ABOUT YOUNG CHEF YOUNG WAITER SCOTLAND

Promoting Hospitality as a career of choice, a profession and a vocation, Young Chef Young Waiter Scotland is a national competition open to all young professional Waiters and Chefs from any background working in Scotland’s Hospitality sector.

The first Young Chef Young Waiter Scotland competition will be open to chefs and waiters who and are under 28 years old from any background working in the hospitality industry for 2023.

The Young Chef Young Waiter competition was established in 1979, in the UK in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association to promote hospitality as a career of choice, a profession, and a vocation. Today, with is new revitalised format Young Chef Young Waiter continue to honour the next culinary and service stars globally.

For 2023, the Young Chef Young Waiter Scotland competition will be taking place at the iconic Gleneagles, Scotland for a one-day final on Thursday 12th October.

World Young Chef Young Waiter Scotland has been launched for 2023 to extend the competition around the globe. The Chef and Waiter winning duo from each country will join for a World Final that will take place in Monaco on 23rd-24th November and will see the World Champions win a cash prize of $10,000.

World Young Chef Young Waiter Scotland Competition:

  • Entries are now open online for YCYW Scotland on our online awards platform https://youngchefyoungwaiter.awardsplatform.com/  
  • Online entries will close Midnight 4th September where a short-list will be selected.
  • Entry is free for Young Chefs and Young Waiters who are 28 years old or under and working in the hospitality industry in Scotland.
  • The winners will be announced after taking part in a one-day live final on Thursday 12th October 2023 at Gleneagles, Scotland.
  • The World Young Chef Young Waiter Final is scheduled for the 23rdh – 24th November and will take place in Monaco again for 2023.

The World Champions will win a cash prize of $10,000 for 2023.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER WORLD YOUNG CHEF YOUNG WAITER SCOTLAND – OPEN

WHY ENTER WORLD YOUNG CHEF YOUNG WAITER

The aim of World Young Chef Young Waiter is simple: to uncover the very best young talent in our industry and help equip them with relevant skills, current knowledge and the network needed to succeed in the world of hospitality. Devised by respected professionals, the competition has a fresh modern approach that focuses on tasks and criteria that are challenging, educational and fun.

World Young Chef Young Waiter showcases all aspects of hospitality. Inspiring, empowering and inclusive, most of all we celebrate the capabilities and diversity of our amazing industry.

Many past winners have gone on to achieve huge success in hospitality and YCYW proudly supports the future stars in United States kitchens and restaurants. Winners and judges have included some the industry’s great recognisable names to include – Mark Sargeant, Marcus Wareing, Simon King, John Torode, Annie and Germain Schwab, Jeremy King, Raymond Blanc OBE, Heston Blumenthal OBE, The Earl of Bradford, Lord Forte, Angela Hartnett MBE, Simon Girling and Fred Sirieix.

YOUNG CHEF YOUNG WAITER SCOTLAND JUDGES

A panel of high-profile service industry veterans, including renowned restaurateur and Great British Menu Champion of Champions Head Chef Judge Adam Handling; Award Winning Gleneagles Executive Chef, Simon Attridge; Gleneagles Director of Food & Beverage, Phillip Gahrmann; will help narrow down the entries to a shortlist of 8 finalists - 4 chefs and 4 waiters - who will battle it out in the one-day live finale and awards party at the iconic Gleneagles, Scotland. The two winners of YCYW Scotland will take part in the World Young Chef Young Waiter Final in Monaco from the 23rd-24th November 2023.

Judges - Scotland

Chef Judges

JUDGES - SCOTLAND

Adam Handling

Adam Handling Restaurant Group

His Flagship Restaurant, Frog has gained Michelin stars two years consecutively; he has cooked for Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II; he’s the author of three recipe books; and he regularly makes appearances on radio and television. read more Notably, winning the Great British Menu three times, where he was recently crowned champion of champions in 2023, he has also been a regular judge on the popular BBC series. A highly accomplished Chef, Adam Handling’s beautifully presented modern British dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in a number of different, creative ways to enhance their inherent properties and deliver real depth of flavour and harmony whilst maintaining a firm commitment to sustainability. restaurants; gained Michelin stars; he has cooked for Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II; he’s the author of two recipe books; and he regularly makes appearances on radio and television. Notably, winning the Great British Menu three times, he has also been a regular judge on the popular BBC series.

Simon Attridge

Executive Chef at Gleneagles

Simon Attridge’s career has taken him to some of the finest restaurants and hotels in London and the rest of the world, but his first position was as kitchen trainee at his local golf club, Redhill in Reigate, Surrey. This journey was to go full circle when, in 2017, he was appointed Executive Chef at one of the most iconic golfing destinations in the world, Gleneagles, in Perthshire, Scotland. read more Over the last two decades, Simon’s career has seen him take the reins as head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s acclaimed The Riverside Brasserie, and later Drakes on the Pond, where he held a Michelin star at the age of just 25. He went on to take up senior positions at the Shangri-La hotel group’s five-star properties in Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and London, and stints leading the kitchen operations of Barclay’s, Goldman Sachs and UBS in London.
Since joining the Gleneagles team in August 2017, Simon – who leads a kitchen brigade of more than 100 chefs and 50 stewards – has overseen the renovation and relaunch of the hotel’s iconic fine dining restaurant, The Strathearn, and the clubhouse restaurant, The Dormy, whilst spearheading operations at the sporting estate’s other food and beverage outlets – the Birnam, The Glendevon afternoon tea lounge, The Garden Café and The Century Bar – as well as private dining across the hotel’s 13 event and celebration spaces.
Winner of the ‘Hotel Chef of the Year’ award at The Caterer’s acclaimed Hotel Cateys Awards 2019, Simon looks forward to building on the hotel’s success and forging new culinary opportunities to strengthen Gleneagles’ position as one of the leading hotels of the world.

