proud partner of secret sauce To be the vital, yet unseen partner in creating the luxury hospitality experience Issue 12, December 2013 We care about what we do Director’s Dispatches We seem to start this piece and introduction to Secret Sauce every single time by commenting on how quickly time is passing and how much things develop and change within our business, and this edition is no different. December 2013 – another exciting, challenging and fabulous year drawing to a close with the promise of more excitement and opportunity ahead in 2014. We are truly lucky to work in an industry we love, with people we respect and so much promise and opportunity ahead. As a family of four – the founding partners of ACT Clean – we’ve sat together to plan what we might say in these Director’s Dispatches. There have been so many exciting developments and so many wonderful plans in the immediate, and longer term future, that there was a great long list of things to share. But then we sat back and thought about what would really make a difference to you; the people we are most trying to reach and communicate with through Secret Sauce. We debated that long and hard and thought the very best thing would be to follow the path we have set ourselves and to focus on each one of our founding values starting with respect. We have so much respect for each and every one of the team and the job that each and every one of you does. We have great respect for our clients and the terrific experiences they deliver to their guests. And we have respect to ourselves that brings us along to another value; team. Without our team, we would have nothing. We’d have a great idea for a great company but not the brilliant people that we have and the aforementioned clients. The team who work tirelessly and often in very difficult circumstances to do a job well. The team who introduce friends and family to us, saying we are a great place to work, allowing us to grow the team and the ACT Clean family. We are grateful to, and proud of each and every one of you. Thank you. We look out for each other, we are a team Pride in the job we do is something that is important to all of us. We all want to feel that we’ve delivered a terrific job to our clients, that we’ve done it with honesty and integrity. That we can have pride in the way we have conducted ourselves with colleagues and clients alike. That we can take pride in only doing things in the right way and only behaving with absolute compliance. And pride that we are the best we can be, and the best in our market. Every day we keep our eyes on this and work harder to achieve and maintain this. Again, none of this would be possible without you. Lastly, but maybe most importantly – certainly at least equal – is honest. To one another, to our clients, to our industry and to ourselves. We’ve worked hard to ask for and to listen to your feedback about ACT Clean. We want to hear more. We want you to be totally honest with us, because that is what will make us better. And then we promise to review in an equally honest way, what you have said and take on board and make changes where necessary so that together we can make a difference. To you, to our clients and to the ACT Clean family. It’s that time of year when people look to the future and make New Year’s Resolutions – which often as not are broken. We are not going to do that, we are going to promise you with all honesty, great pride and respect, and for the benefit of all the team that the year ahead – 2014 – is all about us striving to be better, to improve, to listen and to make a difference. Thank you for your support, hard work and commitment this year. We have many more exciting and opportunistic times ahead of us and very much look forward to them. Let us please finish by wishing you, your family and friends all the very best of wishes for the festive season and beyond and hope you manage to enjoy some time off in the coming weeks. With thanks and best wishes, Robert, Paul, John and Russell 01 Associate of the Month Associate of the Month London to Paris - we made it! Jevgeni Doronin has worked at Ace Hotel as Housekeeping Porter since the hotels opening in September and has been commended by Hotel Manager Martin Newbould for his exceptional performance. Kristina Laukeviciute has been nominated as Employee of the month by London Marriott West India Quay Hotel Assistant Housekeeping Manager Dalia Pugzliene. Four of our team (Darryl, Douglas, Steven & Simon) cycled from London to Paris from 19th to 21st September to raise money for the Springboard charity. Martin commented “Opening a hotel is