The Clink Charity and Restaurant is thrilled to announce culinary legend, Antonio Carluccio as the most recently appointed Chef Ambassador, joining fellow Italian gastronome, Giorgio Locatelli, for the next three years.
The Clink Restaurant, situated within H.M.P. High Down estate in Surrey is the first and only commercial restaurant to be built inside a working British prison. A unique training scheme, The Clink offers prisoners the opportunity to train as chefs and front of house staff and gain nationally recognised qualifications in the process, learning a valuable trade within a true-to-life environment.
With over 50 years’ experience cooking and eating authentic, regional Italian food under his belt, Antonio Carluccio is considered by many within the industry as the “Godfather” of Italian gastronomy.
Over the past year Antonio Carluccio has dedicated a great deal of his time and expertise to The Clink, running training workshops for the prisoners, as well as hosting several fundraising events to increase awareness of the charity and raise much needed funds.
Antonio comments: “To be made a Chef Ambassador of The Clink is a great honour for me and I am extremely proud of the work and progress that has been achieved over the last 12 months. Working closely with the prisoners has been hugely rewarding and I look forward to continuing the training with them throughout 2012.”
The Clink Charity is an innovative programme that works relentlessly towards the rehabilitation of prisoners and towards securing graduates from The Clink full-time employment within the hospitality industry upon their release. The Clink has trained 111 prisoners since opening in 2009, 26 of which have been released with 22 currently in full-time employment and just two reoffending ‒ there is no doubt that the unique training scheme is instrumental in the reintegration of prisoners that train under the direction of its mentors.
Chris Moore, Chief Executive of The Clink says: “To have such a highly regarded chef with so much valuable knowledge of the industry, as Antonio has, is of huge benefit to the prisoners learning and development. It is a delight to welcome him as a chef ambassador for the coming three years and we all look forward to what is set to be another successful year.”
An exceptional network of dedicated organisations and devoted individuals contribute a huge amount of time and effort towards running and maintaining The Clink. This invaluable support ensures The Clink is able to continue to offer prisoners the chance to gain food preparation, food service and cleaning qualifications as well as practical experience within the hospitality industry.
Visit www.theclinkcharity.com for further information, or contact Chris Moore, Chief Executive, The Clink Charity, on 0207 147 6728