JCG handles smelly 'complaint'

Saturday 30 January 2021

What started as an “official complaint” about the scrumptious smells coming from JCG’s cookery classes ended with a “generous” luncheon which has taken social media by storm.

The email exchange between Carl Howarth, the Principal of JCG and Dave Parker, of Parker Construction, has been viewed over 100,000 times on social media, with hundreds commenting how it had made them laugh.

It all started when Mr Parker contacted Jersey College for Girls with an “official complaint” regarding the smells coming from the cookery classes.

Mr Parker explained he and his team were currently working on the renovation of a house on New Zealand avenue, which is adjacent to the school, and having to put up with “unbelievably nice cooking smells wafting through”.

“It is hard enough under normal circumstances working on a site like this but your scrumptious smells (baking, pizza, curry etc etc) make our job even harder given that all the boys are salivating constantly at the thought of the delight coming out of your ovens,” Mr Parker added. 

He politely requested that the girls only cook when there’s an easterly wind so that the “delectable aromas” would go the other way, adding that the team would also welcome “any leftovers that need to be quaffed”.

The school’s principal could only apologise in return.

“I have spoken with our Food & Nutrition department and asked that our students prepare less fragrant and gorgeous food,” Mr Howarth wrote. “Unfortunately, I was told our students are incapable of cooking anything less than loveliness. 

“Please do ask your team to be resilient and I hope the wind blows in their favour.”

Pictured: The construction team had been distracted by the scrumptious smells coming out of the cooking classes.

To ensure “excellent relationships” with their neighbours and sweeten the blow, the girls then cooked a complimentary lunch to the team.

“This is a one-off and further complaints will not be met with such generosity as our budget does not stretch to cooking for neighbour’s builders,” Mr Howarth warned.

Mr Parker thanked the principal for his quick action, explaining his complaint was made with the welfare of his men in mind. 

He also thanked the girls for their “generous luncheon” which he said went down “an absolute treat”. 

“We will future try stave our thoughts of your gastronomic delights but, alas, I think this may fall on deaf noses,” he added. 

Amused by the exchange Mr Howarth then shared the exchange about the “complaint on a very serious nature” on social media, where it delighted dozens. 

“My first reaction was, obviously, a serious reaction because when you are reading a complaint, you want to deal with it appropriately and then as I read, I realised it was not the complaint I was thinking it might have been but a rather lovely email to us,” he told Express. 

“I thought it would be nice to reply in the same vein.”

The girls were “delighted and pleased” to hear about Mr Parker’s complaint.  “At this time in the world, it’s good to make people happy,” Mr Howarth said. 

The school has since been overwhelmed by the response to the post.

“We have had over 100,000 views and interactions across all our social media,” the principal said. “We have had comments from as far as Australia, it’s taken us all by surprise.” 

"If it’s making people smile and giving them a laugh, what’s not to like?” he added. 

“One of the things that covid has shown us is that we should show kindness all the time, if that can be an example of that for our community, then great. 

“We are proud of our students and have always been, it’s nice for them to have a wider audience.”