See, taste, experience, learn, understand – and network. This is what it is all about when Comwell Hotels’ apprentices go on trips to visit some of the suppliers. The aim is to help the apprentices understand the ingredients and develop respect for the journey products take from farm to table.
Every year, the Danish family-owned hotel group Comwell takes its apprentices on trips as part of their training.
Most recently, a group of the hotel group’s apprentice chefs and waiters visited several suppliers and followed the journey of ingredients from the fields and production facilities.
“These trips are important because they give our apprentices an opportunity to see where things come from and learn to understand the ingredients they will be working with in the kitchen. Whether it is fish, cheese, herbs or something else entirely,” says Rasmus Rasmussen, Head of Sustainable Gastronomy at Comwell.
“It gives them a different relationship with the products they use. And particularly when it comes to animals, it is important that they have seen how the animals are kept by the supplier they come from. This means that the apprentices are not simply taking a cut of meat out of the refrigerator; they have actually seen where the meat comes from. It increases their understanding of and respect for the entire production chain.”
The trip offered a wide range of experiences and insights into everyday life at some of Comwell’s suppliers. Among other things, the apprentice chefs and waiters got a close look at fresh ingredients at an early-morning fish auction.
They also visited Dagrofa’s central warehouse, where they had the opportunity to understand the complex logistics involved every time they click “order” at the hotels.
The trip also included sensory experiences, with opportunities to taste a variety of speciality cheeses and explore the craft of cheesemaking.
They visited a herd of cattle grazing in a natural area by the Wadden Sea, which supplies meat to Comwell’s kitchens.
The use of spent coffee grounds was also on the agenda when the group visited Micro Greens. Micro Greens works with Comwell, collecting the hotels’ spent coffee grounds and reusing them to grow microgreens. The company is also behind the small mushroom colonies that guests can see in the restaurants at several Comwell hotels.
For the apprentices, the trip provided both valuable professional learning and closer connections with colleagues across the country.
“A trip like this gives us a better insight into our partners’ day-to-day work. We gain an understanding of how the whole chain fits together and what it takes for each company or individual to deliver the high standard they do. It also means that we can tell guests interesting stories because we have been there ourselves, making it a personal account rather than something rehearsed,” says Anne Kathrine Dueholm, an apprentice chef at Comwell Roskilde.
However, new knowledge about suppliers’ work and the journey of ingredients from farm to plate is not the only thing the apprentices take away from these intensive days on the road.
Building a network and connecting with other apprentices in the hotel group is also important.
“I am so happy that I had the opportunity to meet the other chefs, managers and apprentices from the other hotels. It really feels as though Comwell is one big family, and it is a really lovely place to be, especially as an apprentice,” says Vasilisa Grigoryeva, an apprentice chef at Comwell Copenhagen Portside.
Comwell’s next apprentice trip will take place later in the year, when apprentice receptionists and MeetingDesign apprentices will go on a trip together.
About Comwell Hotels
Comwell is a Danish family-owned, nationwide hotel chain with hotels throughout Denmark, as well as ODEON in Odense and Centralværkstedet in Aarhus. For over 55 years, Comwell has been operating meeting and conference hotels and has won numerous awards over the years for its meeting, service and dining concepts.
Comwell was the first to introduce Danes to the modern meeting package back in 1969. Today, this remains Comwell’s core business. Comwell also caters for training and course programmes, workshops, job interviews, board meetings, exhibitions and events, and has over 2,500 rooms and 320 meeting and conference rooms at its disposal.
The three-year project, supported by Plantefonden, is now well under way. Chefs from Comwell Hotels and Coor have just embarked on a series of masterclasses and visits to producers, where knowledge-sharing and an interest in Danish produce take centre stage.
Eight event coordinator and receptionist trainees from Comwell have been on a joint trainee trip to gain fresh inspiration for their day-to-day work and build strong relationships across the hotels.
The message that Comwell is keen to include more green dishes on its menu was certainly emphasised at Madens Folkemøde, and with plenty of visitors, tastings, lively discussions, debates and workshops, Comwell’s participation in the event was a great success.
