Entries are now open for The Young Chef Young Waiter competition, which promotes hospitality as a career of choice, a profession and a vocation, with the final planned for 17 November.
We at Luxurious Magazine are huge fans of the Young Chef Young Waiter competition. It is the ideal platform for young people in the hospitality industry to showcase their skills and gain richly deserved recognition. This year’s competition is open to young chefs and waiters under the age of 26 and will include those who may be temporarily unable to work or been furloughed from their present roles due to Covid-19.
First established in 1979, the competition was relaunched for 2019 by The Nth Degree Global in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association with sponsors including Arla Pro, Magnum, the Cayman Islands and Alpha Rewards.
Richard Henderson and Alessandro Calzavacca were awarded Young Chef and Young Waiter of the year respectively in the revamped 2019 live final.
As president of the Restaurant Association and founder of The Nth Degree Global, Robert Walton MBE wanted to ensure that young professionals had the opportunity to shine in the world’s best chef and waiter competition during this unprecedented time.
Robert Walton MBE said: “I’m delighted to launch Young Chef Young Waiter for 2020 online as I believe it is the perfect competition at the perfect time. We are living in extraordinary times when all our restaurants are closed, and the industry has paused while this crisis unfolds. I am optimistic by nature and want to do my best to offer hope for the future to all the young workers in the hospitality industry. So many of our talented young chefs and young waiters are at home right now, so this is the time when they now need events and activities to keep them inspired, tested and challenged within the hospitality sector.
For our Young Chef Young Waiter competition 2020, as the previous year, entries and initial judging will be online. We will be inviting our shortlist to Our chef finalists of Young Chef Young Waiter Our waiter finalists of Young Chef Young Waiter London for a live final in November as long as Britain’s recovery from the pandemic goes to plan, but if not, plans are in place to run the whole competition online. Our ambitions for this competition are global, and Young Chef Young Waiter in 2019 was a spectacular success last year.
We were especially excited to see that our Young Chef winner Richard Henderson had moved to London to work with one of the UK’s most acclaimed British chefs, Tom Aikens plus our young waiter winner Alessandro Calzavacca is now Headwaiter at the Dorchester London. We are excited to be welcoming the next contestants to the competition and give a new generation a fantastic opportunity to excel in the hospitality industry.”
The Young Chef Young Waiter Competition
Entries are now open online at youngchefyoungwaiter.com and will close on 1 September 2020 where a shortlist of 32 finalists of 16 chefs and 16 waiters will be selected. Entry is free for young chefs and young waiters who are 26 years old or under on 16 November 2020.
Entrants can take part if they are currently employed in the role of Chef or Waiter and have been employed for three years or more in the hospitality profession (including those who may be temporarily unable to work or been furloughed from their present roles).
The winners will take part in a live competition over the 16 and 17 November where finalists will battle it out to impress the high-profile judges where social distancing measures and risk assessments will be in place or alternatively plans have been made to hold this online. Winners will be announced at a sensational evening event on the 17 November at an iconic London venue which was hosted by John Torode last year.
The Judges
Michelin star chef Theo Randall, the proprietor of Theo Randall at the Intercontinental, has been once again confirmed as head chef judge alongside hospitality consultant Simon King, previously at The Fat Duck Group and JKS Group, who joins once again as head waiter judge. The digital entries will be judged by leading figures from the hospitality industry.
Alessandro Calzavacca, winner of the Waiter category, 2019 from the Dorchester London, said: “Winning Young Waiter of the Year at the competition is a dream come true. I have made so many new friends and connections during this adventure which I didn’t expect. I’m really grateful for the support from Simon King and all the judges in this competition as they have taught me so many new things. I can’t believe we get to experience mentoring calls with chef Thomas Keller and also to travel to California, which is sure to be the trip of a lifetime.”
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