Al Crisci MBE
Demo: Saturday 2 September, 1pm
Alberto ('Al') left school at 17 and went to Merton College in Oxford for two years to train as a chef, gaining his City & Guilds qualifications in food preparation and food service, before going to Italy to work in Rimini.
When Al returned to the UK, he worked in Michelin star restaurant Mirabelle in London as a commis chef, before he joined the Regent Crest Hotel, also in London, as banqueting head chef for two years. He then went on to set up his own restaurant and wine bar in Croydon which he ran for eight years.
In 1994 Al joined Her Majesty’s Prison High Down in Surrey as a chef working his way up to catering manager. By 1999 he was responsible for serving upwards of 2,000 meals a day. He introduced the NVQ training programme in the prison’s kitchen and set up gourmet lunches several times a year for potential employers to come in and dine, meet the prisoners working and see their culinary potential first-hand.
In 2005, the prison was expanding and Al was asked by the then Governor how he wanted to develop the catering department. This is when the idea of The Clink Restaurant was born.
In May 2009, The Clink Restaurant at HMP High Down officially opened and the following year The Clink Charity was formed. With support of the charity’s chief executive, board of trustees, the hospitality industry and the general public, The Clink Charity operates four prisoner training restaurants, two prison gardens and external event catering service Clink Events. Food is prepared for Clink Events in The Clink’s prison kitchens and served by Clink graduates and young homeless people from likeminded charity Centrepoint at private functions.
As well as being the original concept founder, Al now oversees the operation of Clink Events.