always a challenging time. There can be no doubt that the efforts of all the housekeeping team deserve to be recognised and it is almost impossible to single one individual out for praise.” Dalia stated “Kristina is a very flexible and valuable member of our team. She is reliable when it comes to different shifts, both early and late. She likes to be challenged in her everyday tasks. When we need help covering different duties, she makes herself available to cover these. She carries out her duties with a great pride and respect, demonstrating great hospitality and customer care skills. Kristina works closely with her colleagues, helps her Supervisor to maintain high standards of cleanliness and ensure everything is in working order in her rooms.” “However there be no doubt that the efforts of Jevgeni cannot be ignored. Jevgeni has always displayed a can do attitude from the moment he arrived at the Ace Hotel. He has not only gone about his routine duties with a smile on his face but has assisted in various project work such as organising linen cupboards, assisting with the movement of items whether it was furniture, or various items for bedrooms.” “His boundless energy and attitude is an example that all of the team strive to follow. Thank you Jevgani!” . Svenja De Nijn, Kristina Laukeviciute & Dalia Pugzliene. Associate of the Month Ina Straigyte has been nominated for her outstanding work at W Hotel by Away Spa Supervisor Charlotte Bull. Martin Newbould and Jevgeni Doronin, Housekeeping Porter at Ace Hotel. The first day was an epic journey of 117km from the London Pullman Hotel in St Pancras to Newhaven on the South Coast, battling wind, rain and hills! By the time the team got to the coast they were all exhausted! Never have flapjacks and jelly babies tasted so good! An overnight journey on the ferry to Dieppe meant a few hours of sleep in the boat’s reclining chairs before the frantic cycling commenced at 3am in the dark! The route from Dieppe was along a cycle path that was nice and direct. During this leg of the journey the team had their only puncture of the trip which Steven and Douglas managed to fix in double quick time! Arrival in Gournay-en-Bray was delightful as there was a street market in full swing with magnificent local produce overflowing from the traditional market stalls. The team used this opportunity to replenish supplies and get some well earned rest ahead of a tough final day. The final day meant cycling directy as the crow flies into Paris, even including a stretch along the French equivalent of the M1! The final 96km saw the team working together to ride in convoy, taking turns at the front to take the impact of the headwind and protect the rest of the team. The four cyclists really stuck together and were awarded the prize of best team on arrival at the Eiffel Tower. From very beginning Charlotte received only positive feedback about Ina’s work. Commenting “Ina is very organised and is very happy, friendly and positive. All the team in W Spa love to work with her. Well done Ina!” We are proud to have Ina as part of our team. Stay up to date with all of our latest news at www.act-clean.com Ina Straigyte & Charlotte Bull 02 Douglas O’Keefe, Simon Bull, Steven Brown and Darryl Murphy at the end of the epic journey. We are not lazy What Christmas means at ACT Clean Georgina Board With the festive season now upon us we decided to ask members of the ACT Clean family whether they celebrate Christmas and if so what they will be doing over the festive season. We are delighted to welcome Georgina to the team. Georgina joins us in the exciting new role of Business Development Executive. The response we got was fantastically varied with many different traditions and stories of how they celebrate with family and friends. Supervisor development training (SDT) update The ACT Clean Supervisor development programme continues to make a difference to our supervisors, team members and clients; we achieve this by understanding the importance of on-going coaching and support from Vivi and Vicky. Every trained supervisor having been observed and coached 3 times for each training module then receives a monthly observation and coaching visit from Vivi and Vicky. This practical observation provides an excellent opportunity for feedback and an action plan is agreed for each Supervisor to work through with the support of their Manager. If you are interested in being part of this on-going success and developing your career at ACT Clean the first step is to email your interest to; [email protected] You will then be emailed an application form to