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2004 winner Brian Turner

"He's got so much energy. He's on the telly, he's in his restaurants, he's involved in more initiatives than you could name, and now he's on the motorway with his range of sandwiches"






The announcement that the Special Award had been won by Brian Turner drew a fantastic reaction from the audience at last year's Cateys. No more popular and respected figure can there be in British hospitality - and none more hard-working.

Turner achieves more in a year than many of us achieve in a lifetime, juggling TV appearances, charitable and social commitments and book launches - and he still finds time to oversee two highly respected restaurants, Brian Turner's Restaurant in Birmingham and London's Brian Turner Mayfair.

Despite his many business commitments, Turner remains a tireless supporter of a host of hospitality charities. A Springboard ambassador and Trustee of the Academy of Culinary Arts' Adopt a School Trust (which promotes food awareness among children), he also supports Barnardo's, CancerBacup, the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust and Children in Need. In recognition of these good works, he was awarded a CBE in June 2002.

The judges of this award particularly admired Turner's boundless enthusiasm. "He's unselfish, generous - and omnipresent," said one. "He's got so much energy. He's on the telly, he's in his restaurants, he's involved in more initiatives than you could name, and now he's on the motorway with his range of sandwiches. He must have doppelgangers!"

In 2003 the award went to Jamie Oliver - not only for making cooking fun to millions of people, both young and old, but for placing a professional and personal stake in developing the restaurateurs of tomorrow in setting up his restaurant, Fifteen, in Hackney, east London.

Now the search is on for the 2005 Special Award winner to join such venerable past recipients as Turner and Oliver, Compass group chairman Francis Mackay, Sir Rocco Forte, Sir Terence Conran, David Michels and John Jarvis. There are no set criteria for this award: it can recognise someone from any sector of the catering or hospitality industry. The person you nominate will have made a significant contribution to their sector, and maybe to the industry at large, but their contribution is by no means over.

The award may come early in a career, as recognition of original or creative ideas, or later, when someone has established a consistently outstanding record.

To nominate someone for this award, fill in the form on the back page of this brochure and send it in together with a supporting statement of no more than 200 words. The closing date for nominations is Friday 4 February, and judging will take place at Caterer's offices on 18 May.

Don't forget
All nominations in this category MUST be accompanied by a supporting statement.