The ceda Gala Dinner & Awards took place on Friday 5th April at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire, bringing to a close the 2019 ceda Conference. Awards given out on the night included the ceda Supplier Awards, the ceda Rising Star Award, the hotly anticipated ceda Grand Prix Awards and new for 2019, the Legacy Honours by ceda.
Victorious Members included CHR Food Service, CNG Foodservice Equipment, TAG Catering Equipment, Vision Commercial Kitchens and Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment.
The evening began with the introduction of the new Legacy Honours by ceda. Replacing the Industry Personality Award, the new honour is the highest possible accolade presented by ceda to an individual involved and associated with the commercial Foodservice and Hospitality Design, Equipment and Service Industry.
It is presented to outstanding individuals who have; played a role in creating a tangible legacy that has made a considerable positive difference, enriched lives, served with dedication, passion and commitment and have cast an indelible history within our and their industry. This year’s recipients are:
Legacy Honours by ceda:
- Jeff Whitaker – CEO and Founder Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment
- Ian Bass – retiring Honorary Treasurer of ceda / Group Financial Director Gratte Brothers
- Andrew Humble – Owner and Director Humble Arnold Associates
ceda Director General, Adam Mason explains how the new awards came about, “The Legacy Honours by ceda, were a personal highlight of the entire Conference. It is so important that we recognise and honour those that have laid the path for the future to follow. Regrettably, both Jeff and Andrew’s Honours were presented posthumously but I am so happy that Vita and Steph could be with us to collect the medal and receive the recognition of the entire industry.”
Awards Dinner Chefs: Alan Paton, Matt Wilby, Cames Carn and Michael Eyre
Next up were the ceda Supplier Awards, sponsored by Commercial Kitchen. ceda Members vote for the suppliers they feel have delivered the best overall service in terms of quality of product, support and service.
Recognition is given to three categories; Heavy Equipment, Light Equipment, Accessories & Spares and Outstanding Customer Service. The winners are:
The ceda Supplier Awards:
- Supplier Awards Heavy Equipment winner – Maidaid-Halcyon Ltd
- Supplier Awards Light Equipment Accessories & Spares winner – First Choice Group
- Supplier Awards Customer Service winner – First Choice Group AND Maidaid-Halcyon Ltd
Adam Mason commented, “For suppliers to receive awards that are voted on by their customers must be a truly humbling thing, indeed both John Whitehouse and Julian Lambert were very proud to have their respective companies recognised. They are clearly looking after Members and providing great product, support and service which is really good to see.”
The ceda Rising Star Award celebrates the best new talent in the industry by recognising and rewarding an individual’s outstanding achievement and contribution to the development of a ceda member company. Candidates are nominated by their company and this year’s winner is James Austin from Tailor Made.
Adam Mason acknowledges all three nominees, “Three outstanding young people made the final shortlist for the Rising Star Award. To see such talent and capability in our industry is a wonderful thing. Congratulations to James for winning the award and also to Carlisle and Macauley the runners-up. All three have big futures. A note of thanks too to Jim Stevens, David Summers and Nick Archer for nominating their employees.”
The ceda Grand Prix Awards 2019:
Judged by experienced industry veterans Ron Neville and John Savage, five categories were up for grabs in the Grand Prix Awards; Design Project Under 100k, Design Project 100k to 300k, Design Project over 300k, Project Management Excellence and Outstanding Customer Service. The 2019 ceda Grand Prix Awards winners are:
- Design Project Under 100k winner, sponsored by Academy Leasing – CNG Foodservice Equipment for their project at Lucio’s, Peterlee, County Durham
- Design Project 100k to 300k winner, sponsored by Catering Insight – CHR Food Service for their project at Mana Restaurant
- Design Project over 300k winner, sponsored by Hospitality & Catering News – TAG Catering Equipment for their project at a 5* hotel on Park Lane, London
- Project Management Excellence winner – Vision Commercial Kitchens for their project at Silversands
- Outstanding Customer Service winner, sponsored by Foodservice Equipment Journal – Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment for work with Oxfordshire County Council
Arguably, the most sought-after award of the evening is the Sir Donald Thompson Cup, formally the Overall Winner. Chosen from the winners of the five Grand Prix categories this year’s victory belongs to TAG Catering Equipment.
Summing up the Grand Prix Awards, Adam Mason said, “The final shortlists covered a wide range of projects that our amazing Members had carried out in 2018. The common theme among all was excellence. Congratulations to the winners of all the categories and to TAG for the overall winner accolade. My personal thanks too to John and Ron for their commitment to judging the awards. The Gala Dinner & Awards Night is always a fitting finale to our Conference.”
H&C News attended the awards and we must say how welcome we were made to feel, it was a ‘ceda family affair’. Thank you and well done to all the team that put the evening together.
a ‘ceda family affair’