complete and return, (this is part of the assessment so it is really important that you complete the form thoroughly before emailing back) to [email protected] David passes with flying colours David Smith, ACT Clean HR Officer, recently gained his Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Level 4 Health & Safety at Work certificate. David plays an integral part in ensuring health and safety regulations are being adhered to across the business. This qualification is well deserved and a really useful addition to the wealth of qualifications held by our talented team. Inga Satikaite works in Housekeeping at South Place Hotel and says “in Lithuania the traditions we have are on 24th December. We do not eat meat, we have to prepare 12 meals from fish, mushrooms, herring…. before we start our dinner we light a candle, pray and start to eat. It’s very important to eat all 12 meals – so that for the next year we will be prosperous.” Ismael Obiagwu works at J Sheekey and he said “in Nigeria from 23rd until 26th December everyone celebrates by visiting their friends and family. They invite people into their homes and then visit other houses, bringing with them food! They cook plenty of meat, listen to music and share the love! It is a 3 days celebration.” Jevgenjs Migusa and Irina Migusa are husband and wife who work at South Place Hotel and originate from Latvia. They don’t celebrate Christmas especially but see in the New Year “with a meal of fish, meat, salad and cakes, before spending time visiting friends, listening to music and dancing.” We hope everyone enjoys the festive season, however you choose to celebrate it. Adam Reynolds welcomes new arrival We were delighted to hear the wonderful news that Adam has become a father to a baby girl named Tilly. We send our congratulations to Adam and his family at this exciting time. We’ve been extremely proud of the continued and positive growth we have experienced since starting the business in 2006 and feel the time has come to further strengthen the team who identify, nurture and develop the relationships and opportunities that we convert into clients. To allow us to add more clients, more quickly. This will help us to continue to grow and offer even more opportunities to the people who work with us. Georgina joins us with great experience in growing exciting businesses within the hospitality events space in London, where she had been performing the role of Sales and Events Manager for the past three years. Prior to this she spent a number of years developing first-hand knowledge of the hospitality industry, working her way up from waitress to Assistant General Manager, gathering a great understanding of the requirements of clients like ours. Georgina Board Craig Turner Craig Turner We are delighted to announce that Craig Turner has joined the Support Centre team as Operations Resource Coordinator. Craig will be the bridge between the human resources screening process and assigning new hires to a site where the Operations Manager will take over their management. This process is key to ensuring we get quality people to site in the correct uniform with their ID card. It is also essential that we utilise all candidates who register with us and manage this process flawlessly. Craig comes from an HR resourcing background within companies such as Ernst and Young, Doosan House and ACCA. Welcome to the team Craig! The lovely Tilly 03 We behave honestly and show respect Alex Diaz, Oku Djbirl Gale, Saheed Kolawale Aderemi, Albert Makita Kandongo, Drame Hamidou, Mohamed Siyad, Patrik Hodinar, Reyes Garcia Mata & Leon Nganda. Quality Monitoring Winners Podium Well another 5 months have passed, how time flies! So in this edition of Secret Sauce there are five months of Quality Monitoring to report on. Moses Naru, the One Aldwych Chefs and Beata Pawelec. In August we had a first time win for Daphnes. Night Operation Manager Obed Acquah Nkum presented the certificate to David Tompson. Welcome to the winners podium Daphnes. And last but definitely not least our 3rd winner was The Mandarin Oriental. Mandarin Oriental Back Of House Manager Ola Ayodele presented the certificate to the ACT Clean team of Clarence Nwoteh, Georges Kwame Peprah, Cesar Matunda Nsimba, Philip Painstill & Papa Dieng. Each month there is £250.00; to be banked by the winning site or shared between the winning sites in the Quality Monitoring account, until the end of the year when it is divided between the winning teams on site. So far this year there is £2250.00 in the account with another £750.00 to be Quality Monitoring Incentive 2012 awarded