High Down Prison in Sutton is going to be transformed in to an upscale restaurant run by the prison’s catering manager catering manager Alberto Crisci. The Clink restaurant planned by Crisci is going to be a 100-cover restaurant, staffed by 740 inmates of the prison, who will be serving upscale menu containing delicious fish – John Dory, paupiette of chicken with spinach mousseline, roast turbot with broad beans and pancetta, and lavender mascarpone served with spun sugar and figs marinated in Chianti. But Crisci’s vision is a sign of true civilization and it makes me really happy that it is coming through the culinary sector. No points for guessing, Crisci has trained these prisoners irrespective of the crime they have committed and wants that these prisoners should not be denied a job in the culinary sector once they are out of the prison. Crisci has created that environment in the prison itself where guests might enter through the dark tunnel but will end-up in a beautiful restaurant.
In the first phase of the commencement of The Clink only guests on an invite-only basis will be entertained in the restaurant. The guest list will include people from the food industry, heads of business and other authorities from the culinary sector, the reason for getting only the dignitaries to eat in the restaurant is best explained in the words of Crisci:
I want people who eat at Clink to ask, “Have you got anyone coming out soon?” I want people to hire these guys once they’re released, not ignore them because they’ve got a criminal record.
As far as food is concerned Crisci emphasizes that Clink would be serving fresh food from the prison garden and the food will definitely be healthy. The food will reflect the concept of healthy eating, focusing the perspective of eating nutritious food in relation to a reduction in the rate of crime.
God bless Crisci for his most creative concept and concern for humanity in the real sense of the term. Crisci is one Chef who has not succumbed to the competition in the culinary industry, but actually went beyond his culinary limitations to dare the prisoners to earn a more than dignified living in the food industry. Chef Crisci reminds me of the cop in one of Bollywood’s Classic: “Two Eyes and Twelve Hands”.
