Published by Neil ThompsonAlthough the Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2020 have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 Coronavirus, one category had already been completed in a live kitchen competition held in early March 2020. The awards organisers, Stadium Experience, have chosen to officially announce the results of the Chef Team of the Year Award 2020 on the day the awards were originally planned to be held at Liverpool FC.
The Chef Team of the Year Award Challenge
Chef teams had one hour to prepare, cook and present a three-course menu suitable for their Club Chairman to entertain the Head of the FA or RFU to dinner. The meal had to include a lamb main course with seasonal ingredients. This award was independently judged as part of a series of live chef competitions at London’s HRC Event, with up to 10 teams participating.
And the Results are…
WINNER – West Ham United Football Club (London Stadium)
SILVER – Tottenham Football Club (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
BRONZE – Everton Football Club (Goodison Park)
Gary Foakes is the Executive Head Chef at the London Stadium (home of West Ham United FC). He commented: “Following last year’s first time entry to the competition and picking up a Bronze, my Head chef for hospitality, Lee Andrews and myself were keen to get our entry in for this year’s competition hoping to go one better. We were delighted to take part and represent the London Stadium, West Ham United and Delaware North to showcase our match day offer on the stadium experience platform. I am fortunate to have a great team of chefs available to support the delivery of our match day experiences, they are all integral to this achievement and very much valued.
Chef Works has kindly sponsored this awards category. Neil Boston, Commercial Director, commented: “This is the second consecutive year that Chef Works has sponsored the Chef Team of the Year award and we continue to be amazed at the quality and professionalism of all of the teams who compete. The chef team at West Ham United FC are worthy winners in 2020 and once again prove quite how high the culinary standards in stadia kitchens have reached. Our warm congratulations to West Ham United FC and to the teams at Tottenham Hotspur FC and Everton FC who were worthy runners up.”
Debbie Rigney, Marketing & PR Manager at Stadium Experience and awards organiser, said: “It was a very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 awards. This competition had already taken place and so we felt it was only right to announce and celebrate the winners, rather than waiting over a year for the competitors to find out the results. Huge congratulations to all of the amazing award winners in this category – We look forward to presenting your actual awards to you at the 2021 event!”