before the end of the year. Jan -David July Tompson and Obed So there is still time! Acquah Nkum June’s winner was Burger & Lobster Bread Street. Night£750 Operation Manager Harry Hans presented the certificate to Rejoice Anumudu & £800 Nuno Melo. That’s the 2nd win this year. Well done to the team. £700 £600 £500 £400 £250 £300 Now for September it was a close call almost a photo finish shall we say. Sharing Site of the Month are Café Royal, One Aldwych & Mandarin Oriental. Ola Ayodele, Clarence Nwoteh, Georges Kwame Peprah, Cesar Matunda Nsimba, Philip Painstill & Papa Dieng. Senior Operations Manager Beata Pawelec presented the certificate at One Aldwych with the assistance £250 Chefs £250 £250 of One Aldwych to Moses Naru. Hearty Congratulations One Aldwych! A big congratulations to all our winning teams and remember each month it gets closer & closer. Which means with 3 more months to go this year it could be your site and your photo in the next Secret Sauce! £200 £100 Harry Hans, Rejoice Anumudu & Nuno Melo Café Royal won for July & also shared the winners podium for September. Deputy Operations Director Alex Diaz presented the certificate to Oku Djbirl Gale, Saheed Kolawale Aderemi, Albert Makita Kandongo, Drame Hamidou, Mohamed Siyad, Patrik Hodinar, Reyes Garcia Mata & Leon Nganda. Keep up the good work.. 04 nda Ma l nta rie rin O Supervisor Breakfasts Richard Ritter To celebrate the latest of our team to pass the Supervisor Training Development Programme we held three fabulous breakfasts at ME Hotel and Simpson’s in the Strand. Richard Ritter was born into the hospitality industry - his parents ran a hotel group in Hungary – and his earliest memory is of him standing on a chair doing the washing up with the kitchen porters in his dad’s hotel in the centre of Budapest. This was a great opportunity for the owners to meet the team. After all the hard work in completing the course the breakfasts were very well deserved and the mornings were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We are proud to have such great talent in our team. This was the start of a lifelong commitment to understanding every aspect of the business which is reflected in his passion for high quality food, top-level customer service and for a professional approach to everything he undertakes. Richard is a qualified chef with three relevant university degrees (Hospitality & Travel; Economics; Information Technology) but his experience also includes working in pubs, breweries, hotels and restaurants. Back row: John Stevenson, Robert Ludwiczek, Richard Asante, Yanick Tshiunza, Vicky Chhabria, Akale James, Ntem, Zebedee Chima Ngwu, Vivi Iliadou, Maros Kurucz. Front row: Mirek Misiukiewicz, Victor Ighalo, Robert Beaugié, Endeme David. He managed 1200 staff at the London 2012 Olympics serving over 6 million meals; supervised high-level service at Royal Ascot in front of The Queen and provided a smooth service for Aston Martin’s James Bond Skyfall Reception at Hampton Court Palace. Richard likes to relax by ice-skating, reading law and getting immersed in graphic design. Richard Ritter Operations Shining Star Back row: Robert Beaugié, Vivi Iliadou, Esmond Nkeaka, Alexandre Monteiro, Patrycja Deniziuk, Abdulwahab Lamal, Duarte Nuno Duarte, Vicky Chhabria, John Stevenson. Front row: Muideen Raheem, Roland Fominyam, Uzoma Michael Owo, Maciej Fredrych. Zebedee Chima Ngwu has been commended for his exceptional work as an Operations Supervisor by Andy Cook, Head Chef at Savoy Grill. He always keeps his paperwork up to date and has an incredible work ethic. Andy commented that “Chima is very intelligent and we are delighted to have him as part of the team.” John Stevenson, James Banya, Vicky Chhabria, Gyori Marian, Vivi Iliadou, John Tshimbombo,Benjamin Okpiavbe, Francis Kwaku Nimo, Robert Beaugié. Zebedee Chima Ngwu 05 Christmas Card Competition Adam Reynolds This year we decided that we would be really proud if the ACT Clean family could design us our Christmas Card for 2013. The theme for the Christmas card designs was ‘what does Christmas at ACT Clean look like to your Children.’ The entries came flooding in and were beautifully designed by our budding young artists. The designs were so lovely that we could not decide between them for our favourite, so they have all been included on the final design as shown below in an advent calendar style (with artists credited below). Adam started his career as a fully qualified mechanic working for Ford. In 2001, he decided to change his career path and moved to the cleaning industry. He started his career as a cleaner at Wembley Stadium and within a short time became Logistics Coordinator for the UK Operations of the company. Adam spent some time working in restaurants before joining Leisure Support Services in July 2005 and stayed until October 2012 where he progressed from a Cleaning Supervisor to an Operations Manager looking after tenders and then servicing all contracts which he had been awarded. In October 2012 Adam took the opportunity to go to Australia on a holiday visa to explore the vast country for a year continuing to work within the Event/Cleaning industry whilst he was there. Back in the UK since September 2013, we are very pleased that Adam joined us as Day Operations Manager. Adam is a huge fan of Tottenham Hotspurs and therefore watches all the matches he can. Whilst he used to be a great player when younger, he has since retired! Welcome to the team Adam! Adam Reynolds The Artists 1 & 19. Alex (5) son of Agnieszka Wrezel, Room Attendant, Ace Hotel 2. Charlie (4) son of John Stevenson, Founder & Owner 3. Alex (13) son of Danuta Nudds, Quality Monitoring 4, 6, 15 & 17. Grete (10) daughter of Dalia Morkuniene, Housekeeping Development 5 & 8. Amy (6) daughter of Inga Gilpin, Housekeeping Development 7. Andzelika (13) daughter of Dalia Morkuniene, Housekeeping Development 9. Natasha (3) daughter of Russell Stinson, Founder & Owner 10 & 23. Leonor (8) son of Alex Monteiro, Operations Manager 11. Iain (7) son of John Stevenson, Founder & Owner 12. Oliver (5) son of Russell Stinson, Founder & Owner 06 13. Oliver (5 mnths) son of Daniel Lydon, Accounts Assistant 14 & 21. Portia (13) sister of Claudette Twum-Danso, HR & Recruitment 16. Sophie (3) daughter of Simon Bull, Marketing & Communications 18. Jack (7) nephew of Daniel Lydon, Accounts Assistant 20. Adrian (7) son of Agnieszka Wrezel, Room Attendant at Ace Hotel 22. Lilah (4) niece of Daniel Lydon, Accounts Assistant 24. John Stevenson (46) Biggest Kid Christmas Recipes Steve Carter’s Christmas Chutney Ingredients Steve Carter, 15g coriander spice Boodles 20g fine salt 20g paprika Spanish spice 80g finely chopped garlic 200g green peppers 300ml white dufrais vinegar 350g caster sugar 500g aubergine 600g red peppers 700g finely chopped onions 900g plum tomatoes 15g cayenne pepper 100g capers 100g gherkins Method 1. Peel tomatoes then deseed and chop. 2. Crush corriander seeds in a pestle. 3. Dry fry the spices 2 minutes then add all other ingredients to a heavy bottom pan. 4. Cook for approx 2 hours over a gentle heat or until thick and pulpy. 5. Store 2/3 weeks before use as acidity levels drop and become less sharp. 6. Serve with cheese and cold meats perticularly good with leftover turkey and ham. Gerry Rae’s Turkey, Sausage & Bacon Pie Ingredients Gerry Rae, 1 tbsp olive oil Simpson’s in 750g left over turkey, the Strand cut into 3cm pieces 175g rindless short cut bacon rashers, chopped 4 onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 200g left over chipolatas, sliced 2 tbsp plain flour 1/2 cup chicken stock Salt and pepper 1/3 cup double cream 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, partially thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, partially thawed Sesame seeds, to decorate Method 1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan. Cook till brown and add turkey and chipolatas. Add flour. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add stock, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in cream. Remove from heat. Cool. 2. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Grease 4, 7.5cm (base) x 11cm (top) pie tins. Cut shortcrust pastry in half diagonally to form 4 large triangles. Line base and side of 1 pie tin with 1 piece. Trim edge and brush with egg. Repeat with remaining triangles. Spoon turkey mixture into cases. 3. Cut puff pastry into 4 squares. Place 1 square over filling. Trim edge. Repeat with remaining puff pastry. Place tins on a baking tray. Brush tops with egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and puffed. Serve. Barry Macmillan’s Chocolate pots Cook 110 degrees for 8-9 minutes Makes 4-5 ramekins Barry Macmillan Old Bengal Warehouse Ingredients 125g 55% dark chocolate or any good quality dark cooking chocolate 75ml milk 175ml double cream 30ml pasteurised egg yolk 10g icing sugar Method 1. Boil milk and cream and pour over chocolate. 2. Mix egg yolks and icing sugar with a whisk, then add to the chocolate. 3. Pass through a fine strainer and then pour into ramekins. 4. Bake in a low oven. 5. Once cooked, leave to cool. Then place in a fridge for 2 hours. 