The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts announces 2016 Award of Excellence Winners

The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts has unveiled the winners of this year’s Annual Award of Excellence.

Following seven semi-finals around the UK, the 27 winners were selected out of 59 candidates who reached the required standard of excellence to  make it through to the finals. The winners come from various establishments across the UK ranging from The Ritz London, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, The Gleneagles Hotel and Northcote Manor.

The winners will now attend a gala presentation dinner at Mayfair Hotel Claridge’s on Tuesday, 12 July where they will be presented with their awards. The highest scoring winner in each section (Kitchen, Pastry and Service) will be announced where they will be named the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Young Chef, Young Pastry Chef and Young Waiter of the Year 2016. Prizes include a trophy and educational culinary travel scholarships.

The AAE is the most prestigious award available to young professionals in the hospitality industry today, recognising and encouraging the most talented ambitious Chefs, Pastry Chefs and Waiters. Since it began in 1983 over 500 young professionals have achieved the award, setting them off on highly successful career paths.

Following Finals held at The Connaught, Le Gavroche, The Gleneagles Hotel, University of West London and Westminster Kingsway College, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts is proud to announce the winners of the Annual Awards of Excellence 2016:

Kitchen:

Jack Croft, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Joel Gueller, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Ruth Hansom, The Ritz London

Elly Wentworth, Lucknam Park Hotel

Pastry:

Hannah Bagshaw, Hakkasan

Polly Chan, Yauatcha

Ethan Flack, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Irish Hacon, The Langham Hotel

Naomi Longfield, Hakkasan

Faye Weather, The Ritz London

Service:

Rebecca Bauhofer, Andrew Fairisle at Gleneagles

Ashley Best, The Ritz London

Giuseppe Cola, The Ritz London

Francesco de Santo, The Ritz London

Lewis Dixon, Northcote Manor

Daniel Dreiseitel, The Ritz London

Emma Drummond, The Gleneagles Hotel

Melissa Fergus, The Fat Duck

Laudy Gibba-Smith, L'Enclume

Louis Gillibert, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Giuseppe Laboragine, Petrus

Alexander Macleod, The Balmoral Hotel

Gerald Murati, The Ritz London

Callum Rees, The Gleneagles Hotel

Gabriele Sorrentino, The Ritz London

Dimitar Tanev, The French by Simon Rogan

Laura Vernet, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons