A panel of hospitality greats including Albert Roux, Michel Roux Jr, and Silvano Giraldin turned up the heat on Restaurant Associates’ chef and front-of-house talent this week, when they judged the 11th annual Roger Naylor Hospitality Skills Competition at Westminster Kingsway College, London.
The competition, named in memory of Roger Naylor the former Executive Chef for Restaurant Associates, showcases outstanding food, exceptional service and standards that would rival some of the finest hotels and restaurants in London. The competition invites chefs and waiters from Restaurant Associates to demonstrate the skills and expertise they regularly deliver to customers.
From scores of entries, eight chefs and eight front-of-house waiters were selected as finalists from across Restaurant Associates’ business to battle for the accolade of best chef and best front-of-house waiter on Tuesday 9 April.
Adam Gray, Executive Chef at Skylon Restaurant in London and Jack Scott from Jascots Wine Merchants were also among the elite judging panel. The panel critiqued competitors on the cooking and serving of a three course meal for 32 guests, drawn from Restaurant Associates’ clients from companies across the city including leading law firms and investment banks.
The evening began with a Champagne-pouring challenge – sponsored by Jascots – during which waiters were tasked with pouring eight equal flutes of British Nyetimber sparkling wine without spillage or revisiting a glass, using the entire bottle. Chefs and waiters then worked in pairs to serve a three-course set menu of Loch Fyne Salmon to start, followed by Galloway beef served guéridon style for main, finished with a Valhrona chocolate dessert.
The winners
Marius Madou (hospitality butler at Credit Suisse) was named the front-of-house winner for 2013, while Jonathan Gray (head chef at Lawrence Graham) won the chef award. Each will enjoy a dinner for two at a UK Michelin starred restaurant of their choice as their prize.
Michel Roux Jr, a consultant chef for Restaurant Associates, said; “This competition gets to the heart of hospitality, highlighting the skill, talent and passion of front and back of house professionals equally. It’s great to see it still going strong after 11 years; standards were incredibly impressive this year.”
About Restaurant Associates
Restaurant Associates, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, offers the highest quality of catering and support services to all its clients. Premium services include fine dining, conferencing and meeting room service, functions and events, as well as front of house operations through its Rapport guest services brand.
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