Tel: 0161 222 7900 | Email: info@tastehospitality.com

Meet Your Team

We are Caroline, Lauren, Sophie, Kirsty and Dominic!
Get to know us. We are not salesy or corporate just nice people working hard for you.

Caroline Wright, Managing Director at Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd

Meet Caroline – the front of house hands-on boss and also known as ‘the one with the pink hair!’ Caroline will never cut corners and will always tell it as it is. She likes to laugh a lot and sings for most of the day (which is unfortunate for the rest of the team).

Caroline, who previously worked in corporate hospitality and also managed a hospitality recruitment company threw herself in at the deep end launching Taste Hospitality during the recession of 2008 with everything against her. She was not able to work with clients from 4 or 5 Star hotels or any restaurants with AA Rosettes or Michelin Stars for the first six months due to loyalty to her previous company. It was her hospitality relationships and a sheer determination to succeed that won through.

‘My older brother and I grew up in North Manchester. My mum was a part-time secretary. We didn’t have much money but we had a lot of love. I had a dog called Bilbo Baggins and a cat called Tom. I was the one making mud pies and would come home filthy with one sock up and one sock down. Holidays were at Pontins in Middleton Towers in Morecombe, family time with my grandma in tow.’

Caroline@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Vintage clothes and Vivienne Westwood.

Hates: Dishonesty.

Favourite drink: Crisp dry white wine, especially on a hot sunny day.

Biggest achievement: Taste Hospitality.

Most cringe worthy experience: The list is endless, I’m a bit like Bridget Jones.

Lauren Hulbert - Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd

Meet Lauren – Caroline’s right hand woman!! Some of her duties include selecting CV’s suitable for jobs on a day-to-day basis and stepping into the boss’s shoes in her absence.

Lauren has worked for Caroline for 7 years but their relationship goes back further as she was Caroline’s former trusted beauty therapist when Lauren moved to Bury. Previous to this Lauren worked in a restaurant for 7 years.

She likes things to be organised. Good job as she is the office manager! And she literally has done it all including running the fast paced Front of House desk.

‘Despite running my own salon aged 19 in Ripon, North Yorkshire, beauty therapy was not for me. Whilst Caroline had my undivided attention applying a fake eyelash, she asked me to work for her. I had never considered office work but I have definitely found my forte.’

Lauren@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Eating out, it’s all about the atmosphere and experience.

Hates: Rats! They ‘creep me out’ despite never having had one near me.

Favourite drink: Gin n Tonic (especially on a Friday night) Tanqueray 10 is a current favourite.

Favourite Food: Tapas.

Most cringe worthy experience: Ringing the local take away and instead of ordering food I had my work head on and asked to be put through to the kitchen!!

Sophie Riches - Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd

Meet Sophie – the Chief on the Chefs’ Desk – known to be a little feisty (which is a definite asset for this desk).

Sophie has grown up hanging out in the hospitality industry. She rises to the challenge of matching ‘sometimes’ demanding chefs with the exact requirements to find them their perfect job.

‘My mum was a waitress working in posh restaurants and my dad a sommelier. Finding childcare during the school holidays was difficult so my parents took my brother and me to work with them. I used to hang out in the kitchen and sneak chocolate mints out of the cupboard and eat them under the table or the chef would let me taste something.

Sophie@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Peas! I will even eat them straight out of the freezer.

Hates: Any kind of nastiness.

Favourite food: My mum’s Shepherd’s Pie.

Favourite drink: Gin and Tonic.

Biggest achievement: Eating lightly fried crunchy maggots in Vietnam.

Most cringe worthy experience: Too many to count!

Would most like to meet: The Spice Girls.

Kirtsy Thomas - Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd

Meet Kirsty Hanley – the front of house extraordinaire who you can torture with spiders!

Kirsty has cut her teeth working on the shop floor so to speak. She classes her biggest achievement as working as part of a team to secure a Michelin Star at the Samling Hotel, Ambleside.

“It was a hard eight month slog to get that Star. We were a close knit team.”

“I still remember the nerves. We stayed up all night, switched on the computer at 6.55am to see if we had succeeded. This was in the days when Michelin announced the Stars online at 7am.”

Kirsty can definitely relate to the positions she is trying to fill; She studied leadership and supervision and professional cookery at Kendal College and has worked the circuit of prestigious hotels and restaurants from Linthwaite House Hotel to 1 Michelin Star Moor Hall.

Kirsty has been hands on working with small teams, so understands the trials and tribulations affecting those wanting to do well in the industry.

“It’s a lot of hard work with a lot of bumps along the way. But you really have to push on because the rewards will come at the end.” Kirsty has recently got married and the honeymoon was a trip to the airport to see what flights they can jump on as an adventure. That pretty much sums her up. Not afraid to jump in at the deep end.

Kirsty@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Japanese food, especially dragon rolls.

Hates: Spiders. She has been known to run off screaming!

Favourite food: Sushi.

Favourite drink: Jinzu gin with tonic.

Biggest achievement:Being part of the team to gain the Michelin Star at The Samling Hotel.

Most cringe worthy experience: Dropping a full tray of Champagne glasses filled with Champagne, just before the Bride and Groom were about to walk out of their Ceremony – this was when I was 18 and just starting out… not a habit I stuck with!

Dominic Murphy - Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd

Meet Dominic – Social media and admin extraordinaire. Dominic is in charge of many tasks including raising invoices and chasing payments. He is also Taste Hospitality Recruitments’ dedicated right hand man to serve candidates. He will proactively work on finding a job rather than putting candidates into a job that we have already got. He leaves no stone unturned in contacting clients in your targeted area, and that also means our clients will never miss out on a good person.

‘I’m the only man in the office – Barney doesn’t count. I spent four years working in the NHS medical records department before entering the hospitality recruitment. It has turned me into a jack of all trades responding to the fast moving pace of the industry. It also gives me the chance to use my creative side, especially as I am in charge of the social media. When I am not working I can be found sampling cuisine in restaurants (all for research purposes you understand), playing the guitar or listening to music.’

Dominic@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Stone Roses or Arctic Monkeys…Northern Indie music basically. Well, I am from Lancashire!

Hates: There is not much that I do hate. Wait. That’s nonsense. I am always whinging about something. My pet hate would be arrogant people…the worst trait in a person.

Favourite food: As a child I was mad about dry pasta, piled high. I still love pasta but I have progressed to putting a sauce on it.

Favourite drink: Anything alcoholic but if you put a gun to my head to really drill it down its deep, red heavy on the palate wine…Rioja basically.

Biggest achievement: Passing my degree in politics from Lancaster University.

Barney the dog - Taste Hospitality Recruitment Limited

Meet Barney – Our bouncy pointerdor!! He likes a good cuddle and getting in the way of computer screens, as he thinks he’s the size of a chihuahua (he’s not). Barney is a valued member of the team and is in charge of keeping us all on our toes and keeps us smiling.

Barney@tastehospitality.com

Loves: Earle, Sophie’s cat.

Hates: Being ignored.

Favourite food: Olives (yes I know, I’m a bit strange).

Favourite toy: Anything that squeaks, especially if someone is on the phone.

Likes to dream about: Earle, Sophie’s cat.

Registered Office:

Taste Hospitality Recruitment Ltd.
8 Tenterden Street
Bury
BL9 0EG

Tel: 0161 222 7900
Email: info@tastehospitality.com

Company Registration Number: 06694061
VAT Number: 939 6931 67

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