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Understanding that, especially in the offshore industry, the physical and indeed psychological wellbeing of any staff member begins with a suitably well balanced diet there is one company in Trinidad and Tobago that has garnered this niche industry and provided a peerless level of quality and service. Jack Slater of Endeavour Magazine had the chance to speak with General Manager of Allied Caterers Trinidad, Gillian Huggins. WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL AN ARMY MARCHES ON ITS STOMACH www.lilegatepublishing.com ALLIED CATERERS 001 868 669 0329 WWW.ALLIEDCATERERSTT.COM
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Allied Caterers

Jul 21, 2016

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Page 1: Allied Caterers

Understanding that, especially in the offshore industry, the physical and indeed psychological wellbeing of any staff member begins with a suitably well balanced diet there is one company in Trinidad and Tobago that has garnered this niche industry and provided a peerless level of quality and service. Jack Slater of Endeavour Magazine had the chance to speak with General Manager of Allied Caterers Trinidad, Gillian Huggins.

WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL

AN ARMY MARCHES ON ITS STOMACH

www.littlegatepublishing.com

ALLIED CATERERS001 868 669 0329

WWW.ALLIEDCATERERSTT.COM

Page 2: Allied Caterers

ALLIED CATERERS

“Our company is well known for high quality and full service catering,” Gillian tells us, “We pride ourselves on providing, to our clients, a culinary experience that is

second to none.”Gillian Huggins, General Manager of Trinidad comes with

23 years of experience in progressively challenging positions from administration through to organisational and business development and finance and accounting in commercial, industrial and state enterprises. Her specific areas of expertise include operations review and analysis, review and analysis of work flows and procedures and development of business and strategic plans.

Approaching her work with a keen strategic mindset, she has experience in three main areas of the food industry; flavour manufacturing, snack manufacturing and catering services.

“I have a passion for catering and event management,” she reveals, “Over the years I’ve been blessed to be able to work in varied and diverse scenarios and have learned a great deal.”

Holding a BSC (Hons) in Industrial Management from the university of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Gillian, who is also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a woman with a great deal of determination and set to lead by example.

In India she underwent intensive training at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute, both on a macro and micro scale, before joining Allied Caterers TT in 2008 as Financial Controller. Promoted to General manager in 2011, she is recognised as a valuable asset

The Carribeans’ BEST Burger Patties

Vasha Foods Limited#640 John Persad Trace, Freeportwww.vashafoods.comTel: 673-6868 / 7083, Fax: 673-1550

ALLIED CATERERS

With over 35 years in business, Allied Caterers Ltd, Trinidad’s premier industrial and events caterer, has grown with their industry working at a pace to keep ahead of the competition and make full use of their experienced and well trained staff. Services on offer range from supplying airlines, as well as the offshore industry.

Vasha’s Foods Limited is primarily involved in the manufacture of burger patties as well as a major food service distributor. Other product lines of the food service distribution center include Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Yogurt and numerous other frozen food items. Vasha’s Foods Limited has its warehouse complex located at John Persad Road in Freeport. The warehouse facility comprises of 30,000 Sq feet which sits on 5 Acres of Freehold land

Page 3: Allied Caterers

The Carribeans’ BEST Burger Patties

Vasha Foods Limited#640 John Persad Trace, Freeportwww.vashafoods.comTel: 673-6868 / 7083, Fax: 673-1550

Page 4: Allied Caterers

ALLIED CATERERS

with a reputation for getting results that not only meet the high standards of the company, but surpasses them.

“I have a passion for giving back,” Gillian reveals, “If you’re going to succeed you have to exceed the expectations.”

THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY“The industry is competitive at the moment,” Gillian tells us,

“But we do have the edge. It takes a great deal of coordination, planning and logistical activity. We ensure a high quality of service by adhering to our strict policies and standards that permeate all sectors of our business, including the airlines and the offshore business.”

“Two primary examples, if we were to look at the airline industry is how the menu is cycled every three months, with food needing to be of a high standard, while still falling within the load (weight/specification) required for the aircraft. United Airlines audits us every month to ensure strict adherence to every step of the food preparation, through to delivery on board the aircraft.”

“Offshore is a completely different scenario, as we’re not catering for passengers but for people who live there. Their needs are completely different. They need healthy, well-balanced meals,

so we consistently provide them with a menu, submitted a month in advance to be approved by the offshore installation managers.”

Allied Caterers also offer hospitality services to the offshore industry. Keeping the rooms, bed sheets and furnishings clean for those living there. Offshore work has a reputation for involving long grueling hours in, often, unsavoury conditions, so a price cannot be put on the psychological impact of coming back to a clean room with fresh bed linen.

The continuous push to establish footholds in applicable areas of their industry, ie. catering, hospitality and event management has benefitted Allied Caterers greatly. They have an established monopoly on the flights coming in to Trinidad and are the preferred service provider for offshore oil production platforms in their region. With clients including BPTT, Repsol YPF, BHP Billiton, British Gas Trinidad and the National Gas Company.

STAFFThe impressive and flawless reputation of Allied Caterers, and

the strength of their name, would not be possible if not for their staff.Of the 400 plus employees who work with Gillian, either at their plant

in Trinidad or in the kitchens on the offshore rigs, each one is provided with all the tools they need to develop themselves professionally.

ALLIED CATERERS

Excellent fresh and frozen seafood for the United States of America, Canada and the Caribbean from our HACCP certified processing plant

www.seafoodstt.com

Page 5: Allied Caterers

“We see employees as our most valuable asset,” Gillian explains, “I work with people. I’ve seen how so many people, be they entrepreneurs or our staff, possess the diligence, the drive and ambition to succeed but lack the guidance. I wanted to ensure we provided them that.”

A training matrix has been put in place to keep the staff up to scratch and as Allied Caterers is part of the Goddard Catering Group and, by extension, Goddard Enterprises Ltd., employees benefit from promotion, career development and mobility not only within Allied Caterers LTD but also within the group.

“We place a high value on experience,” Gillian Huggins.

ACCOUNTABILITY.Everything that Allied Caterers Ltd does is audited and

thoroughly checked over and unlike many companies, they are entirely focused on the quality and standard of their products, preferring to have a reputation for that than one of market dominance.

“Nothing is perfect,” Gillian reminds us, “But if even little accidents are allowed then they can quickly accumulate into major issues if you’re not accountable enough to fix it at the start. Our quality and safety managers work closely not only with our customers but also with our staff, to see how things can be

improved and if accidents have happened how best to safeguard against them.”

NEW DEVELOPMENTS 2013Customers demand high quality at the best rates and Allied

Caterers plans to further meet this conundrum through business expansion and strategic alliances that will increase not only their footprint in the market but also their service abilities.

“Business expansion is priority for 2015,” Gillian affirms, “We have a good position in the offshore oil production industry but we are aiming to get into drilling because it would be a plug and play scenario. We believe we can offer a farther reach for this industry and would like to have a solid hold on it, as we have on the airlines.”

Innovations within the food business are also a focus for Gillian this year, as one of the mechanisms for expansion.

“Whenever there is a shutdown at a platform, for maintenance, we fly food in on a daily basis,” she explains, “This is refrigerated to keep it fresh and we have a particular brand of oven that we utilise to reheat the food on the platform. This is all in aid of serving safe meals. Development in this area will be a major factor in the upcoming year.”

“At the core of everything are our quality and standards,” Gillian concludes.