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People
The latest news and interviews from the movers and shakers in the industry, including appointments, promotions, insights and achievements.
Hot Talent 2012: finalists revealed
22-Feb-2012 - Six talented members of the hospitality industry under 30 have made the final of Hot Talent, the competition run by Hotelympia and supported by BigHospitality and Restaurant magazine.
News in brief
BII 2012 Licensee of the Year: Semi-finalists revealed
21-Feb-2012 - The British Institute of Innkeeping has revealed the 21 semi-finalists for its 2012 Licensee of the Year Awards.
AFWS UK Sommelier of the Year competition open for entries
21-Feb-2012 - The Acadamy of Food and Wine service (AFWS) has this week launched its 2012 UK Sommelier of the Year competition and is calling for sommeliers and wine waiters nationwide to test their knowledge and skills by entering.
‘We were a great pub’: The Devonshire Arms in Chiswick closes in first year
21-Feb-2012 - The Devonshire Arms – Gordon Ramsay’s failed pub in Chiswick, London – has closed with immediate effect having only re-opened under new ownership in July last year.
Roux Scholarship 2012: Regional finalists revealed
20-Feb-2012 - The 18 regional finalists who will battle it out for the 2012 Roux Scholarship have been revealed following the first paper judging stage of the competition last week.
Former Ritz chef to embark on French terroir and cooking tour
20-Feb-2012 - Sven-Hanson Britt, a chef who trained at the Academy of Culinary Arts, completed an apprenticeship at The Ritz and worked there for more than four years is to embark on a tour of France exploring terroir and cuisine for a reference guide for fellow chefs.
News in brief
Michael Caines, Paul Heathcote and Nigel Haworth-headlined events to support Hospitality Action
20-Feb-2012 - Chefs Michael Caines, Paul Heathcote and Nigel Haworth are to host three fundraising events this year to help raise cash for industry charity Hospitality Action.
People on the Move in Hospitality: February 2012
20-Feb-2012 - BigHospitality rounds up the latest appointments in the hospitality industry. This month sees key appointments at hotels, restaurants and pubs including The Doyle Collection, Eighty-Six and Fuller's.
Roast founder acquires Indian street food restaurant Moolis
20-Feb-2012 - Roast founder Iqbal Wahhab has bought Soho's Indian street food restaurant Moolis from administration with plans for menu changes before expansion aspirations for the business beyond the current Frith Street site.
Raymond Blanc to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Hotelympia
20-Feb-2012 - Raymond Blanc is to be recognised for 'services to the catering and hospitality industry' with a Lifetime Achievement Award and induction to the Hotelympia Hall of Fame at the event later this month.
Pearls of Wisdom: Jeremy Lee
17-Feb-2012 - The newly-installed head chef and partner at Quo Vadis in London reflects on his Soho surroundings after 16 years at Bermondsey’s The Blueprint Café, which is owned by D&D London.
Gordon Ramsay 'saddened' by Canadian restaurateur's decision to end consultancy
16-Feb-2012 - Gordon Ramsay has said he is ‘surprised and saddened’ over a decision by the owner of Laurier Gordon Ramsay, the Canadian restaurant where he has a consultancy, to remove his association with the business.
18-year-old Luke Thomas named chef-patron at Mark Fuller’s Sanctum on the Green restaurant
16-Feb-2012 - Springboard’s FutureChef 2009 winner Luke Thomas has gone into partnership with hotelier, restaurateur and former nightclub owner Mark Fuller to open his first restaurant at the tender age of 18.
News in brief
Callebaut appoints young chocolate entrepreneur as brand ambassador
15-Feb-2012 - International chocolate brand Callebaut has appointed 20-year-old Louis Barnett, entrepreneur and founder of the company Chokolit, as the latest member of the Chocolate Ambassadors' Club representing Callebaut, Cacao Barry and Carma.
Jamie Barber on Cabana, choosing restaurant concepts and learning from failure
15-Feb-2012 - Since Mayfair brasserie Hush opened its doors in 1999, founder Jamie Barber has gained a reputation for a hands-on approach to choosing and launching varied restaurant concepts from Kitchen Italia to Villandry so BigHospitality caught up with him to talk success and failure.
Chris Staines appointed head chef and F&B director at Bath's Abbey Hotel
15-Feb-2012 - Chef Chris Staines has been appointed head chef and food and beverage director at the Abbey, the Bath hotel bought by Ian and Christa Taylor earlier this month.
Jamie Oliver makes airport debut at Gatwick: Union Jacks bar, Jamie's Italian and bakery planned
14-Feb-2012 - Jamie Oliver's restaurant business will make its airport debut with the opening of a Jamie's Italian and two new concepts - a Union Jacks bar and a bakery - at Gatwick this summer.
Three top chefs to educate and inspire delegates at 2012 PACE Conference & Exhibition
14-Feb-2012 - The Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE) has enlisted the help of three top chefs – Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Gareth Johns and John Feeney – to inspire and educate delegates at the 2012 PACE Conference and Exhibition.
BHA Northern chair joins calls against hotel 'bed tax' for York tourists
13-Feb-2012 - Simon Kershaw, chairman of the northern region committee of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), has joined hoteliers in York calling for planned charges of up to £1 a night for tourists staying in the city to be dropped.
News in brief
Wine Guild of the UK appoints Roy Ackerman as chairman
13-Feb-2012 - Roy Ackerman, hospitality expert and president of the Academy of Food and Wine Service, has been appointed chairman of the Wine Guild of the United Kingdom.
Skye Gyngell and Petersham Nurseries part company
10-Feb-2012 - Petersham Nurseries Café has confirmed the departure of head chef Skye Gyngell after eight years at the Michelin-starred venue and announced she will be replaced by Austalian chef Greg Malouf.
Benugo founder to open Market Café in London’s Broadway Market
10-Feb-2012 - Market Café, a new café, bar and dining room, is set to join the growing list of restaurants on Broadway Market in East London as Hugo Warner embarks on his first project since leaving Benugo in 2010.
Marcus Wareing gets behind Aalto Restaurant at Birmingham’s new Hotel La Tour
10-Feb-2012 - Internationally acclaimed chef Marcus Wareing is to be the vision behind Aalto Restaurant at Hotel La Tour when it opens in Birmingham next month, BigHospitlity has learnt.
Career Profile: Sudha Saha
10-Feb-2012 - Chef Sudha Saha has an impressive culinary career. At 17, he was given a place to train hotel management at Chennai. He then joined the Ambassador hotel and trained with the Taj Group. A few years later, Saha moved to Dubai to take up his first executive chef role aged just 23. Over his career, he has also worked in Spain, heading up the Tamarind restaurant, and in 2003 he moved to England to take on the role as a Development Chef. Today, Saha is the executive head chef for Saffron Group, which consists of Saffron Restaurant in Birmingham and Saffron Blue in Ashby de la Zouch.
News in brief
Devon chef launches own company, second restaurant planned
10-Feb-2012 - Noel Corston, a chef who has run the North Devon restaurant The Courtyard for almost a decade, is this year forming his own company and plans to open a second restaurant in the area after re-launching his first site as a brasserie.
