Company News Archives

GastroNorth Complete £170k Development of Middlesbrough Town Hall’s Catering and Bar Facilities

Posted on 29 August 2018 by Walnut

When the two-year phase of redevelopment commenced on the Middlesbrough Town Hall, GastroNorth were appointed to develop the foodservice design initially produced by KWD.

Middlesbrough Town Hall has been a prominent feature in Middlesbrough’s city centre since it was opened in 1889 by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Since then it has been at the heart of civic life, with hotels, pubs, offices and shops transforming the area around it.

The town hall closed its doors in April 2016 to undertake the £7.7m refurbishment, which was funded by the Middlesbrough Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the construction work being undertaken by Kier Construction.

GastroNorth were appointed by Kier to develop the original design, which required the supply and installation of two kitchens, three bars and a cellar over three floors, including the former crypt.

The team at GastroNorth worked closely with Middlesbrough Town Hall to expand on the initial designs, allowing a function and event kitchen, a bar on the first floor, a cafe-bar on the ground and a crypt bar and cellar in the lower ground area, creating works exceeding £170k.

GastroNorth Director, Richard Toye, said: “The architecture of Middlesbrough Town Hall is truly amazing, from high vaulted ceilings to lower height corridors and work areas in the lower grounds. This in turn provided challenges with getting drainage and ventilation to and from the site, as well as obvious issues with access for the large, one piece bar units to the upper floor- but these were all things our team were able to overcome, resulting in a really fantastic finish.”

Working with a range of leading manufacturers and suppliers, GastroNorth installed Unox combi steaming ovens and SpidoCook units, Blue Seal prime cooking appliances, Foster and Williams refrigeration, Maidaid Halcyon warewashing, Victor hot plates, Maestrowave microwaves and Marco beverage units into facility.

They also incorporated stainless steel fabrications from E&R Moffat, CED and P&D Caterfab, Altro white rock walls, several bespoke one piece Novemeta bar units and IMC modular bar units into the project.

Richard added: “It was a pleasure to work for Kier again throughout this project, they managed a really difficult job very well and were great when assisting us to solve issues we encountered in relation to the infrastructure, allowing us both to find a mutual solution.”

The town hall reopened in May 2018, with a special one-off, community performance to mark the event.

GastroDirect welcomes New Field Sales Exec Neil

Posted on 18 July 2018 by Walnut

Leading foodservice equipment distributor, GastroNorth, expand their Gastro-Direct division with new field sales executive, Neil Anderson.

Neil joins the Gastro-Direct department with a wealth of knowledge under his belt, after working in the foodservice industry and with other equipment suppliers for a number of years.

A primary division of the UpNorth Group, GastroNorth, is now seeking to grow its Gastro-Direct department, which provides a wide range of catering equipment products.

Using his vast product and industry expertise, Neil will be concentrating on all light equipment including crockery, cutlery, chef clothing, utensils, prime cooking equipment, bar supplies and much more from a variety of suppliers.

Tim Whitfield, Director at GastroNorth, said: “We are extremely happy to welcome Neil to both Gastro-Direct and GastroNorth – his impressive portfolio of industry experience means he will be a great asset to our team.”

Tim added: “Neil has already assisted us with multiple sales and has used the knowledge and expertise that he has gained within the industry to help both new and current customers with their purchasing decisions.

“It is clear that Neil has settled into the role very well since starting his position and we are very much looking forward to seeing how he can develop his skills further within his role in Gastro-Direct.”

To find out more about Gastro-Direct, visit www.gastro-direct.co.uk or call 0191 414 2882.

Two of GastroNorth’s finest listed in Catering Insight’s Power List

Posted on 2 July 201818 July 2018 by Walnut

GastroNorth are extremely proud to announce that two members of our staff have been featured in Catering Insight’s 2018 Power List!

Our Sales Director, Bob Vardy, and Junior Design Engineer, James Blanchard, have been included in this month’s edition of Catering Insight, with Bob appearing in the Industry Innovators category and James in the Young Trailblazers category.

