L'Auberge turns to India in staff recruitment drive

by Tony Halstead

Massive Pub Company is scouring India's best five-star hotels to recruit new chefs for its chain of L'Auberge French restaurants.

The first of the new recruits arrived in the UK 12 months ago and to date 20 chefs have joined the company.

Massive has traditionally recruited most of its foreign staff from France where it has close contacts with the catering colleges in Mazanet and Tours.

But executive chef Laurent Malnuit and L'Auberge general manager Rachid Noui decided to expand their horizons to bring a different cuisine culture to the group's eight restaurants.

Managing director Peter Linacre said the initiative had proved a huge success and had attracted chefs of outstanding skill and flair.

'The chefs we have recruited all work at the very top of their trade in some of the best five-star hotels India has to offer.

'They are bringing a refreshing sense of imagination and cookery techniques, which have blended in very well with our operations, he explained.

Each chef is recruited on four-year work permits with visas and other requirements set up by Massive.

'We decided we needed to recruit more chefs from non-traditional sources and saw India as a country boasting a rich array of talent.

'All the recruits are experienced chefs, highly skilled in their field and are adept at producing quality French food which is the hallmark of the L'Auberge operation, Linacre added.

'The Indians are charming people who have settled in here very well and it has proved a very worthwhile project for us. The chefs will extend their knowledge while over here and return to India with added weight to their portfolio of skills.