6. When ready to serve. Pipe a rosette of whipped cream on to the custards, maybe add a dash of baileys 7. Serve with shortbread biscuits. We speak. We listen. We act. Your Contributions We’d love to hear more of your ideas and talk about the things that you want to hear about in future editions of Secret Sauce. Even more exciting would be to have guest columnists. So for every idea that is published in Secret Sauce or every article you provide that gets printed – we’d like to pay you £50 for your trouble. E-mail any suggestions you have on the things you’d like to read about or articles you have written to [email protected] Remember, we’re looking for things that everyone in the company is interested in and the more quirky the better. We’d love to hear about stories of success and be able to share and celebrate them. But it’s your magazine – tell us what you’d like to read about. Electronic payslips Chocolate Pots by Old Bengal Warehouse Head Chef Barry Macmillan If you don’t yet recieve your payslips electronically then please come to the Suppport Centre and give your email address to us. Each month we will then send your payslip direct to your inbox. 07 We behave honestly and show respect ACT Clean and Westminster City Council agree partnership As part of our drive to be at the forefront of Health and Safety compliance we are delighted to announce that we have agreed an industry leading Primary Authority Partnership with Westminster City Council. Ensuring customers and colleagues enjoy the highest possible levels of safety is key to us and we are always looking to use best practice for Health and Safety standards within our business. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to always doing the right thing with professionalism and integrity. New Clients As the year draws to a close, we can share - with great pride – that we finish this year in the biggest and best position we have been in terms of size and clients since our formation in 2006. Since the last edition of Secret Sauce we have welcomed to the ACT Clean family, more great clients. In no particular order, but all industry leaders and fantastic people these have included the following hotels and restaurants. The Edition Hotel with Berner’s Tavern – already hailed as the defining restaurant of the decade and Jason Atherton’s latest restaurant. We’ve extended our relationship and grown our partnership with Rex Restaurants through The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Colbert and Brasserie Zédel. We’ve done the same with Gordon Ramsay with the addition of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road (one of only four Michelin starred restaurants in the UK) and also Foxtrot Oscar and Union Street Café and the with Angela Hartnett and her newest restaurant; Merchant’s Tavern. The wonderfully special Koya, who we have been proud to call a client since their opening, launched Koya Bar allowing us to extend our work with them and long standing friend Ross Shonhan who has launched his second restaurant Flesh & Buns where we’re working and part of the fun. Other clients who have grown and allowed us to do the same with them are Hixster, Burger & Lobster Harvey Nichols. We were all sad when Martin Newbould left ACT Clean, but delighted that we are able to continue to work with him, now as a client, through the launch of ACE Hotel. Other completely new clients include Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and Barbecoa; the beautiful new Rosewood Hotel, the quirky and super Town Hall Hotel and the more traditional and much loved Hyatt Churchill. We are sure you will agree – all amazing places to work and many exciting times ahead for us all in London’s vibrant hospitality scene. Long may it continue and here’s to next year and yet more winning, growth and success. The Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) has designated Westminster City Council as a Centre of Excellence for the way that they run their Primary Authority Partnerships. We join an elite group of businesses working with Westminster City Council, which includes John Lewis, Pret a Manger, Marks and Spencer, ITSU, Carluccio’s, Busaba and Mitchells and Butlers. We are the only hospitality support services company to be enrolled and engaged with Westminster in this way. We look forward to enhancing our expertise on compliance further with this new partnership and we are committed to sharing our knowledge with our team and clients. We are always looking for new ways to ensure we are future ready and remain compliant in every aspect of our operations 08 Secret Sauce December 2013
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz