This week, Café Sunlight has launched a Medway-wide competition to find the best family recipes for their upcoming Autumn menu.

The winning recipe will be featured on Café Sunlight’s Autumn menu between September and December 2011 and the winner will receive a free lunch for two, once a week for until December 22.

The competition will be open until 16 September, with a short-list event featuring the finalists and a tasting session on 21 September. The winning dish will appear on Café Sunlight menus from 20 September. An entry form is available here or can picked up from Café Sunlight Gillingham on Richmond Road.

Café Sunlight has appointed two new sous chefs to join our team. Jane Baker joins us from a large scale commercial kitchen operation in North Kent and will be based at our training kitchen at Gun Wharf, Chatham. Jane has taken particular responsibility for supplying excellent homemade cakes to the network. Ricki Bullas has worked at many of London’s top hotels and restaurants and, more recently, was head chef at a gastropub in Faversham. Ricki will be mostly based at our community café in Gillingham.

This week, RBLI launched their new strategy document. Café Sunlight provided the canapés and drinks. We served canapés rich in locally sourced ingredients for 250 guests at the VIP launch and a hearty evening meal for the military band. At the reception afterwards, we provided drinks for 600 guests including local ales, European wines and Kentish apple juice.

“Despite the challenges with which we presented them, the team was patient, attentive and extremely professional.” Liz Rickaby, RBLI

Café Sunlight has been selected as the preferred supplier to develop a venture with Affinity Sutton, a national housing association that provides over 55000 homes. This venture will supply catering to Affinity Sutton’s London Bridge headquarters from a base in Mottingham, south London. The business will provide training and learning opportunities for local residents in the area. Join our mailing list for more information as this project develops.

At the Charity Bank Annual General meeting, held this year at the prestigious LSO building in London, Café Sunlight provided a fork buffet for 150 delegates followed by canapés for their evening reception.

This week, Café Sunlight were delighted to provide catering for the Social Enterprise Awards.

These awards formed part of Voice11 – the UK’s biggest social enterprise event which welcomed over 1300 delegates. This high profile awards presentation was held at the 02 in London and Café Sunlight provided the drinks, canapés and bowl food for the reception that followed. We catered for 650 guests and provided a menu based on local, seasonal food.

“You did a great job… Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved.” Mamoona Shah, Social Enterprise UK