This year’s quarter-final heats took place this week at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London and saw competitors undergo a personal interview, a written assessment, and a table layout exercise.
Around 36 to 40 semi-finalists will be selected from the group to go on to the next round at Rosewood London on 20 November.
The final will then take place on 15 January 2024 at the Corinthia London, with the 2024 Scholar named at an awards ceremony on 5 February at Claridge’s in London.
“The calibre of entrants to the Gold Service Scholarship improves year-on-year, but it’s also wonderful to see an increasing awareness of the Scholarship, with more and more young people recognising the benefits it can bring their careers,” says Edward Griffiths, chair of judges.
“Not only will this allow us to support more of the industry’s future talent, but it also means entrants get even more opportunity to develop their network and meet other like-minded professionals.
“The judges and I are very excited for the semi-final this year and look forward to seeing these up-and-coming industry stars showcase their skills.”
The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 to inspire and nurture the UK’s up and coming front-of-house talent in food and beverage through mentoring, travel and placement opportunities.
Each year’s scholar receives a range of prizes tailored to support their professional development. In the past that has included a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland; the opportunity to work a state visit to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle; and gain work experience at prestigious hotels and restaurants such as the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Gleneagles in Perthshire.
