Hospitality staff from The Ritz, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Gleneagles hotel have dominated the Academy of Culinary Arts’ Annual Awards of Excellence 2010 (AAE) list of winners.
Following finals held at Le Gavroche, Le Colombier, Gleneagles Hotel and Thames Valley University, a panel of judges deemed 29 entrants from across the industry worthy of an AAE this year, with four entrants from The Ritz, and three from Le Manoir and Gleneagles each receiving an award.
Aiming to inspire and encourage young people working in kitchen, pastry or service, the awards allow any number of participants to receive the award, provided they achieve a score of over 70 per cent in the tasks set by the judges, who include:
- Honorary President of the Awards: Heston Blumenthal, chef patron of The Fat Duck
- Chairman of the AAE: John Williams MBE, executive chef of The Ritz
- Chairmen of Kitchen: Martyn Nail, executive chef of Claridge’s and Adam Byatt, chef patron of Trinity
- Chair of Pastry: Yolande Stanley MCA, senior lecturer in patisserie at Thames Valley University
- Chairman of Service: Sergio Rebecchi, managing director of Chez Nico Restaurants
Kitchen finalists were given four hours to produce a crab starter using ingredients from a mystery box; roast chicken and custard tart, while pastry finalists had just five hours to produce eight individual savarins aux oranges; a modern interpretation of a Black Forest Gateau; Nougat de Montelimar and a nougatine stand.
Service finalists were required to decant and describe wines to the judging panel and set up and serve a three-course meal with wines and liqueurs to a table of two guest judges.
The winners of the 2010 Annual Awards of Excellence are:
In kitchen:
Hayley Barham, The Old Bell Hotel
Jarad McCarroll, The Ritz London
Lee Murdoch, The Turnberry Hotel
Mark Stinchcombe, Lucknam Park Hotel
Adam Smith, The Ritz London
Hyun You Im, Roux Fine Dining
In pastry:
Helen Doyle, Café 21
Christine Peace, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Richard Phillips, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Daniel Pierce, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
Arnaud Souchet, Pennyhill Park Hotel
In service:
Moreila Amaral Ramos, The Westbury Hotel
Chris Bakowski, Le Pont de la Tour
Matthew Balman, Gidleigh Park
William Bonfield, La Trompette
Guillaume Cambounet, The Cinnamon Club
Rosario Cappiello, The Ritz London
Nicolas Digard, The Cinnamon Club
Iris Glock, The Gleneagles Hotel
Devid Isabella, The Ritz London
Madlen Kleditzsch, The Gleneagles Hotel
Jean-Marie Messaoud, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
Fergus Muirhead, The Turnberry Hotel
Roy Ng, Bistro 21
Peter Oborko, The Westbury Hotel
Pierre Rizet-Mosser, The Waterside Inn
Andrew Roberts, The Manor House Hotel
Lucia Venere, Le Gavroche
Katie Watson, The Gleneagles Hotel