Local Food Heroes - Stephen Wheeler speaks to Rob Rees MBE

Rob Rees MBE is one of those people you meet and wonder “where do they get their energy?” Rob travels the world advising public bodies on such things as school meal provision, writes magazine columns on food, sits on government committees, campaigns on food issues, acts as a Gloucestershire food ambassador, gives cookery demonstrations, works for charity – and cultivates his allotment ! One full-time job, being a parent, and mowing the lawn at the weekends is quite enough for most of us!

Rob’s most recent project has been to launch his own charity brainchild - the Wiggly Worm. “The Wiggly Worm helps young people excluded from school, through working with food,” Rob told me. “The youngsters we help are not just those who’ve been expelled, but also bullied children who’ve excluded themselves and young people for whom truancy has become a way of life. Through creative and challenging work with food, we raise their self-esteem, help them find a purpose and improve their employability. We use volunteer ‘coaches’ from local businesses such as Creed Foodservice to mentor them in life skills; whether it’s finding further education, a part-time job, or just coping with life.

Rob learnt his craft as a chef with the Roux brothers at the exclusive Le Gavroche restaurant in London, then via the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath to luxury hotels in the Caribbean. Still in his twenties, Rob opened his own restaurant in Painswick, which he ran for six years. “I was working so hard, I was losing my passion for food. That was the time to exit,” said Rob. “I saw a government job advertised with the School Food Trust. I was offered the post – and was by far the youngest on the board; it was the start of my ‘public’ career.”

So how does Rob see the future for catering and food supply? “The bistro is coming back. Simple, tasty, inexpensive, short menus. People want to eat out, but for it not to cost a fortune. Long term, I’m concerned about food poverty and malnutrition – not just in developing countries. With population growth, and climate change some foods are going to become prohibitively expensive. Governments need to think creatively about how they’re going to feed everyone.” Part of the answer must be support of our local food producers.

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23rd January 2010

Rob Rees MBE

Rob Rees