Gold Service Scholarship 2019: Semi Finals Press Release (Nov 2018)

The Trustees of the Gold Service Scholarship have announced the list of successful candidates who have proceeded to the Semi Final stage of the 2019 competition.  Drawing from the breadth of the UK, and from such diverse hospitality businesses as hotels and restaurants, private clubs, the RAF and the Royal Household, the 42 candidates will now undertake a new series of tests, challenges and interviews at the Semi Finals, which will take place on Monday, 26 November at Rosewood London.

Commenting on the group of candidates vying to be the coveted 2019 Scholar, Chairman of the Judges Edward Griffiths stated: “It has been such an impressive group of young professionals making it through to the Semi Finals this year – in fact, it was a very tough task to whittle the original 100 applicants down to the Semi Final stage, so much so that we increased the numbers from the normal 32 to 42. It was impossible to eliminate more at this juncture. The next stage of the competition is going to be very exciting!”

The mix of Semi Final candidates hails from Michelin-starred establishments to smart pubs, both city centre and country house hotels, and high-profile clubs, with a wide variety of food and beverage positions and responsibilities. All aged between 22 and 28, they represent a new generation of aspirational professionals who recognise that the experience of engaging with the Gold Service Scholarship will allow them access to some of the industry’s most senior members and will enable them to hone their own particular skill sets in F&B and front-of-house.

The Semi Finalist list is as follows:

DIMITRI AURIANT  Chef de Rang at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

GEORGE AUSTIN  Maître d’Hôtel at Annabel’s Private Members Club, London

REMY BABEN Restaurant Supervisor at Sofitel London St James

GUY BRICE  Maître d’Hôtel at J. Sheekey’s, London

ANDREA CAPUTO Deputy Bar Manager at The Ritz London

MIGUEL CARULLA  Assistant Restaurant Manager, Angler Restaurant, South Place Hotel

LAUREN CHAPPELL Assistant Restaurant Manager at Cromlix Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland

MAËVA CHAUMENILLE Demi Chef de Rang at The Greenhouse, London

MADELEINE CONNOLLY Head Waitress at Hide, London

SHANE COX Restaurant Supervisor at Rosewood London

GIUSEPPE D`ANGELO Chef de Rang at The Goring Hotel, London

JAMES DAINTON  Assistant Restaurant Manager at Northall at Corinthia Hotel London

TIZIANO DE MATTIA  Assistant Restaurant Manager at Hide, London

THOMAS DIMELOW Restaurant Manager at Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Hampshire

ELEANOR DIMES  Junior Head Waitress at Lucknam Park Hotel, Wiltshire

PIERS GIBSON-BIRCH Assistant Restaurant Manager at Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel

ANDREAS GONZALEZ Floor Manager at Coq d’Argent, London

DE PEVERELLI LUSCHI

KAREN GRUET Assistant Restaurant Manager at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

EDWARD JOYNER Chef de Rang at Angler Restaurant, South Place Hotel

SEBASTIAN KOEWIUS Assistant Restaurant Manager at Northall at Corinthia Hotel London

GEORGE LANCE  Restaurant Supervisor at The Grill at The Dorchester, London

TIM LANG Conference & Banqueting Supervisor at Corinthia Hotel London

CORENTIN LARMET Chef de Rang at The Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire

ANDREW LECKIE Senior Footman at the Royal Household

PHILIP LITTLEWOOD Assistant Restaurant Manager at The Barn at Moor Hall, Lancashire

YANN LOREAU Waiter at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road, London

JAMES LOVETT TURNER Head Waiter at Fera at Claridge’s, London

ALESSANDRO MARRA  Assistant manager at Alyn Williams at The Westbury, London

NEIL MENDOZA Senior Restaurant Manager at Hide, London

DANIELLE MILLS RAF Air ground steward at RAF Odiham

JAY NOOR Assistant Events Operations Manager at The Berkeley, London

ANDREA NUNINGER Food & Beverage Graduate Programme at Coworth Park Hotel & Spa

BEATRIZ PINTO DA SILVA Senior Butler at The Ritz London

MILLIE POVEY Chef de Rang at Core by Clare Smyth, London

TANIA PRASCIOLU Head Waitress at Caramel Restaurant & Lounge, London

HANNAH RIPPON Head Waitress at The Oxford Blue Pub, Windsor

LAURA SCHLEGEL Head Waitress at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London

HARVINDER SINGH Head Waiter at Elystan Street, London

ALEXANDER SUMERAUER First Head Waiter at The Ritz London

STEVEN SUTHERLAND Maître d’Hôtel at Le Gavroche, London

GEORGE THOMAS Chef de Rang at The Arts Club, London

ALEXANDRA ZOTESCU In Room Dining Coordinator at The Savoy, London

Current Scholar Michael Staub has progressed in management within Rosewood Hotels, and recently transferred from Rosewood London to Rosewood Sand Hill in San Francisco this past summer. Michael cites his Scholar win as one of the most significant in his career to date, explaining that “winning the competition has been a true honour and has opened many, many doors for me”.

The Final of the competition will take place on 21 January 2019 at Corinthia Hotel London, where eight candidates will vie for the winning Scholar accolade. That will be announced and presented on 4 February 2019 at Claridge’s with dozens of leading industry figures in attendance.

Background on the Gold Service Scholarship

The Scholarship was launched in 2012 to encourage a lasting heritage of excellence in hospitality. The programme celebrates the craft of service in F&B and front-of-house and nurtures the young talent through tailored mentoring. The past six years’ Scholars and Finalists have had impressive progression in their careers to date, due in part to the networks that they have established during their association with the Scholarship. As Alumni, they make up the recently launched Team Gold (a newsletter and social sharing platform for all Scholars and Finalists).

Website – www.thegoldservicescholarship.co.uk

from Fine Dining Guide