In this Served. panel talk, we sat down with two experts who work both the kitchen and the campaign trail: Luke Consiglio, CEO of The Pantry UK Ltd and a director on the national board of The School Food People, and Bryan Lygate, Chief Operating Officer of Impact Food Group (which feeds over 1,700 schools and colleges across England) and vice chair of The School Food People.

In this Served. panel talk, we sat down with two experts who know both sides of the table: Graeme Smith, Corporate finance specialist at AlixPartners, and Ruston Toms FIH, Co-Founder and Former Director of Blue Apple Workplace Catering , who sold his business to CH&CO which then got acquired by Compass Group.

To dive deeper into this, we spoke with three experienced consultants in the industry - people who’ve sat through hundreds of tender presentations, advised some of the world’s biggest clients across both the U.S., UK, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and know exactly why some bids stand out while others fall flat.

Food waste in contract catering doesn’t start in the kitchen. It starts with decisions made long before service.

Menus are planned. Volumes are padded. Safety margins become the norm. The result is one of the most expensive and persistent problems in foodservice.

Each year, around 1.05 billion tonnes of food, nearly 20% of global production, is wasted (source: link). In European contract catering, foodservice operators have already achieved roughly 25% waste reduction, proving that food waste is not inevitable, but a result of how systems are designed (source: link).

In this episode of Served., Peter Baech, CEO and Co-founder of Kanpla, is joined by Vojtech Vegh, Anti-Food Waste Chef, Author, Speaker, Zero-Waste Plant-Based Chef at Surplus Food Studio, and Zero-Waste Culinary Advisor at Winnow.

Drawing on more than 15 years of experience across professional kitchens and multi-site contract catering, Vojtech explains why food waste is rarely an operational failure. It’s a leadership decision.

Founded in 2019, Houston & Hawkes has become known for its people-first culture, independent ownership, and B Corp certification - all achieved while navigating a global pandemic.

“If you don’t put your hand up, you’ll never be recognised.” - Catharine Barras.

In episode 8 of Served., we sat down with Catharine Barras, Global COO for Strategic Accounts at Sodexo, to explore her leadership journey across continents and companies.

We cover:

• Her rise from bar shifts to boardrooms

• The reality of being a female exec in a male-dominated industry

• Global vs local catering models

• How tech, AI, and dark kitchens are reshaping corporate food service

• And what 2035 might look like for the next generation of eaters, chefs, and clients

Insightful, grounded, and refreshingly forward-looking - this episode is a must-read (and must-watch).

I recently had the chance to sit down with Bill for a conversation about leadership, growth, and what it takes to build a powerhouse in the contract catering space. His insights are gold for anyone looking to scale their business or make a name in hospitality.

From what great service really means to balancing tech and human touch, Tony makes one thing clear: if you want better customer experiences, you have to start with your people.

One of the key questions to ask: How will the future of work look like? And how will this affect workplace catering?

To dive into this theme, we have had the pleasure of sitting down with Henrik Jarleskog, who is the Head of Future of Work at Sodexo A/S.

Henrik’s journey into the Future of Work began five years ago when Sodexo's CEO recognized that the pandemic would permanently alter the workplace. Rather than simply reacting, Sodexo sought to lead the conversation by researching and educating the market to better understand what was coming.

Some operators moved forward. Others stood still. And a few quietly fell behind.

As 2026 begins, the gap between front-runners and everyone else is widening - driven by data & AI, consolidation, experience design, and a growing demand for transparency.

To understand what really changed in 2025 - and what will actually matter in 2026 - we brought together three leaders with a front-row seat to the industry:

• Peter Baech, Co-founder and CEO, Kanpla

• Simon Elliot, Co-founder and Managing Partner, 4xi Global Consulting

• Chris Stern, Founder & Managing Director, Stern Consultancy Ltd

Hosted by Toby Bonnett, the conversation cuts through the noise to examine what actually shifted in 2025 - and what will separate the front-runners from the rest in 2026.

Eline Henriksen caught up with Gina Camfield , Head of ESG at Aramark UK & Global Offshore, to find out what it really looks like when sustainability is part of the business model. From cutting food waste across hundreds of kitchens to turning social impact into measurable value, this is ESG with substance, not slogans.

Asia is the fastest-growing market for Contract Catering, with expectations for continued expansion in the coming years. The demand for workplace dining solutions is increasing rapidly, driven by economic growth, urbanization, and a strong emphasis on food culture across the region.

From the growing focus on workplace dining to the role of technology and sustainability, our conversation covered the differences between Europe and Asia-Pacific, the future of catering, and what it takes to build a strong career in this business.