Talented young chef Marianne McKie from Denny is celebrating achieving SVQ Professional Cookery Level 5.
Marianne works for Mason Belles Kitchen, a restaurant group with stylish restaurants in Linlithgow, Falkirk, and in Old Churches House in Dunblane. The young chef will now go on to study Management Leadership at Hospitality Level 7. As part of her job she oversees new recipe ideas for the three restaurants, and is also busy fulfilling her new promoted role of Assistant MBK Food Consultant, based in Falkirk, within the MBK Hospitality site.
Marianne oversees a number of MBK dishes produced with the same consistency and quality, time after time. Using fresh, seasonal local produce, these dishes are then distributed throughout MBK’s three restaurants, as well as being used in the business’s successful outside catering operation.
In this important new role Marianne supports the three Head Chefs and also has the opportunity to devise new recipe ideas which can then be added to the menus.
MBK chef/proprietor Linsey Scott said: “Our congratulations go to Marianne who has worked very hard throughout this difficult time for our industry. She is doing very well in her new role, as consistency is so important to any chain of restaurants.
“This positive news comes on the back of us announcing that we are about to launch our new MBK Academy, where we will be working close with schools and colleges in promoting and developing skills in the hospitality industry. We have eight apprentices currently in paid work with us at MBK.
“The growth of our own Academy allows us to have masterclasses, training sessions, and provide our apprentices with their own skills accreditation, with a full time job at the other side.”
During the last lockdown, Marianne and her fellow apprentices were given the opportunity of creating dishes for a special takeout menu Linsey ran for her customers. During one exceptionally busy weekend they also turned around 200 Afternoon Teas.
Linsey said: “That lockdown experience, with the young chefs creating their own dishes – Pesto Butternut Squash Noodles, Prawn & Salmon Fritters, Roast Lamb Rump and Pork Fillet, Biscoff Sticky Toffee Pudding, Bang Bang Chicken… a real variety – was of such value to them.
“Under the Academy banner, we are now going to introduce something similar – a new Trial the Trainee midweek offer, a 2-4-1, which gives customers a chance to experience some of the trainees’ classic delights. We are all very excited about it.”
Mason Belles Kitchen is now well established in its food and drink operation at Old Churches House, Dunblane, having re-opened in May 2021, with a fresh new team.
“Dunblane is a fabulous foodie location, a beautiful place in which to work as a chef, attracting tourists and domestic visitors all year round. We’ve just launched our festive menu which will start on 19 November, with lunch served from 12 noon til 4pm, and Dinner from 4pm onwards.
“Menus and prices are on our social media pages, but we can tell you straight off that we have mixed the very best traditional offerings with some amazing new dishes such as Brie Fritters, Salmon and Crayfish Cocktail on toast, the MKB Festive Burger, and Gin Fizz, Lime & Elderflower cheesecake.”
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