Gold Service Scholarship 2024 announces semi-finalists
All aged between 22 and 28, the pool of candidates has come from across the industry, from Michelin-starred restaurants and five-star hotels to pubs and private members’ clubs.
Some of the UK’s bets know venues are represented, including Claridge’s, The Fat Duck, The Ritz and A Wong (the full list of semi-finalists is published below).
The quarter-final took place in October at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London and saw the highest number of entrants reach this stage of the competition.
With more than 100 qualifying this year, candidates were tested through personal interviews, written assessments and a table layout test.
“The standard of entries this year was incredible and narrowing the pool of quarter-finalists was really difficult for the judges,” says chair of judges Edward Griffiths. We can’t wait for the semi-final where they will face further assessments, allowing them to demonstrate more of their front-of-house skills.”
The 40 semi-finalists will go on to the next round of the competition at Rosewood London on 20 November .
The final will take place on 15 January 2024 at the Corinthia London, with the Scholar named at an awards ceremony on 5 February at Claridge’s in London.
The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 to inspire the UK’s up and coming front-of-house talent in food and beverage through mentoring, travel and placement opportunities, nurturing the leaders of the future.
The full list of semi-finalists
Rizwan Khan, general manager, Junsei, London
Vanessa Rieder, head waiter, Claridge’s Restaurant, London
Fanny Descouts, assistant restaurant manager, Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay, London
Roberto Villani, assistant head waiter, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London
Vaibhav Chhetri, food and beverage supervisor, A Wong, London
Ciro Capasso, restaurant supervisor, The Dorchester, London
Alex Sollis, guest relations manager, The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
Kyle Bryant, wedding and events manager, Clevedon Hall, Somerset
Joseph Gregory, storyteller, The Fat Duck, Berkshire
Callum Robertson, floor manager, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles at the OWO, London
Luca Trento, head waiter, The Ritz, London
Andrea Di Gangi, restaurant supervisor, Pavyllon at Four Seasons on Park Lane, London
Liam Wainwright, head waiter, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London
Daisy Hudson, restaurant supervisor, The Clockspire Restaurant & Bar, Somerset
Blue Everton, events waitress, Hotel Cafe Royal, London
Diana-Carolina Chong, restaurant supervisor, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, Corinthia London
Etienne Harding, assistant restaurant manager, The Goring Hotel, London
Serena Fedele, cocktail waitress, The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel, London
Diana Zebro, head waitress, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London
Rosa De Rosa, head waitress, Claridge’s, London
Rohit Sharma, senior waiter, The Greyhound Pub and Dining, Buckinghamshire
Joe Southwood, assistant lounge manager, Corinthia London
Daniel Ecock, food and beverage manager in training, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London Scott Crowe, supervisor, Number One, Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
Simona Federová, chef de rang, The Ritz, London
Francesca Merico, assistant manager, St Vincent Restaurant, Newcastle
Tilly Morris, assistant restaurant manager, Grove of Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Serena Buono, assistant manager, Royal Automobile Club, Surrey
Alanna Cross, food and beverage supervisor, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Berkshire
Bethany Chawner, event operations manager, Grantley Hall, Yorkshire
Federico Deppieri, head waiter, The Ritz, London
Daniel Mulcahy, restaurant supervisor, CUT at 45 Park Lane, London
Fatima Patel, event operations manager, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Alice Law, chef de rang, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
Fabrizia Welman, assistant restaurant manager, Hearth, Heckfield Place, Hampshire
Annabel Rohm, restaurant assistant manager, Gleneagles, Perthshire
Isabella Condon, head waiter, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Holly Power, F&B manager in training, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Freya Ruston, assistant restaurant manager, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
Leo Levinson, head waiter, Claridge’s, London
