ACA names Annual Awards of Excellence winners

Fifteen young chefs and pastry chefs and 17 waiters have achieved the Academy of Culinary Arts' 2011 Annual Award of Excellence accolade.

The long-running awards recognise the practical and theoretical knowledge of the country's best young hospitality employees aged 20 to 26.

Judges included honorary president Heston Blumenthal; London's Ritz hotel executive chef John Williams; and Martyn Nail, executive chef of Claridge's.

The finals for the respective disciplines were held at Le Gavroche, Gleneagles hotel in Auchterarder and Thames Valley University.

A gala presentation will be held at London's Claridge's on 13 July, where the highest-scoring candidate in each category will also be announced and awarded with prizes including a travel scholarship from the Savoy Educational Trust.

Kitchen candidates had 4.5 hours to produce a razor clam starter using ingredients from a mystery box; venison Wellington with fondant potatoes, glazed carrots, stuffed cabbage, celeriac puree and a red wine jus; and a modern interpretation of a lemon meringue dessert.

Pastry finalists had five hours to produce an Easter-themed centrepiece and petits fours including moulded chocolates, financiers and fruit tartlets.

Service finalists were required to decant and describe wines to the judging panel and set up and serve a three-course meal with wines and liqueurs to a table of two guest judges.

Those who achieved the award are (in alphabetical order):

KITCHEN
Dimitair Angelkovski Turnberry Resort
Alastair Clayton Galvin at Windows
Tessa Clingham Galvin at Windows
Romain Fouquet Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Ryan Murphy Turnberry Resort
Jamie Randall Galvin La Chapelle
Paul Reader the Royal Household, Buckingham Palace
Adam Reid Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor
Ewan Simpson Claridge's
Michael Tweedie Lucknam Park Hotel

PASTRY
Mike Cope the Gleneagles Hotel
Paul Dickinson Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Stefan Howells Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Aminuddin Shaikh Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa
Glen Sharman Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa

SERVICE
Sophie Alaimo the Westbury Hotel
Houssem Belabed the Gleneagles Hotel
Tina Diefenbach Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Katie Lister the Gleneagles Hotel
Johanna Marty the Royal Automobile Club
Lucia Mottarella Quirinale Restaurant
Rita Nagy Turnberry Resort
Johanna Naumann L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
David Nicu-Catalin Galvin Bistrot de Luxe
Wojciech Pastor the Gleneagles Hotel
Caterina Petragallo the Gleneagles Hotel
Joao Rocha the Westbury Hotel
Carlota Santos the Gleneagles Hotel
Louise Schmidt the Gleneagles Hotel
Burak Sen the Ritz London
Romain Taverne Galvin at Windows
Sam Ward the Ritz London

ACA Annual Awards of Excellence finalists named >>

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Young British chef triumphs in French competition >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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