As Seen On TV
In 2011, Michel Roux’s Service! aired on BBC2. This brilliant television series was the result of an idea we had to propel the importance of service and our industry into the spotlight. What a fantastic finale to several years’ hard work!
The dynamic series followed eight young candidates, all new to front-of-house food and beverage service, as they were mentored by Michel Roux Jr of Le Gavroche, Fred Sirieix of Galvins at Windows, and a number of highly-respected industry experts, who went about the task of working with and transforming these complete novices into front-of-house superstars.
A DVD box set of Michel Roux’s Service! specially created for training, is now available from Filmbank Distributors Ltd, and to maximise its training potential, we have produced a complementary training pack to accompany the programme – find out more on our training page.
ABOUT MICHEL ROUX’S SERVICE…
Michel Roux Jr is the son of Albert, who, together with his brother Michel set up Le Gavroche, one of the most enduring and successful Michelin-starred restaurants in London. Michel took over from his father in 1991 and his individual style has helped take Le Gavroche into a new era – serving lighter, more modern versions of the classic French haute cuisine that Le Gavroche has always been famous for serving.
Great service matters almost more to Michel Roux Jr than great food. He believes that waiters and sommeliers are the unsung stars of the restaurant world, their brilliance transforming an ordinary meal into an unforgettable experience.
In this BBC2 series, Michel was on a personal mission to train eight young people, none of whom had previously considered hospitality as a career, to become front-of-house superstars. But this wasn’t just about transforming young people into great waiters, good service involves discipline, care for others and self confidence.
For Michel, learning to serve others means developing essential life skills. Receiving the best training, the eight young people learnt the skills needed to run service in some of Europe’s best restaurants. Michel hoped they would discover that front-of-house service offers a brilliant career.
Ultimately, he selected three to take up life-changing scholarships with placements at leading hotels and restaurants.
The Academy of Food and Wine Service offered these three scholarships as part of several awards and travel bursaries it makes each year to promising candidates in the hospitality industry.
