Gastronorth Archives | GastroNorth

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.

What’s new in the Gastrolab…

Posted on 29 August 201829 August 2018 by Walnut

GastroNorth regularly have new equipment joining our GastroLab, and we’d like to introduce you to our latest innovation, the Evereo by Unox!

The Evereo is a technological cooker that has a precise temperature control system. Using its Service Temperature Food Preserver, it can also preserve food using patented technology designed to deliver flexibility when in use.

It works by cooking and preserving food safely at two set temperatures; 63 degrees celsius for vegetables, fish, soups and sauces, and 70 degrees celsius for ready meals and protein meat dishes, both above the danger zone for bacterial growth.

The product can be used for preserving food for up to seven days, holding food for up to eight hours and vacuum packing ready meals for up to one month.

With the Evereo, there is no need for traditional blast chilling, cold storage and regenerating, meaning the user can cook and hold food without having to do anything else.

Food can then be served in just a matter of seconds during any time of the day, with zero waiting time for customers.

An appliance that will significantly change the way that chefs cook by delivering the quality of slow food with the speed of fast food, the Evereo has been described as a ‘game-changer’ by many chefs and foodservice professionals.

Richard Toye, commented : “We are delighted to welcome Evereo to our product portfolio, we really feel that this will benefit many of our existing and new clients. The importance of flexibility of commercial catering equipment is growing in importance and we’re delighted that we can now offer a high tech solution to many catering challenges in multiple sectors.”

Find out more about the Evereo by Unox, get in touch with GastroNorth at GastroNorth@upnorthgroup.com or call us on 0191 4142882.

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 Outstanding at CEDA Grand Prix

Posted on 16 May 201818 May 2018 by WalDev

The CEDA Grand Prix Awards took place last Friday evening, and we were delighted to receive special recognition for our work on St. Chad’s College project!

We received an ‘Oustanding Achievement accolade’ for the project, which we started working on in mid December, completed in early January and which involved a full refurbishment of the catering areas in the college, where we updated and modernised these areas as well as separating the kitchen and servery spaces.

The CEDA Grand Prix Awards took place on April 27th with a formal Gala Awards Dinner being held before the highly anticipated awards ceremony.

Taking place at the Hilton Hotel at St George’s Park, Burton upon Trent, the awards recognise businesses who have demonstrated creativity, success and who have gone above and beyond what is expected of them.

The categories included awards for ‘Small Project’, ‘Medium Project’, ‘Large Project’, ‘Outstanding Customer Service’ and ‘Project Management’, the latter for which we were shortlisted.

The GastroNorth team had a fantastic time at the conference/awards and it was great to learn more about some of the excellent catering projects that had been completed during the last 12 months.

Although we didn’t win the award we were nominated for, it was amazing to still receive recognition on a project that we put so much effort into and in which we received such positive feedback from the client, who was overwhelmed with the end result.

We at GastroNorth would like to say a huge congratulations and well done to all of the winners and those who were shortlisted for the awards, you all did fantastic!

We would also like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported GastroNorth over the years, as we really do appreciate it.

Let’s see what the rest of the year brings for us! Watch this space!

GastroNorth Shortlisted for CEDA Grand Prix Award

Posted on 16 May 201818 May 2018 by WalDev

We at GastroNorth are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for a CEDA Grand Prix Award for our work with St Chad’s College!

The CEDA Grand Prix Awards, which is currently in its 31st year, recognises companies who have carried out outstanding design projects over the past year and provided excellent customer service.

The award we have been nominated for is in the Project Management category for our work on designing and installing a new kitchen and servery area at St Chad’s College in Durham.

We began work on this project in December 2017 and completed it, within budget and to schedule, in January 2018 when we unveiled a more modern, yet still traditional, kitchen space to contrast with the college’s grand dining hall.

Although we encountered a few obstacles such as the site being inaccessible to vehicles, as well as extreme weather and a bout of flu throughout the team, our client was extremely happy with the results and said they would definitely choose us again for any future projects and would have no hesitation in recommending us to others.

CEDA’s independent judges will now be visiting all of the shortlisted sites to speak to staff and look around at the completed projects to decide on the winners.

The winners of the awards will be announced during the CEDA Conference Gala Dinner on Friday 27th April 2018 at the Hilton Hotel in Burton upon Trent.

Here at GastroNorth, we offer many services such as CAD design, equipment supplies, installations and staff training, and have a team of experienced and dedicated professionals at hand to assist you with your kitchen projects and foodservice systems.

