This article appeared in the Blackburn Rovers programme

This time around, we get a taste of how Cris Silva, General Catering Manager, and his team design and deliver all the food and drink offerings at the club – not just at Kenilworth Road on match days, but also at the Brache for the First Team and Academy and at away games - and how plans are already being developed and trialled for the big move to Power Court.

Thanks for talking to us Cris (Cristhiano but everyone knows him as Cris!) – first of all, please tell us about yourself and how you’ve come to be at Luton.

I was born and raised in Southeast Brazil in an area called Minas Gerais, where I lived until I was 18. I decided I wanted to move to England, where my cousin Carlos, was living, to study Wireless Network Management. But I didn’t speak any English and my cousin said the best way to learn was to work in a pub, so I got a job, found I liked it, learned about cocktails, wines and started to do private events. That was in Warwick Avenue, and I was soon working for the MCC at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which I loved. I met my wife there, also from Brazil, stayed for 10 years and thought I’d be there for the rest of my working life.

In 2017, at a leaving do, I was talking to Simon Gibb, who had moved to Luton Town as Finance Director and he asked me if I could help him with a bit of catering consultancy at the club. It’s always good to try new things and extend your knowledge so I went to a game to observe the operation and straight away saw things I thought could be done better. I also went into the John Moore Lounge, with all the cups and record boards and history – and loved it! I gave some advice about how the staff could be trained to work faster and more efficiently – like we did at Lord’s, Twickenham, Silverstone, Festivals, fast-moving and demanding catering environments. Despite never intending to leave Lord’s I ended up spending more and more time at Luton. There was so much that we could improve together. I asked Simon about priorities and I was challenged to improve and focus on public areas, to begin with. Within three or four games we had doubled revenues in some of the units, not by changing products or prices, but by being more efficient. It’s good for everyone. I wasn’t looking to move but couldn’t resist Luton and joined the club in February 2018, for an undisclosed fee!

How did you go about improving things?

I hit the ground running. There was naturally some resistance to change – from staff and supporters, but Gary Sweet and the board were very supportive and we spoke about plans. We’re committed to quality, and to delivering the best fan experience we can, from improving the products we offer, both in hospitality and the kiosks, to working closely with the Operational Team to solve problems like queuing and the flow of people on the concourses. We all love Kenilworth Road, but it’s a challenging environment too. Speak to Peter Kemp, our Site & Facilities Manager and he will tell you – we can’t just add lots of facilities and extra equipment, so we’ve been creative in developing solutions, with huge changes coming from our Premier League time, for instance. It’s a lot about people too. Though I’m very practical and hands on, people management is my main role. The club believe, as I do, in developing people and giving them an opportunity. It’s a big thing at Luton. So I didn’t bring outside people in, contacts from Lord’s and so on, I talked to my team and we agreed to hired people based on attitude – people wanting to learn, to work hard – not with previous catering experience.

I want to tell you about Sean. When the head chef Alex and I were looking for an apprentice chef, Sean’s name came up several times. He was 16yo when he joined the Catering Team in 2018, serving in one of the kiosks. Everyone loved his attitude, but he couldn’t even fry an egg! We put him through tough training, starting as a kitchen porter, chopping vegetables, then starting to cook, college – and he’s now 23 year old and the first team chef. The players and coaching staff like him, he gets things done, and nothing will divert him from his priorities. He also travels with the team and manages requirements at away games. He’s just one of the many success stories from giving people a chance. On a match day there are up to 140 catering staff and around 80% will be from Luton and the area. 60% are Luton fans. That’s another major value at the club, a commitment to local communities. We give almost everyone we interview a chance to prove themselves.

How does supporting local communities work?

In lots of ways. Not just employing local young people but in choosing suppliers and partners. In the hospitality areas, you’ll find local products. Our sausages, for instance, made to a recipe designed by us jointly with our local butcher, similar to Bedfordshire bangers. You won’t get those anywhere else. We have also hosted the Unity Iftar, led by Nas, club secretary and well supported by the Board. Several times we have assisted with kids meals supporting the Community Trust programs. And the Kenny Henny, Norm’s Caribbean Shack, Really Awesome Coffee, Leighton Buzzard and Kelchner Beers. All local people, and part of our journey as we prepare for Power Court.

Before we move on to preps for Power Court, tell us about how you work with the players and at The Brache.

As we moved quickly up the leagues, how we cater for players developed – helped along by the building up of the Brache. Our values and processes are the same, but the higher up we are, the higher the levels of professionalism and performance become. We now have two catering teams working under the same umbrella, not just one doing it all. At the Brache, Alex Herbert, Head Chef, Russel, Sean, Matt, Kamil and Rob Peters. At the stadium Marcin Maksymiak, Sous Chef, covers hospitality, events and staff feeding, Rob Collett, deputy catering manager, Nathan, Tina and Simon, with me leading as General Catering Manager. A few years ago there were just four of us, so you can see how it has grown and I’d like to thank all of the team. Brilliant people, working brilliantly together.

As for the players, we feed them with breakfast, lunch and snacks and we do almost everything in house, from freshly cooked food to our own protein bars and shots. We work closely with a consultant nutritionist, Rhoys Wiggins, to develop perfectly balanced diets that address specific needs like recovery, with micronutrients and proteins, to individual diets based on several aspects, weight, body fats, etc. He’s the link from medical meetings to the chefs - we’re translating technical requirements to practical solutions. Making meals both appealing and spot on nutritionally is important, keeping the players happy and giving them choice. Some ask us to show them how to cook various dishes at home, and we help educate the academy and development players in cooking and the importance of professional athlete’s diet too.

So, what are your team doing now to prepare for the future?

We’re combining enhancing the fan experience at Kenilworth Road with trialling services and concepts. Click and Collect is one of these services, to reduce queueing we’re experimenting with a service to seats with a QR code trial in a small part of the Bobber’s. And along with Chris Bell and the Commercial Team, looking at how we can improve hospitality offering, we are currently trying a live cooking station in the Studio. During PL days, the TV pundits developed a real appetite for some of Kenilworth Road’s unique offerings – especially Norm’s and the Kenny Henny. And we want to bring a flavour of what makes Luton Town so special to the new ground too, so we’re working hard at that.

Thanks to Cris for his insights into how he keeps us all fed and watered. There’s so much more he talked to us about, and we’re hoping to share more in the future. Like how to incorporate beetroot into the diets of people who don’t like the taste! Anyhow, we’ve all got an appetite for victory today, so let’s sing loud and long and hope that 3 points are on the menu!