Both Bob and James have worked incredibly hard in the last 12 months, and we at GastroNorth thought it was only right to nominate them both to appear in the Power List and pay recognition to all of their efforts and achievements.

Despite a difficult year with trading conditions, Bob has adopted a very strong sales focus and has been a driving force with our sales team in ensuring that sales numbers have increased for this year, following last year’s industry wide downturn.

With his experience in the industry and outstanding equipment knowledge, Bob also managed to secure a number of new clients and projects for GastroNorth across the country in the last year, which will undoubtedly provide not only nice prestigious developments to work on but also a large number of multi-site corporate account business across multiple clients and business sectors.

Although Bob has been with GastroNorth for a number of years, we are also committed in supporting younger staff who are just starting their careers in the catering equipment industry.

Richard Toye, Director at GastroNorth, said: “Bob has continued to use his expert knowledge of the industry to support a number of clients with their projects and developments, and has been very positive and reassuring despite some of the issues we have been faced with. He has worked endless hours with clients for many years and now successfully seeing the rewards with orders emerging.”

As well as Bob, our apprentice turned Junior Design Engineer, James, also made the list after coming straight from college and beginning a CAD technician apprenticeship with us.

Whilst embarking on the course, James assisted the design team with several projects and since completing his apprenticeship, has took on the role of Junior Design Engineer where he is now learning how to transfer designs into quotations.

Director, Tim Whitfield, said: “James as progressed massively between starting his apprenticeship and taking on his current role of Junior Design Engineer, and he has learned so much about the industry since he started with us.”

Both added: “Despite being nominated for two completely different reasons, we couldn’t be more proud of Bob and James making it into the Power List, and we are delighted that everyone can now see what amazing work they’ve done in the past year.”

You can read Bob and James’ Power List nominations in the latest issue of Catering Insight to find out just how brilliant they’ve been!

Read the full feature here: www.cateringinsight.com/e-magazines/catering-insight-july-2018/

James Awarded Apprentice of the Year

Posted on 26 June 201826 June 2018 by Walnut

GastroNorth are pleased to announce that our apprentice, James Blanchard, has been presented with an award at New College Durham’s Apprentice of the Year Awards.

The Apprentice CAD Technician, who completed his apprenticeship with the Gateshead-based distributor last year, accepted the Advanced Engineering (Technical Support) Apprenticeship Award at the event, which took place on June 19th.

This award demonstrates recognition from the college and our team at GastroNorth, for the progress he has made following the completion of his apprenticeship and education at New College Durham.

The advanced apprenticeship which lasted for two years, combined study with practical learning ‘on-the-job’, and involved James attending college on day release while working at Gastronorth.

Tim Whitfield, Director at Gastronorth, said: “The team and I are extremely proud of James and what he has achieved in the last two years since starting his apprenticeship, he thoroughly deserves his award.

“James is confident, hardworking and driven, and has worked to the highest standards possible while studying for his apprenticeship. His passion and enthusiasm for what he does has seen him elevated to a significant full time engineering design role within GastroNorth, and he should be proud of his continued efforts and dedication which he has shown throughout this course.”

GastroNorth are an established and experienced operator in the foodservice equipment sector, delivering a diverse range of projects and services throughout the UK and Ireland.

New College Durham boasts the largest and most successful advanced engineering programme in the North East, supporting apprentices from the area and helping to them into employment with local business.

Working with over 700 employers, including Gastronorth, the college helps apprentices earn while they learn and has a number of expert teaching staff, who are experienced in the industry sector in which they teach.

To find out more about New College Durham’s apprenticeship programmes, visit newcollegedurham.ac.uk/apprenticeships, or to find out more about GastroNorth, give us a call on 0191 4142882.

GastroNorth’s newly qualified apprentice joins a string of career success stories for the firm

Posted on 20 September 20179 August 2019 by Walnut

Leading distributors GastroNorth pledge a commitment to nurture their staff as the younger members of their team set out to forge a career within the industry.

At Tyneside-based GastroNorth, who specialise in the design, supply and installation of commercial kitchens, the philosophy is one of progression and the newest entrants follow a structured career plan which enables new talent to be brought in to replace them as they continue to develop and the cycle continues.

