COOK Food once again invited us along for a company experience day at their kitchen in Sittingbourne! It was a great experience for students. We got to hear from a variety of different employees from a variety of different areas within COOK Food.
Students first heard about Procurement and Development from Toney, hearing the cost of the produce, what they do with excess and waste produce as well as product development within COOK. Toney was excellent and honest about the costs of the food and how things have become more expensive, however letting us know that COOK doesn’t change their recipe despite increased costs.
Next followed was a kitchen tour. Their kitchens are incredible. We got to see and hear about how the kitchen operated and how they produce vast amounts of meals from processing raw ingredients to then how they are cooked, who they are cooked by all the way through to the packaging and freezing of the food to go out to their retail stores. It was different to last year as we came on a different day and to see them clean the kitchen and areas they use to prepare the food was fascinating due to the size of the areas they had to clean.
We got to taste their food at lunch as we got to choose a meal from the staff freezer to enjoy.
We heard from Tyler next who discussed community around Cook and how Cook tries to give back to the communities they are in. This is through food donations to events bringing communities together throughout the pandemic or how Cook encourages their individual retail branches to have events happen within store and having Key Performance Indicators around the stores.
Ellie then outlined what the Raw Talent Project was. This is a project aimed to support people who would otherwise struggle to get a good job. This includes those who have been in prison and bringing them back into a community which could support them as well as explaining the process of the Raw Talent Scheme and how recruitment works.
We then heard from Imogen about brand and marketing and how this was maintained across a variety of different methods, including physical and digital media. She outlined how they used their brand to inform their marketing and how that can help form their marketing plan.
Finally, Michael spoke to us about his career and squiggley careers at Cook Food. He shared with us what he did and the roles he has taken within Cook and how he his job has changed throughout his time being at Cook from being a cook to chef to a management position. It was great to see how you could progress within a larger organisation and how Cook supported Michael to where he was to where he is now and what training and support they gave him to upskill him.
Throughout the day you got a real sense that people liked working at Cook and find what they are doing worthwhile. They care about what they are doing in part due to the culture of Cook themselves that Cook cares about their employees. This is in line with their values and culture as a company. This experience day is a unique insight into a great company and how your progression isn’t always linear and can involve side steps and support from your employer.
If you get the opportunity to go next year, go along! See what Cook is all about, especially if you are a Kent Business School Student.
