Acorn Winner 2006: Craig James

Craig James
Age: 27
Position: Head chef, Butlers Wharf Chop House, London

Career to date… James's career in the kitchen started at the age of 12 when he began learning his trade as a chef. He took the traditional route to the top while working at several restaurants including the London Marriott, Grosvenor Square, and Sprowston Manor in Norwich before becoming head chef at Butlers Wharf.

Why is he a winner? James joined the Butlers Wharf Chop House in 2003 as senior sous chef and last year was promoted to head chef, becoming the youngest head chef in the Conran Restaurant group at just 26.

At the Chop House, he manages a brigade of 29 chefs and a business worth £3.5m. He has achieved a great deal in the past year, not least because he realises that there is more to a successful business than keeping control of the gross profit. He engages the team at Butler's Wharf both front and back of house, so that they too share his passion for food (he even managed to persuade the business management accountant to spend a few days in the kitchen so that he could understand the core product better).

James is a big supporter of traditional industries and ethical farming, and aims to educate his staff and his customers alike. He regularly gains praise from the national press for his classic British menu, which features indigenous ingredients such as Suffolk pork, Denham Estate venison, Falmouth Bay oysters, Morecambe Bay prawns, Cornish herring and Yorkshire rhubarb.

He sends his apprentice chefs on day-release to college to study NVQs, and he personally averages one presentation per quarter to catering students. He was also involved in SkillCity, a careers event for students from the London area, and recently appeared on BBC TV's Masterchef.