Master chef
Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:30:00 BST
HE has been the official chef for ‘Star Wars’ and cooked in legendary hotels and restaurants. Now Lee Maycock’s latest assignment is to ensure that University of Huddersfield students and staff eat well.
But despite his background, Lee (pictured) will not be aiming to secure Michelin stars for campus cuisine or turn the University’s cafeterias over to fine dining. His mantra is straightforward – fresh, natural food at prices which compete with High Street outlets.
And he pays attention to detail. One of his first assignments was to take part in a sausage tasting session – appraising which out of eight bangers would be the one served up by the University.
Meanwhile, as Lee works to upgrade and improve the menus on offer, his colleague Marina D’Aschia has been looking at front-of-house aspects of campus catering – extended opening hours, reducing queues, upgrading displays and the appraising the range of products on sale.
Students have already noticed changes and provided positive feedback, according to Lee and Marina.
“They have flagged-up issues such as quality and freshness,” he says.
The two experts are consultants for an Oxford-based organisation named the Russell Partnership and have been engaged by the University of Huddersfield on an open-ended contract which will probably allow them to oversee the introduction of all-new catering facilities as part of ambitious redevelopment plans at the University.
For Banbury-born Lee Maycock it is the latest assignment in a career in cooking and catering that has taken him in many directions. There were spells in the kitchens of hotels such as The Ritz and restaurants such as the famous Manoir de Quatre Saisons, run by the legendary Raymond Blanc.
Then came a move to Hollywood and a five-year spell working for producer-director George Lucas, providing on-set catering for entries into the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ series, and serving up meals for the likes of Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman.
The job meant that he followed the filming to no fewer than 31 countries but then he returned to the UK and became a consultant with the Russell Partnership. Huddersfield is the latest in a series of assignments at universities anxious to provide better food and catering facilities.
“They all want to bring the food up-to-date and match what is available in the High Street. That is the challenge,” says Lee. “But it doesn’t always take a huge investment. Sometimes it is just a question of breaking old habits. Simple, fresh, natural food is the answer.”
LEFT: University Catering Services production co-ordinator Spencer King and executive chef Lee Maycock hold a sausage sampling to choose the best for breakfast
