Dim, dem & dine with Nick Nairn

An extension to Nick Nairn’s Cook School in Port of Menteith, Scotland employs a Studio 3 lighting management system from Eaton MEM to achieve different lighting effects in the reception, dining and cookery demonstration areas. It allows pre-set ‘scenes’ to be selected at the touch of a button for maximum effect in reception, demonstration and dining areas.

Nick Nairn is one of Scotland’s top chefs. He appears regularly on Ready Steady Cook, has hosted three of his own BBC cookery shows and contributes a regular column to Scotland’s Sunday Herald. Nairn’s Cook School offers a variety of cookery courses to members of the public and groups. The 350 sq m extension more than doubles the area of the School, allowing it to offer "dem and dine" evenings for groups of 35-40 people, with a cookery demonstration followed by dinner in the new dining area overlooking the garden.

Nick wanted a lighting system that he could control himself to achieve different effects. For example in the cookery demonstration area it was important to spotlight the food preparation and cooking areas and yet to be able to dim selected lights for maximum colour effect when cooking flambé dishes. In the dining area, lighting effects had to range from subdued lighting for an intimate atmosphere to maximum lighting when staff are preparing tables.

The facilities management contractor FESFM of Stirling selected the Studio 3 lighting management system from Eaton MEM to achieve the desired effect. Studio 3 is a multi-channel lighting management system that features scene recall and individual channel controls so that lighting in specific areas can be dimmed to achieve a pre-determined effect at the push of a button. It employs a simple two-wire bus network looping in and out of the control plates and dimmer packs. A unique programming plate enables scenes to be adjusted and stored in seconds when requirements change.

Each of the three main areas has its own Studio 3 system. The Reception area is lit by PAR38 tungsten filament lamps in recessed eyeball fittings. The demonstration area has a combination of 12V dichroic lamps in downlighters and Thorn Siros QR111 50W tungsten-halogen spotlights for the food preparation and cooking areas. The dining area has a half-barrel ceiling lit by a combination of high frequency fluorescent uplighters and pendant "golf ball" fittings at varying heights. The fluorescent fittings are driven by a Studio 3 dimmer pack controlling the fittings’ high frequency dimmable ballasts.

In addition, two conventional retractive (push) switches at the main entrance allow cleaners and other personnel entering the building to switch on all lighting to maximum power, without touching the special dimming controls. The same switches act as a "last man out" system for staff to turn off all lights when leaving the building. Studio 3 also incorporates a facility to enable all lights to be switched on in response to a signal from fire or intruder alarm systems.

"The correct lighting effect is as important in the cookery demonstation areas as it is in the dining area" says Nick Nairns. "This lighting scheme achieves what we wanted, and allows my fellow chefs and I to select the correct scene quickly and easily, and even to return to that scene if somebody interferes with the dimmer settings."