With a number of apprentices who have joined the ranks of the award-winning firm, GastroNorth have developed a reputation for really developing their staff members.

The latest beginner to benefit from GastroNorth’s training is James Blanchard, who came straight out of college and into an Apprentice CAD Technician role and has how now just completed his design engineering apprenticeship.

James’ position involved assisting the team with their design workload, but now he’s completed his apprenticeship he will take on the role of Junior Design Engineer and will be learning how to turn his designs into quotations by accurately specifying equipment to meet a client’s brief.

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Tim Whitfield, Director at GastroNorth, said: “Since starting with us, James’ abilities have continually improved and we can’t wait to see how that progression continues as he comes increasingly involved with projects through sales or management, depending on where his natural aptitude lies’.

“One of our main aims at GastroNorth is to employ staff who we can develop within our industry, and not just hire apprentices who are going to join us and then leave after a year or two, we want to help our young staff members to progress their careers and develop a GastroNorth way of thinking and working.”

Another one of the firm’s apprentices, Shona Grant, who started around the same time as James has also recently passed her Administrative Assistant Apprenticeship and has now become Project Administrator, helping the admin team with projects, warranties and logistics.

Two new Apprentice Installation Engineers have also recently joined the team in the summer, following a run of Apprentice Field Engineers who GastroNorth have helped take a leap into the industry.

Tim added: “It is part of our mission to help young people take their first steps into a career in our industry and we are always on the lookout for enthusiastic and talented individuals to fill positions as and when they become available.”

GastroNorth team members make the Catering Insight Power list

Posted on 7 July 20179 August 2019 by Walnut

The team at GastroNorth are absolutely delighted to learn of the inclusion of Director Tim Whitfield and Sales & Design Engineer Simon Neill in the Catering insight 2017 power list.

Simon Neill, who recently featured in the catering insight magazine for his great work at Darlington College, was again making the headlines in the “Young Trailblazers” category of the power list, which highlights the next generation of industry professionals and the great work they do for their respective companies.

Simon was recently promoted from CAD Technician and since then has been making great progress in the sales area of his role and has proven to be a real asset for the future of the company.

Handling projects in excess of £200,000 with limited experience is no easy feat, but Simon as shown maturity, intellect and confidence to deliver stunning catering facilities for our clients and will continue to do so for many years to come. The feature talks heavily around the topic of Simon’s skills to deliver the Darlington College, leaving his Directors extremely pleased with him for all the right reasons.

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The first entry into the 2017 power list was our director Tim Whitfield who follows in the footsteps of fellow Director Richard Toye who was listed in the same category in 2016!

We’re delighted to report that it’s been another great year for the business thanks to the drive of all the directors. Working with new and existing clients ,Tim has founded great relationships which have ultimately opened up new opportunities for continued growth for 2017 and onwards.

Tim also recognises the importance of developing employees and promoting staff like Simon, which makes GastroNorth a very opportunistic environment to work in. Industry colleagues describe Tim as an “inspiration” and that he works with a sensible, methodical and practical approach.

GastroNorth welcome two highly-qualified staff members to the team…

Posted on 13 June 20179 August 2019 by Walnut

Industry veterans Steve Clark and Chris Beckett are the latest pair to join the GastroNorth ranks, who join the company to aid with the continual growth.

Both have been with GastroNorth just three weeks and are already making their mark as highly valued team members.

With a background in the electrical industry and previous experience in the commercial catering industry, Steve has taken on the role of a Project Manager at GastroNorth.

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Steve’s role involves working alongside the existing Project management team, managing GastroNorth projects, processing them from orders and also creating technical drawings, managing the project with the Project Admin team to deliver amazing results for our clients.

Dealing with the technical elements of each project, Steve incorporates all of the electrics and equipment to a layout design and visits the site to ensure that everything fits correctly for a safe and efficient catering facility.

Steve said: “Working at GastroNorth has been great so far, I’ve got the experience so now I’m just learning how to apply it to the company.

“They are a fantastic squad to work with, there is always such a great atmosphere in the office.”

