Royal Academy of Culinary Arts announces semi-finalists for awards of Excellence

The Staff Canteen
Yesterday the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts revealed the semi-finalists for the Annual Awards of Excellence (AAE) 2016 following the paper judging round held back in February. The AAE is an examination rather than a competition and is open to applicants aged between 20 and 26 currently working full-time in the UK as a Chef, Pastry Chef or Waiter. All entrants will receive a certificate and bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne, with the highest scoring candidate in each section being named the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Young Chef, Young Pastry Chef and Young Waiter of the Year 2016. The winner from each category will also go home with a handful of prizes worth up to £2, 000 including MAC knives, Meyer cookware, engraved trophy, and a bursary from the Savoy Educational Trust.   AAE semi-finalists AAE semis The AAE is the most prestigious award available to young professionals in the hospitality industry today, recognising and encouraging the most talented ambitious Chefs, Pastry Chefs and Waiters.  Since it began in 1983 over 500 young professionals have achieved the award, setting them off on highly successful career paths. Service semi-finals will be held at the Ritz, London on Saturday, 19 March and at The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland on Monday, 21 March. The Regional Kitchen & Pastry semi-finals will be held simultaneously at University of West London, Westminster Kingsway College and University College Birmingham on Wednesday, 20 March.

>>> Read about last year's winners here

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 16th March 2016

Royal Academy of Culinary Arts announces semi-finalists for awards of Excellence