Hospitality Skills Academy

The Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA) announced nine new Masters of Culinary Arts (MCA) for 2009 at the gala dinner held at Claridges yesterday.

French Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) remains the basis for which these rewards are based on and every four years industry seeks out the excellence and to praise chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant managers for outstanding craftsmanship.

Brian Turner, president of the ACA, said the judges were looking for candidates who delivered the highest standards under extreme pressure.

“This prestigious award is based on perfection,” he said. “It is for this reason that only the best and therefore only a handful of candidates ever achieve this standard. It takes real courage to enter the MCA and exceptional skill to reach the finals. This year we have seen some immensely talented and dedicated individuals.”

Finalists in the restaurant management and service category were assessed on their preparation and service of a four-course meal, while those in the culinary skills and pastry finals were tested on their ability to produce specific dishes during a limited time frame.

Michel Roux, joint chairman of the MCA Pastry judges, said “I know how exceptionally tough it is to achieve the level of skill shown by the finalists, it demonstrates what brilliant talent we have in the UK hospitality industry,” he said. “This is an event that brings together today’s new talent and a judging panel of distinguished experts including past winners of the award. You cannot do this alone – your peers are, as in all aspects of one’s professional life, essential for success.”

The Masters of Culinary Arts 2009 are:

In Culinary Skills
James Holah, The Ritz London
Michale Dutnall, White’s

In Pastry
Kofi Addai-Mensah, Nadell’s Patisserie

In Restaurant Management & Service
Francois Bertrand, Aubergine Restaurant
Joel Claustre, The Royal Opera House
Bradley Gent, Opus Restaurant, Birmingham
Jean Kessler, Clos Maggiore