Chris Beckett is GastroNorth’s new operations manager, who started out in the industry when he left school, with 12 years spent in the plumbing trade before going on to achieve his gas qualifications.

Chris has worked numerous roles in the industry, including as a mechanical service manager, with experience working on the installation of new builds, commercial buildings and education facilities combined with actually being a qualified gas engineer making him a fantastic asset at GastroNorth.

As Operations Manager, Chris oversees all of the Project Managers and Operations, ensuring the smooth running of numerous, vital daily duties.

“Both mine and Steve’s roles were developed to work alongside the exisiting PM’s and Tracy the office manager to allow the directors to focus on business Direction and growth, while we tackle the day to day running of the businesson the ground,” said Chris.

“GastroNorth has been growing at an outstanding rate in the last few years, the client base and type of works is vast and varied and I hope that our roles will allow that growth to continue further.”

He added: “GastroNorth is a great company, the staff are all really lovely and always willing to help.”

GastroNorth welcome Development Chef Alan to the team…

Posted on 2 June 201726 June 2018 by Walnut

Responsible for cooking up a storm in the GastroLab is Development Chef, Alan McKenna.

When the GastroNorth team first came up with the idea for the GastroLab, we knew that we would need a talented Development Chef who would be able to execute the concept to its full potential.

GastroNorth Director, Tim Whitfield, was already aware of Alan’s extensive experience, which made him the team’s first choice thanks to his impressive talent and background in the industry.

The GastroLab launched in March this year, with Alan being brought on board to kick things off with a few demonstrations.

Alan said: “It started off as just a temporary thing, but before long I decided to come on full board, officially working two days a week in the GastroLab.

“I’ve really been enjoying the new challenge, which is why I decided to take on the role as development chef permanently, I find it really therapeutic working in the GastroLab and the team are happy with the work I’ve been doing, too, so that’s great.”

As the development chef at GastroLab, Alan’s main priority is to showcase the catering equipment that GastroNorth can offer their customers.

“I’ve learned all the ins and outs of each piece of equipment and created dishes that I can cook in them, producing both the recipe and cooking method of each dish,” said Alan.

“Potential clients are then invited in to come and see a cooking demonstration and the equipment in action, as well as do a bit of taste testing.”

The innovative GastroLab gives Chefs the chance to try before they buy, with the chance to see equipment from leading manufacturers around the world, such as the Mibrasa oven, Unox combination oven, Ascenti F1 pizza oven and many more, all expertly designed to save time on the job.

Alan has been in the culinary industry for over 30 years and even owns two restaurants, McKenna’s and Fell’s Kitchen, in the Newcastle area.

His expertise and passion for both cooking and the GastroLab is part of what makes the GastroLab experience such an enjoyable one, with Alan on hand to train staff in equipment and even take a side step as other Chefs have a go for themselves.

He said: “The GastroLab is going extremely well and we’re really pushing it. It’s an outstanding idea, we’ve had some fantastic feedback from everyone who has visited so far.

“Trends in the catering industry are always changing and technology is always on the move and we will aim to adhere to that with our offering.”

If you would like to pay Alan a visit and see what the GastroLab has to offer then please email marketing@upnorthgroup.com or call 0191 4142882.

GastroNorth are Recruiting!…

Posted on 6 April 201726 June 2018 by Walnut

GastroNorth are Recruiting Catering Equipment Engineers & Have Apprentice Opportunities!

Due to Continual expansion and development GastroNorth are looking to recruit additional Experienced Installation Engineers and Have Apprentice Opportunities Due to current and long term future workloads, GastroNorth have two vacancies available for experienced gas catering engineers to join our existing installation teams, mostly working in region from Sheffield to Scottish Central Belt with odd exceptions, ideally based in North East England. Experienced in Full Commercial Kitchen installations and Commissioning.

Suitable candidates will be Gas Safe Accredited and qualified to a minimum of Comcat 1,3 & 5 and 17th edition wiring regulations. We also wish to recruit two Installation Apprentices.

Interested candidates should apply by email in the first instance to richard.toye@upnorthgroup.com