The Kenwood Chef, is being celebrated at the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre in Havant this month.
The pioneering kitchen appliance, the Kenwood Chef, is being celebrated at the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre in Havant this month, as part of the Being Human Festival of Humanities, the UK's national festival of the humanities.
‘Putting on a Show with the Kenwood Chef’ will see a vintage 1960s model brought to life using an original Kenwood demonstrator’s script from archives at the Science Museum London.. The free performances will explore how the company sold their kitchen appliances to consumers.
The first event on Friday 11 November is a workshop run by University of Portsmouth researcher Alice Naylor, where ex-Kenwood demonstrators and salespeople will share their stories. Members of the public are invited to come along and reminisce about their own Kenwood appliances.
The drama students will then re-create a Kenwood selling demonstration at the Spring on Friday 18 November, where you can drop in to see the finished performances throughout the day and discover what was special about the ‘theatre’ of selling Kenwood.
Havant is the spiritual home of the Kenwood Chef. Kenwood moved its entire operation from Woking to Havant in 1962 and has been a major employer in the town ever since
Alice Naylor, a PhD student in the University’s Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries is writing her thesis on the design, mediation and consumption of Kenwood kitchen appliances. She said: “Havant is the spiritual home of the Kenwood Chef. Kenwood moved its entire operation from Woking to Havant in 1962 and has been a major employer in the town ever since. We’re really excited to explore this important aspect of the town and the region’s history.
“Did you have a Kenwood Chef in your family home? And what was special about selling them in front of an audience? We’d love to hear your stories and look forward to welcoming you along to the Spring.”
If you are a former Kenwood employee or you owned a Kenwood Chef and would like to share your stories, please contact Alice Naylor at alice.naylor@sciencemuseum.ac.uk or on 07904 106 905.
Tickets to both events are free but you need to book in advance from the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre on their website or by calling 023 9247 2700