Ian Scaramuzza wins the Roux Scholarship 2015

The Staff Canteen

There were six finalists but there could only be one winner and the Roux Scholarship 2015 winner is Ian Scaramuzza, head chef at Hibiscus Restaurant.


The 29 year old impressed this year’s judges and was rewarded with the prestigious title at tonights ceremony which took place at The Manadarin Oriental Hotel. Ian joins an elite list of chefs including past winners Andrew Fairlie, Sat Bains and Dan Cox.

He's also only the second Scotsman after Andrew to win the competition since it started. He said: "More people from Scotland need to enter. Everyone sees it as a London thing and we need to promote it to chefs outside of the city."

Speaking about the pressure he faced entering the scholarship as a two star head chef, he explained: "People were expecting great things from me which I had to carry but in The Roux Scholarship where you work and your position means nothing."

He added: "Being the 2015 winner hasn't sunk in yet, I did not expect to hear my name as the competition was really tight this year. Now I'm hoping to do my stage at Benu in San Francisco, it's a small team which is what I want as I don't want to get swallowed up and just be put in the corner."

Chef patron of Hibiscus, Clause Bosi said: "It's great for him, he's been working with me for four years and he's really dedicated - he knows what he wants in life. He was up against a great group of chefs and I imagine it was really tight.

"Now I hope he chooses a stage that's completely different to what he has done before and enjoys a fantastic experience."

The final took place at Westminster Kingsway College, London and this year the recipe details were a complete surprise; 30 minutes before the start of the competition the finalists were given the recipe and ingredients for a main dish to prepare and present it to the judges. The judges for this year's final included the Rouxs, Brian Turner, Angela Harnett and James Martin.

Michel Roux Jr said: "It was an amazing final. It's the toughest cooking competition there is because it's about finding the chef of the future."

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 30th March 2015

Ian Scaramuzza wins the Roux Scholarship 2015