On November, 28 eight finalists were chosen to move forward to the next stage of the Gold Service Scholarship 2017.

After a rigorous day of scrutiny which included the completion of several food and beverage tasks, the 27 Semi Finalists of the 2017 Gold Service Scholarship were whittled down to just eight successful candidates.

Judge Sergio Rebecchi said: “We had 27 competitors that displayed incredibly high standards. It was wonderful to judge such a wide spectrum of candidates from different establishments from around the UK. Past Scholars also not only contributed in supporting the Semi Finalists, but they also played a big part in assisting the smooth running of the proceedings. From this extraordinary group, the eight finalists were selected for having excelled across the range of tasks, and we very much look forward to meeting them again.”

>>> Related: Read more from The Gold Service Scholarship here

The semi-final was held at Rosewood, London where the 27 candidates were given five tasks to complete which included Table Preparation, Deciding Service Priorities, Drink Service, Salesmanship, and Individual Interviews.

The eight finalists will  go on to compete in the final on February, 6 2017 which will be followed by a glitzy awards ceremony at Claridge’s Hotel on February, 28 2017.

Impressed with the overall performance of the candidates, judge Sergio Rebecchi said: “We have been overwhelmed by the calibre of young contestants this year, and the introduction of the Quarter Final has given us the opportunity to see and interact with so many more young professionals, who have all been able to benefit more directly from the experience of the competition.”

The eight finalists include:

Stephanie Beresforde, Assistant Restaurant Manager, The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall

Ashley Best, Food & Beverage Management Trainee, The Ritz, London

Alexandra-Iulia Caciuc, Head Waitress, 45 Jermyn Street at Fortnum & Mason, London

Tom Noller, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Merchants Tavern, London

Manuel Marchetti, Assistant Maître d'Hôtel, The Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire

Luis Oliveira Santos, Restaurant Supervisor, Rosewood London, London

Alexandra Spatar, Restaurant Supervisor, The Woodspeen Restaurant & Cookery School, Newbury, Berkshire

Nina Thomsen, Junior Sommelier, L'Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria