David Colcombe receives culinary excellence award

The Staff Canteen
The British Culinary Federation has awarded Birmingham-based chef David Colcombe the acclaimed 2015 Louis Cipolla award at St John’s Hotel, Solihull. Copyright Images of Birmingham Photo Library www.imagesofbirmingham.co.ukThe British Culinary Federation (BCF) recognises outstanding culinary talent at the annual awards ceremony, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. The Louis Cipolla award rewards the most outstanding contribution to the profession from a chef within the BCF. Over the course of his career, David Colcombes many achievements include helping the Swallow Hotel in Birmingham to secure the city’s first and only 5 star hotel status. He then oversaw an annual turnover of £16.5 million as the operations manager of the city’s first large-scale quality brasserie and bar. David has also cooked for G8 leaders, as well as representing the city of Birmingham at various special dinners around the world. In 2005, David opened Opus restaurant and grew it to include a 2 AA rosette restaurant, a café bistro and a bar. He left in April 2015 to explore new opportunities. He is also an Honorary Fellow and visiting professor of the University College Birmingham. David said: “I’m honoured to have received the Louis Cipolla award, particularly as the British Culinary Federation celebrates the awards’ tenth anniversary, and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in organising such a fantastic event. “The nurturing and developing of young talent and championing of market produce and sustainability have always been causes close to my heart, and I would like to commend the fantastic work the BCF do to support important causes that affect the hospitality industry.” The British Culinary Federation awards celebrate achievements across the hospitality industry and bring together chefs, suppliers and industry professionals from across the UK.
In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 24th June 2015

David Colcombe receives culinary excellence award