HE catering teams up and down the country. I would like to offer a massive congratulations to all the winners, as well as those who were shortlisted – they’ve really set the bar high for next year!”
This year’s TUCO Conference also saw 16 TUCO members arrive by bike, after completing a 100-mile Cycle Challenge for the Chair’s charity, Mary’s Meals. The ride started in Manchester at TUCO’s HQ and finished 12 hours later at the University of Nottingham, raising a total of £12,500 for the charity which aims to provide a meal every day for the world’s poorest children.
For more information about TUCO go to www.tuco.ac.uk or follow on Twitter @TUCOLtd.
About the TUCO Awards
- Rising Star Award – recognises an individual catering or bar professional who is seen as an emerging talent with future potential within the industry.
- Innovation Award – recognises a university or college that has successfully launched a new development or refurbishment in the past 12 months.
- Sustainability Award – recognises the university or college catering team that has taken the most innovative steps to neutralise its impact on the environment in the past 12 months.
- Team of the Year – rewards the procurement or catering team that best demonstrates collaborative working to deliver significant service improvement to its customers.
- Member of the Year – recognises the member institution that has made a significant contribution to the work of TUCO.
The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) is the leading membership organisation for in-house caterers operating in the Higher and Further education sectors. It has recently extended access to its procurement frameworks to the wider public sector and is now working with local authorities and NHS trusts across the UK.
As a not-for-profit organisation, wholly owned by its public sector members, TUCO is committed to best practice in purchasing as well as developing its members to achieve across its core policy pillars ‘SHARE, LEARN, BUY, GROW’. Offering a dedicated learning and development programme as well as a safe community environment for members to share.