Make Your Mark Blog

The Steakhouse Team have been very impressed by the food at this years EW events. There’s something about the spread laid on by an event that speaks volumes.

The week was kick-started by The Big Debate –Can Entrepreneurs Change The World? Upon arrival we were treated to some lovely bowl food – bangers and mash, mushroom tagine and salads. It was all delicious and, appropriately, being bowl food, allowed us to eat and debate simultaneously.

I met the lovely Priya Lakhani from Masala Masala (www.masalamasala.co.uk ) and she has sold me on her new range of Curry Sauces – they are on sale in Harvey Nicks now! Evidence that those two passions – food and enterprise can be combined. Just don’t mention Lloyd Grossman to her. Whilst Grossman enterprisingly used his well known brand to sell curry products, Priya used her authenticity and fresh produce to corner the high end market, proof that even in a crowded market niches can be forged.

Priya was also a big fan of the food at the fabulous Enterprising Young Brits Launch (Thanks for organising that Eimar). The food supplied by The Happy kitchen (www.happykitchen.org.uk) was locally sourced, organic AND vegan. Basically healthy and ethical – like the speakers at the event; Ben Keene and the Bosanquet siblings both proved that sustainable businesses can work, and that obstacles can be overcome. We particularly enjoyed the ‘Nut Cheese’, artichoke soup and pizzas with pesto (tomatoes are out of season…).

NUT CHEESE – yes anything is possible!

So far the use of food has been inspirational, and always fitting for an event. Food is often used as a metaphor for culture (think curry and multiculturalism, the Sunday Lunch and family and McDonalds and globalisation). The examples so far prove that food and business can work in synergy.

However, at this afternoons Backstage Pass event, where young music students networked with industry experts – the conversations were so good that nobody touched the buffet…clearly the future lies not in cheese sandwiches but with socially responsible culinary entrepreneurs…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 5:40 pm and is filed under Entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Week, The Debate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.