Cateys 2016
At Jellybean we’re very lucky to be invited to a lot of ‘do’s’ – highly swanky affairs where, often dressed to the nines, you get to eat, meet, drink, donate to fantastic causes and, if the eating and drinking hasn’t taken too much of a toll, dance yourself into the wee hours.
Most importantly of all you get to celebrate – celebration being the key watchword of a do – the industry’s finest; be they companies, concerns or individuals, as they are richly and rightly awarded for their work.
Arguably the daddy of all the do’s comes but once a year in the form of industry Oscars, The Cateys – The Caterer magazine and publisher, Jacobs Media Group’s homage to the industry it so loves to serve. Held at the glittering Grosvenor House in London, The Cateys are billed as the industry ‘award that everybody wants to win’. And, with a roll call of previous winners reading like a who’s who of the industry, from Mosimann to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Ronay to Rogan, it’s no surprise the gongs are so highly prized.
So, 2016 had a lot to live up to, but boy did it deliver. With a menu created by the aforementioned Simon Rogan and his brigade and the proceedings off to a flier, the night was immediately punctuated with its first high point – an address by the inspirational Alex Lewis, who told the room how symptoms of what appeared to be a common cold led to him collapsing and being rushed to hospital where, within hours he contracted strep A toxic shock syndrome, septicaemia and the flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis. His condition led to a quadruple amputation, skin grafts and facial reconstruction, yet his poignant and often humorous talk drew huge applause and, in the show’s wake, donations of £26,000 towards his continued rehabilitation.
As the gongs fell, another high point as Hobart Warewash Government Account Manager, Roger Kellow, received the prestigious Public Sector Award.
With a career in the public sector spanning almost three decades, and a dedication to quality, customer care and attention to detail, Roger has gained industry-wide recognition and long term friends during his handling of Hobart’s cost sector business. Judges praised his impact on the industry and its people alongside his ability to combine innovation with sound financial performance. One of the industry’s most enduringly popular figures, the Hobart man was crowned to rapturous applause.
The winners in full:
Accessibility Award, sponsored by Amadeus
• Dorsett Shepherds Bush
Best Marketing Campaign, sponsored by Compass Group UK & Ireland
• Red’s True Barbecue
Best Use of Technology Award, sponsored by Sky
• M Restaurants
Best Employer Award, sponsored by Amadeus
• Valor Hospitality Europe
Chef Award, sponsored by the Craft Guild of Chefs
• Clare Smyth, formerly Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
Education and Training Award, sponsored Bidvest Foodservice
• Willie McCurrach, City of Glasgow College
Foodservice Caterer Award, sponsored by Zenith Hygiene Group
• Ronan Harte, Holroyd Howe
Health and Nutrition Award, sponsored Charlton House
• Rocco Forte Hotels
Hotel of the Year – Group, sponsored by Bunzl
• Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Surrey
Hotel of the Year – Independent, sponsored by Sky
• Longueville Manor, St Saviour, Jersey
Manager of the Year, sponsored by JJ Food Service
• Chantelle Nicholson, Marcus Wareing Restaurants
Menu of the Year, sponsored by Quorn
• The Pointer
Newcomer Award, sponsored by ACT Clean
• John and Kimberley Calton and James Laffan, the Staith House, North Shields
Pub and Bar Award, sponsored by Zenith Hygiene Group
• Joycelyn Neve, Seafood Pub Company
Public Sector Award, sponsored by Premier Foods
• Roger Kellow, Hobart UK/NACC
Restaurateur of the Year – Independent, sponsored by Brakes
• Sam and Eddie Hart, Hart Bros Restaurants
Restaurateur of the Year – Group, sponsored by Bunzl
• Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, Wahaca
Sustainable Business Award, sponsored by PepsiCo
• University of Brighton
Wine and Spirit Ambassador Award, sponsored by The Balvenie
• Ronan Sayburn, 67 Pall Mall
International Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Elior
• René Redzepi
Special Award, sponsored by Cartwheel Management Recruitment
• Jill Stein and Rick Stein
Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by PSL – The Food Professionals
• Bea Tollman
An incredible do marking the achievements of some incredible people.
A massive thank you to The Caterer and their pure diamond Products and Suppliers Editor, Lisa Jenkins, for having me on a table replete with such amazing people. Not only did we have our very own Hobart Warewash MD, David Riley for company, Bake Off Crème de la Crème winner and friend of the agency, Mark Tilling was also on board, joined by exacting judge and all round lovely person, Cherish Finden, HR guru, the incredible, inspirational Kellie Rixon MBE and the prodigiously talented Head Chef of The Woodford, Ben Murphy. What a team. What a night.