The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Annual General Meeting took place on Monday 21st September via Zoom.
Academy members met to discuss the year’s successes and challenges during the ongoing pandemic.
Each year at the Annual General Meeting a number of senior Academicians are selected to be invested in a formal Chair of their chosen mentors in recognition of their significant contribution to the Academy and its activities.
The purpose of the Investitures is not only to recognise the dedication of the chosen Academicians, but also to remember and acknowledge the importance of our forebears, without whose contribution the hospitality profession would not be what it is today.
Invested Academicians are awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and are known as Fellows.
This year we were delighted that Frances Atkins was invested in the chair of Jane Grigson
Frances Atkins spent 40 years as a practising Chef working in her own five successful Restaurants - most prominently the Yorke Arms in Ramsgill which gained a Michelin star in 2003 and was held for 16 consecutive years.
This propelled her and her restaurant into the elite of the country’s top restaurants and Frances is now regularly seen on our TV screens.
Lockdown was a time for a change and Frances has recently launched an Airstream Food Wagon with two former Yorke Arms colleagues in the grounds of a Nationally Acclaimed Nursery.
As an Academician, Frances has been a truly active member within our Northern Branch and is always keen to support our activities. Frances has hosted a number of guest chef dinners to raise funds for Adopt a School and works closely with several schools and colleges in Yorkshire and the North East particularly with Middlesborough College.
