Now in its 50th year the Craft Guild of Chefs awarded a record number of honours and awards to its members and supporters at a ceremony held at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington on 12 April 2015.
Hayden Groves and
Russell Bateman, former and current National Chef of the Year titleholders respectively, received Honorary Memberships while the 2013 and 2014 Young National Chef of the Year winners, Ben Champkin and Luke Selby, were awarded Rising Stars.
Nominated by the membership and ratified by the Vice Presidents’ Council, the honours and awards are made annually for the previous year and this year’s roll call included more than 60 recipients who were presented with the awards by the Craft Guild chairman Christopher Basten, Vice Presidents’ Council chairman Stephen Scuffell and the president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, Vice Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt CB, OBE.
The Special Achievement Award, made by the Vice Presidents’ Council in recognition of achievements in promoting the aims and objectives of the Craft Guild of Chefs, went to Pauline Tucker who, as a trustee, vice president and London Division Representative, continues to make an immense contribution to the Craft Guild.
The Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary World Cup Team picked up the Team of the Year Award for their sterling performance in Luxembourg at the end of last year, which resulted in an impressive haul of
medals. It was one of two awards for team manager Fergus Martin, who also received the Chairman’s Award for extraordinary service.
Professor David Foskett was named National Hero in recognition of his tireless work over a long period of time to promote the Craft Guild and its ethics.
Following the conclusion of the awards, a special presentation was made to Martin Bates, and his wife Angie to mark the occasion of his retirement from the role of CEO later next month. Whilst Martin was presented with a jeroboam of champagne, and his wife a bouquet of flowers by Christopher Basten, it was perhaps the lengthy standing ovation that proved what a popular and successful CEO Martin has been during his reign.
More than 200 members, family and friends of the Craft Guild attended the awards ceremony and were treated to a sumptuous lunch prepared by executive chef Steve Munkley’s team as they applauded the achievements of all the recipients.
The Honours and Awards recipients were:
Rising Stars
- Ben Champkin
- Connor Godfrey
- Daniel Lee
- James Newton
- Luke Selby
- Nicholas Cottrell
- Victoria Scupham
- Wayne Harrington
Local Heroes
- Ian Nottage
- Ian Parsons
- Jane Livermore
- Nick Creed
- Sion Farrell
National Hero
Professor David Foskett
Diploma for Support
- Amanda Afiya
- Andrew Archer
- Bev Puxley
- Billie Moore
- Craig Miles
- Graham Hornigold
- Julia Sibley MBE
- Paschal Tiernan
- Will Torrent
Outstanding Support Award
- Sheila Eggleston
- Tommy Moran
Diploma for 50 Years Membership
- Brian Gunn
- Peter Richards
Team of the Year
- Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary World Cup Team:
- Fergus Martin
- Christopher Basten
- Stephan Wylie
- Lea Eastman Thompson
- Matthew Edmonds
- Steve Jarman
- Theo Dalton Maag
- Samuel Jones
- Nathan Gayle
Bronze Medal
- Barry Jones
- John Feeney
- Nick Wort
- Terry Tinton
Silver Medal
- Ben Bartlett
- Wayne Harris
Gold Medal
Lee Maycock
Fellow
- Hazel Mulberry
- Neil Thomson
Governor
Matt Owens
Honorary Membership
- Hayden Groves
- Russell Bateman
College Certificate
- Guernsey College of Further Education
- Highlands College
- The Sheffield College
Company Award
- Caterer Licensee & Hotelier News
- Coastline Produce
- Continental Chef Supplies
- Dingley Dell Pork
- Find a Future
- Major International Ltd
- Shevill Exhibitions
- Tate Catering
Chairman’s Shield
The City of Liverpool College
Chairman’s Award
Fergus Martin
President’s Trophy
Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott hotel
Order of Merit
- David Mulcahy
- Robert William Kendrew
Special Achievement Award
Pauline Tucker
