ACA Annual Awards of Excellence finalists named

The Academy of Culinary Arts has named the candidates for this year's Annual Awards of Excellence final.

Fifty-one young chefs, pastry chefs and waiters (aged between 20 and 26) have been selected for the competition, which will take place in London and Scotland in April.

Those taking part in the kitchen category, at Thames Valley University (TVU) on 6 April are:
Dimitair Angelkovski, Turnberry Resort, Scotland
Alastair Clayton, Galvin at Windows, London
Tessa Clingham, Galvin at Windows, London
Romain Fouquet, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
Anthony Hodge, Harvey Nichols, London
Joe Howley, Angelus Restaurant, London
Martyn Moody, Galvin La Chapelle, London
Ryan Murphy, Turnberry Resort, Scotland
Jamie Randall, Galvin La Chapelle, London
Paul Reader, The Royal Household, London
Adam Reid, Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Chester
Ian Scaramuzza, Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Ewan Simpson, Claridge's, London
Michael Tweedie, Lucknam Park Hotel, Wiltshire

Pastry skills will also be put to the test on 6 April at TVU when the following chefs will be going for Annual Awards of Excellence status:
Alexandra Liddle, The Ritz London
Diana Sedlakova, Renaissance London Chancery Court Hotel
Aminuddin Shaikh, Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa, Surrey
Glen Sharman, Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa, Surrey
Fanny Zanotti, The Capital Hotel, London
Mike Cope, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Paul Dickinson, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
Stefan Howells, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
Luke Woodward, The Chester Grosvenor, Chester

Two service finals will take place, on 2 April at Le Gavroche, London, and at Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Fife, on 4 April. The Service finalists are:
Mario Acquaviva, The Ritz London
Sefano Adduci, Quirinale Restaurant, London
Sophie Alaimo, The Westbury Hotel, London
Jami Armstrong, The Turnberry Hotel, Scotland
Charles Beaini, The Hand & Flowers, Buckinghamshire
Houssem Belabed, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Owen Bissett, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Tina Diefenbach, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
Steven Felix, Le Gavroche, London
Sylvain Forbice, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, London
Eleanor Hails, Ye Olde Bulls Head Hotel, Anglesey, Wales
Katie Lister, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Johanna Marty, The Royal Automobile Club, London
James Marvin, Galvin at Windows, London
Romain Maunier, Galvin at Windows, London
Sylvain Morel, Claridge's, London
Lucia Mottarella, Quirinale Restaurant, London
Rita Nagy, The Turnberry Hotel, London
Johanna Naumann, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, London
David Nicu-Catalin, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, London
Wojciech Pastor, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Caterina Petragallo, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Joao Rocha, The Westbury Hotel, London
Carlota Santos, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Louise Schmidt, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Burak Sen, The Ritz London
Romaine Taverne, Galvin at Windows, London
Sam Ward, The Ritz London

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By Kerstin Kühn

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