We are very honoured and grateful to be nominated for this award, and we will be keeping our fingers crossed ahead of the results! Wish us luck!

GastroLab – One Year On

Posted on 31 January 201826 June 2018 by Walnut

It has been one year since the GastroLab welcomed its very first visitors and now we’re looking forward to another year of success.

The GastroLab, which was developed from the GastroNorth team’s passion for delivering excellence, opened to critical acclaim from Catering Insight and industry experts at the beginning of 2017, kicking off with a variety of equipment demonstrations and tasting sessions.

Based in our HQ on the Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead, the GastroLab is our very own development kitchen which was designed and built to constantly evolve, and contain all of the most current and leading industry equipment.

We have been lucky enough to win and be shortlisted for a number of industry awards in the past couple of years including Catering Insight’s Northern Distributor and Digital Initiative of the Year, the GastroLab has played a huge part in securing these accolades.

The innovative demonstration facility is is manned by our talented development chef, Alan McKenna, who utilises the wide selection of impressive equipment to create tasty bites for our visitors.

Those visiting the rustic-designed GastroLab can receive a first hand experience of the latest and most innovative equipment available on the market, and can learn about the functionality and benefits of each product.

The GastroLab also plays host to a number of free demonstration events throughout the year and there is plenty set to be booked in during 2018, including demonstrations from leading manufacturers like Unox, Frimar, Synergy Grill and more.

To book onto one of the GastroLab’s fantastic free events or to find out more about the lab, visit www.gastrolab.co.uk

As one of the UK’s leading designers, suppliers and installers of professional foodservice systems, GastroNorth are known within the industry for their passion and understanding of modern cooking equipment, functional design and dining trends.

To find out more about what we can do for you, give us a call on 0191 4142882

GastroNorth shortlisted for 2 awards at prestigious industry event…

Posted on 3 November 20179 August 2019 by Walnut

GastroNorth are delighted to have been shortlisted in no less than two categories for the up and coming Catering Insight Awards 2017.

Taking place on November 23 in London, the event showcases the movers and shakers of the catering and foodservice sector, who hope to be victorious in their areas of expertise.

At last year’s Catering Insight Awards, we were overjoyed to be presented with the award for the Northern Distributor of the Year and this year, we hope to do the same.

This time round, we have not only been shortlisted for the Northern Distributor of the Year, but also the Distributor Digital Initiative of the Year award and are so thankful to the Catering Insight team for recognising our work.

For the Northern award, we were chosen thanks to the astounding year we’ve had in 2017, which began with the opening our onsite demonstration kitchen, the GatsroLab. We have also completed a record number of projects, as well as being nominated in the CEDA Gran Prix Awards for the £3m Glasgow College refit.

silagra 100 mg inhouse pharmacy coupon code https://www.gulickhhc.com/drugs/weight-loss/xenical.htm cenforce 100 reviews

Our GastroLab is also the reason we have been shortlisted for the Digital Initiative award. The development kitchen has its own digital platform, which allows users to learn about the facility and book into upcoming events. Our new project management system and increased social media presence have also played a part in this.

We would like to thank all of the suppliers for their continued support throughout the year, without you, none of this would be possible.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on the evening and wish everyone who has been nominated for an award the best of luck.

If you would like to see the full shortlist, head to www.cateringinsight.com

GastroNorth at Tyneside Foodservice Trade Exhibition

Posted on 17 October 20179 August 2019 by Walnut

The GastroNorth team are heading to Gateshead International Stadium this week to exhibit at the Tyneside Foodservice Trade Exhibition.

The show, which is running throughout the day on October 18th, will give attendees the opportunity to network with the over 500 caterers, chefs and food professionals that are set to attend the trade show which is held by North East-based foodservice distributors, Tyneside Foodservice.

Those who pay us a visit on Stand 2 at the show are set to be in for a treat. Not only will our expert team be on hand to discuss any questions you might have about GastroNorth’s services, but we will also be showcasing a range of live cooking appliances that reflect the service we offer from our GastroLab, our own in-house development kitchen and restaurant based at our head office in Team Valley.

gulickhhc.com/drugs/erectile-dysfunction/sildenafil/zenegra.htm nizagara st 100 sildalis eriacta review

Visitors to our stand will also be table to take advantage of the wide range of products available for direct sale from GastroDirect and enjoy trade show discounts and special offers.

We’re looking forward to seeing both visitors and suppliers at the Tyneside Foodservice Exhibition, so make sure you pop by our stand for a chat and a slice of pizza.

For more information on the show visit www.tynesidefoodservice.com