A celebration of excellence at the Hospitality Awards UK

Held at the Hellenic Centre in the heart of Marylebone, the evening started off at seven o’clock with a creative set of delicious canapes brought by Chef Andrea Jeriri, served with prosecco and wine, filled with a room of fashionably dressed guests representing some of the most renowned hotel and restaurant brands in the UK market. While the awards remained the centre piece of the evening, the event was an opportunity for networking, and reconnecting with fellow colleagues of the industry: the embodiment of true hospitality.

Dinner eventually started with an introductory speech delivered by Mr. Stefano Potorti, President of the UK Confederation and co-organiser of the Awards Ceremony, alongside the leadership team of the Association of Professional Italian Chefs in the UK, Director Francesca Dassori and President Giuseppe Silvestri. As the evening progressed, hosted by Regina de Bernardinis Musta, and as awards were handed out, tables and guests were served beautiful dishes meticulously prepared by the talented Chefs of the APCI UK.

It was a fusion of flavours made of colourful dishes including mouth-watering pork cooked to perfection by Chef Franscesco Pucci; a visually striking dish with purple mash potatoes and a yellow saffron sauce. As courses were served, awards were handed out by different sponsors of the event, and winners gracefully made their way to the stage to claim their awards. Acting as one of this year’s sponsors, Catererglobal and Caterer.com, we were proud to hand out this year’s best Hotel General Manager award to Mr. Andrew Henning, General Manager for Grosvenor House Suites. A well-deserved achievement reflecting exceptional leadership skill. Congratulations Andrew, and it was an absolute pleasure to hand you this award!

Below is a list of this year’s celebrated leaders, split into three different categories: Culinary Excellence, Business & Innovation, and Leadership & Industry Impact. Well done to all the winners; you are the inspiration our beautiful industry thrives on every day!

Round 1 – Culinary Excellence

• Best Chef: Francesco Dibenedetto — Executive Chef, The Peninsula London
• Best Pastry Chef: Rosaria Spina — Head Pastry Chef, Eataly
• Best Food Communicator: Angelo Coassin — “Cooking with Bello”
• Lifetime Achievement: Sidney Altridge
• Best Restaurateur: Nicolas Vaporidis & Alessandro Grappelli — Taverna Trastevere

Round 2 – Business & Innovation

• Best Sommelier: Daniel Marzotto — The Lecture Room & Library at Sketch
• Best Hotel General Manager: Andrew Henning — Grosvenor House Suites
• Best Pizzeria: Pizza Pilgrims (collected by Vicky Elliott)
• Best New Opening (outside London): Del Posto (collected by Payam Sedighi & Sabina Da Campo)
• Best Food Festival: Sicily Fest (collected by Sarah Spampinato, Founder & CEO)

Round 3 – Leadership & Industry Impact

• Best Director of Operations: Ivo Barroso — Caprice Holdings Ltd
• Lifetime Achievement: Matthew Mullan
• Best Food Retailer: Marks & Spencer (collected by Kirsty Kelly, Trading Manager)
• Best Barman: Giorgio Bargiani — Assistant Director of Mixology, The Connaught
• Concierge of the Year: Bob Carey — London Hilton on Park Lane

At our table, the Caterer.com and Catererglobal.com team had the pleasure of sitting with Chef Danilo Cortellini, and one of the evening’s award winners, Angelo Coassin, as Best Food Communicator for this year’s event. It was a wonderful time getting to know their culinary journey and eventually debating about whether adding pineapple on a pizza is acceptable or not… an ongoing debate that remains to be settled!

The evening concluded on a sweet note with Chef Davide Pilo’s “Stintinesi”, a cream-filled pastry served with a delightful plum sauce, which guests polished off while sipping on their final glass of wine. Awards being handed out, it was now time for a final round of applause for the exceptional service delivered by the APCI UK’s team, both the kitchen and floor staff hosted us wonderfully, and delivered truly impeccable service.

A big thank you to all the Chefs for their joint efforts and for delighting our palates throughout the evening with flavours from Sardinia, Calabria, and Umbria — Antonio Sorrentino, Marco and Luca Marinelli, Alessio Dainotti, Stefano Bartolucci, Nazim Emamally, Alessandro Verdenelli, and Matteo Maritati! Under the leadership of Fabrizia Ventura, Director of APCI Lazio, even guests with dietary intolerances could enjoy these creations.

As guests gradually left the venue, we were handed out goodie bags as a reminder that hospitality is one of the most generous industries in the world. While we celebrated winners and their contribution to the industry, the evening was also a reminder of what matters the most today: human connection. As Stefano stated at the beginning of the evening in his introductory speech, we live in a world which is now digitally driven, one where most of us now interact on our phones and through screens. Hospitality, thankfully, will always be the reminder that for us to remain a united and progressive society, nothing in this world can replace the human element that drives us to achieve success. The team who worked tirelessly that evening, but also throughout the seven months under Stefano’s, Francesca’s, and Giuseppe’s leadership, prove that our world would be a very different place without the beauty of hospitality.

Thank you to all for your incredible efforts, this evening surpassed expectations, and Catererglobal and Caterer.com were both incredibly proud to be included as one of this year’s sponsors! We look forward to having the opportunity to partner again in future and collaborating with such a talented team of individuals.