Thanks to our friends at The Caterer, Jellybean had the delight of attending the 35th Catey Awards at the beautiful Grosvenor House on Park Lane. Our evening was spent celebrating the finest individuals from across the UK’s restaurant, hotel, foodservice and pub & bar sectors and recognising the hard work, passion and dedication that is vital to the success of our hospitality industry.

The evening kicked off with a welcome from Clive Jacobs – Chairman, Jacobs Media Group and Chris Gamm – Editor, The Caterer and we were introduced to our guest chef for the evening’s culinary delights, no other than Paul Cunningham from the two-Michelin-starred Henne Kirkeby Kro in Denmark. Paul was joined by Nigel Boschetti and his team in the Grosvenor House kitchen where they created our phenomenal meal which included the lightest, freshest starter of Pressed vine tomato water – basil leaf and poached Scottish lobster; an absolute delight.

The chosen charity for the 2018 Catey Awards was Whizz-Kidz who provide disabled children and young people with vital specialist mobility equipment to allow them to develop to their full potential. We were privileged to hear from one of the charities’ recipients, Arumina, who gave a simply eloquent, compelling speech about the way Whizz-Kidz turned her life around. A fantastic charity and a worthy cause.

Following our meal (and a small celebration due to England beating Columbia on penalties and successfully making it in to the World Cup Quarter Finals), DJ Trevor Nelson took us through the awards. On this night, 22 new entrants became part of a very special club, having been nominated and recognised by their peers and judged by 117 expert judges. Quite an accolade I’m sure you agree. Here are the worthy winners:

Best Marketing Campaign – The Ned, London
Manager of the Year – Laura Sharpe at The Ham Yard Hotel, London
Best Use of Technology – Dine Delivered
Accessibility Award – Rudding Park
Newcomer Award – Aaron Webster and Remi Williams at Smoke and Salt, London
Menu of the Year – XU London
Sustainable Business Award – The University of Manchester
Pub and Bar Award – Peter Borg Neal at Oakman Inns
Independent Restaurateur of the Year – Richard Corrigan at Corrigan Collect
Group Restaurateur of the Year – Shamil Thakrar and Kavi Thakrar at Dishoom
Best Employer – Cycas Hospitality
Wine and Spirit Ambassador Award – Christine Parkinson at Hakkasan
Health and Nutrition Award – Craig Hancox at Amadeus Food
Public Sector Caterer Award – Neel Radia at National Association of Care Catering
Education and Training Award – Tim Foster at The Yummy Collection
Group Hotel of the Year – The Ham Yard Hotel, London
Independent Hotel of the Year – The Torridon by Achnasheen, Wester Ross
Foodservice Caterer Award – Chris Mitchell at The Genuine Dining Group

Some special awards were then presented, to three very deserving and inspirational industry greats:

Chef Award
Claude Bosi – A legend amongst his peers and known for combining highly skilled classical techniques with the world’s best produce. He is recognised as one of the best chefs in the UK today.

International Outstanding Achievement Award
Wolfgang Puck – A celebrity chef for more than two decades and a mainstay on cooking and television shows like Masterchef. His restaurant Spago in West Hollywood, which he opened in 1982, is considered a pioneer of California-style cooking, and is still a celebrity hotspot more than 30 years on.

Special Award
Geoffrey Gelardi – A third-generation hotelier who has spent more than 40 years in the industry. Having started in hospitality as a trainee at the Waldorf Astoria, Gelardi went on to enjoy a 25-year career in the US. He recently became London’s longest serving managing director of a luxury property, stepping down only recently after nearly 28 years running the Lanesborough Hotel.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Diego Masciaga – Born in Italy, Masciaga worked in France before coming to London to work at the Roux family’s three-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche restaurant in London. Then after a year as restaurant manager of Le Mazarin in London and returning to France to work at Restaurant Alain Chapel in Mionnay, he joined the Waterside Inn restaurant in 1988 where he gave 30 years of service. He is recognised for his contribution to the hospitality industry and for supporting thousands of young people in the profession.

Many thanks to the team at The Caterer for inviting along the Jellybeans, well done to the events team for putting on such a fabulous evening and congratulations again to all the winners.
For live tweets from the night see @JellybeanAgency.

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

@JellybeanAgency