Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services firm, celebrated a successful evening, winning five awards at the glitzy awards ceremony held at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
Now in its fifth year, the Foodservice Cateys is one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the sector, celebrating the individuals, teams and businesses shaping the foodservice industry.
Restaurant Associates, Compass’ fine dining division, had particular cause for celebration, taking home four awards on the night. The newly refurbished Roux at Parliament Square was the receiver of two accolades – Front of House Team of the Year (Public Site) and Steve Groves, head chef, being named Chef of the Year (Public Site) – while Duncan Kendall, Business Development Director, won Salesperson of the Year and Dennis Mwakulua, Executive Chef, won the Chef of the Year for a private site.
Jockey Club Catering, the joint venture between The Jockey Club and Compass Group UK & Ireland, and part of Levy Restaurants UK, was awarded Retail and Leisure Caterer of the Year for a fantastic year which saw the business deliver innovative services at the Grand National, Cheltenham and Epsom.
James Boyle, Managing Director – Restaurant Associates, commented, “At Restaurant Associates our upmost goal is to consistently provide excellent service for our customers and clients. Steve and the whole team at Roux at Parliament Square deserve huge praise for what they have achieved over the last year while we are incredibly proud to have a chef with the consummate ability shown by Dennis.
'Finally, it cannot be understated the brilliant work Duncan undertakes in allowing us to provide this service to new clients. I want to say a huge well done to all the winners, and the wider Restaurant Associates team, for helping us achieve the targets we set out to reach.”
Steve Groves, Head Chef – Roux at Parliament Square, said, “I would first like to thank the fantastic team I have working with me. Without their hard work and dedication, there is no way I could be here accepting this award. The food we serve our customers is meticulously thought out and conceived, so it’s a fantastic feeling to know the work we do is gaining praise.
“I would also like to congratulate the Front of House team, their efforts in looking after our guests and dedication to truly understand our food really completes the overall experience of dining at Roux at Parliament square. Their excellent service completely complements our kitchen, making a formidable team and with our new dining room I only see us going from strength to strength.”
Duncan Kendall, Business Development Director – Restaurant Associates, commented, “The Foodservice Cateys is an incredibly well recognised awards program so being named the salesperson of the year against some serious competition is a real honour. I’m glad the sales team has been recognised as we have secured a number of key new clients over the past 12 months.”
Dennis Mwakulua, Executive Chef, said, “It’s great to be able to work in a team where fine dining and creativity is the norm. We have an amazing team that create outstanding food, so to receive this award is truly testament to the exciting dishes we serve.”
On accepting the award Nick Campbell, managing director at Jockey Club Catering, said: “We are thrilled to have won such a prestigious award which recognises our team’s hard work and commitment to ensuring each and every guest has a truly memorable experience.”
“This year we have launched many new concepts across the business which have been greatly received by our guests and we are already hard at work putting our exciting plans into play for the coming year, and look forward to building upon this great triumph.”