CASE STUDIES The
Devonshire Dome
Iconic venue turns ‘diffi cult environment’ into training, event and fi ne dining kitchen.
T
he Devonshire Dome is one of Buxton’s most iconic buildings. The vast space is the biggest unsupported dome in Europe and was built in 1779 by the fi fth Duke of Devonshire. Its original purpose was as a grand stable block and later it was converted into a hospital. It is now part of the University of Derby, housing the Buxton Campus. The students here study culinary arts, as well as event, hospitality and spa management. The Dome remains open to the public as a multi-purpose catering site, including a café, fi ne dining restaurant, and a banqueting facility for up to 1,000 covers. Plus there are two student dining outlets and the site also caters for lecturers and senior management. Much of the catering operation is staff ed by students.
Recently The Dome made major changes to its catering operation, building a new kitchen and refurbishing an older one. Both new facilities are designed around prime cooking appliances from Falcon and refrigeration from Williams. Richard Greensmith is operations manager at the University of Derby Buxton campus. “When we’re buying catering equipment for students we are looking to prepare them for the workplace,” he says. “We need to train them for any eventuality – from the basic to the Michelin Star.” There’s a need to make sure the equipment is robust, easy to use and easy to clean. “Being used by students, it’ll need to take the knocks and scrapes that a normal operation wouldn’t give it,” says Mr Greensmith. “Plus, all the equipment gets very heavily used when we have one of our big functions.” All of the refrigeration in the new kitchen is from Williams. The brand is also prominent in the refurbished kitchen, and in the serveries in the cafés and dining areas inside The Dome. Alongside counters and undercounter cabinets, the site also has a coldroom and a blast chiller, both of which are roll-in units, and a reach-in blast chiller.
A key issue with the new kitchen is that it is housed in what had been a café, with awkward walls and fl oors. “For example, with the roll-in blast chiller and the cold room, what we needed was a system that could be built with a very low threshold, so that we could wheel in the plated meals on the trolleys,” says Mr Greensmith. Despite the restrictions, the two units make maximum use of the available space. The coldroom measures 400cm x 325cm and the roll-in blast chiller, model WMBC120, is 167cm x 125cm. Similarly, there is a variety of diff erent Williams counter and under counter fridges and freezers in the kitchen, to allow The Dome to maximise the amount of storage. They include eight Jade two-door counters in varying formats, including biscuit top units (designed to fi t below a fi tted worktop)
22 May 2018
www.acr-news.com
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