Jonny Wright

Head Chef at Gleneagles Townhouse

Originally from Dunblane, Jonny brings over 19 years' experience working with some of the brightest and best culinary talent in the country including various stints at top London restaurants, including Berners Tavern, Evelyn’s Table and The Palomar. read more His love for Scotland’s natural larder sets him apart with menus that are provenance-led and that celebrate seasonal simplicity. He’s got bags of passion, positivity, and talent to boot, and may just be the smiliest Head Chef you ever did meet.

Peter Meechan

Senior Sous Chef at Gleneagles Townhouse

Peter first joined Gleneagles six years ago aged 20 as a Chef de Partie, before progressing to Senior Sous Chef at Gleneagles Townhouse age 26. A talented and passionate chef, Peter discovered his culinary calling at a young age. read more As a boy, he had visions of becoming a footballer, but an inspiring schoolteacher and daily training sessions in the family kitchen sparked the start of his culinary career. Growing up in a huge family – six brothers and sisters – was a great training ground for Peter getting stuck in to help cook dinner every night, you might say he’s been a chef his whole life! Winner of Young Chef of the Year, 2020, Peter’s move to Gleneagles Townhouse in February 2022 solidified his rising star status. With a focus on seasonal and Scottish ingredients, Peter's cooking style reflects his heritage, and he thrives in the pressure and pace of the busy brasserie kitchen of The Spence.

Graeme Cheevers

Owner & Chef Patron of UNALOME

Unalome, a Buddhist symbol representing the path to enlightenment along with the twists and turns of life along the way perfectly encapsulates Graeme’s journey and love affair with cooking, a voyage that has taken him from his hometown of Glasgow, read more venturing overseas to Singapore and the bright lights of New York, before returning to Scottish shores, working up to Head Chef position with Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond. After successfully retaining a Michelin star at the restaurant for five years, Graeme took on Head Chef responsibilities at the five-star, luxury Isle of Eriska Hotel in 2018 and after only a short spell, was again awarded a star in the Michelin Guide in 2020. Graeme’s journey to culinary peace and enlightenment has now led him to Unalome, his first solo venture back in his native Glasgow with the aim of a third Michelin star by year end.

Graeme classes his food as modern European and is often inspired by Japanese culture and cooking.

Graeme and his teamwork with some of the best Scottish suppliers from all over the country and further afield to give the diner the best possible produce.

After discovering his passion for food whilst at school, Graeme has had a successful career working for numerous high-profile chefs and kitchens across Scotland. He secured his first role working for Geoffrey Smeddle at fine dining restaurant Étain.

Graeme then spent time overseas, learning from international chefs and developing his craft further. He has travelled to Singapore for various stages in Michelin standard restaurants and to New York, where he has staged with renowned
chef Paul Liebrandt and with three-star Michelin restaurants Per Se and Eleven Madison Park.

Graeme was offered a commis position at the age of 21 after doing stages with Michelin star chef Martin Wishart’s Loch Lomond restaurant. He rose through the ranks and was made Head Chef in under two years of starting at the restaurant.
A year later the young chef was able to retain the highly coveted Michelin star awarded under the leadership of former Head Chef Stewart Boyles and held it for five consecutive years.

Graeme took the position of Head Chef at The Isle of Eriska Hotel in Summer 2018 and was awarded a star in late 2019 for the Michelin Guide 2020. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Graeme took the leap and started his own venture, Unalome by Graeme Cheevers in Glasgow’s Finnieston area.

He is a multi-award-winning chef, has participated in live cookery demos at Scotland’s Foodies Festival and is regularly profiled in the media with his dishes and recipes.

David Bell

Regional Executive Chef, Levy UK + Ireland and Compass Scotland

David Bell is Levy UK + Ireland’s Regional Executive Chef in Scotland. He has a passion for ethical, sustainable, local food, served by well-trained, motivated chefs. read more David’s remit at Levy sees him lead the culinary teams, support menu development and provide staff training across its venues in Scotland, including Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), Ibrox Stadium and the SEC.
David joined Levy in November 2022. He came to the business with decades of experience in the hospitality industry, previously leading on training and education in former roles. His key focus was on inspiring creativity, seasonality, and using good, fresh, and local ingredients – all qualities he’s brought to the Levy business.
Being a chef for over 25 years, David has developed a real passion for teaching and inspiring teams, in particular young chefs. Through training workshops, site visits, and mentorship, he uses his vast experience from across Europe to motivate Levy’s culinary teams to consider what is possible with food. He helps other chefs understand seasonality and a farm to plate ethos as well as guiding them in innovative menu creation, such as introducing more plant-based menu options.
David has a range of credentials acquired on his career path, including being a Chef Academy Trainer and Future Chef Judge. Qualifications also include: Allergen Champion; Level 3 Food Safety; Intermediate Food Safety; Higher National Certificate Professional Cookery; and Higher National Certificate Information Technology.

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WAITER JUDGES

JUDGES - SCOTLAND

Simon King

Igniting Hospitality

Simon’s career started at Amberley Castle, a Small Luxury House hotel. After completing his HND in Hospitality Management, he moved to London. While working at The Ritz he won 'Young Waiter of the Year’ 2000'. read more In 2001 Simon joined Gordon Ramsay, managing his flagship restaurant at Royal Hospital Road and opened the Savoy Grill with Marcus Wareing. He worked with Heston Blumenthal as Operations Manager for the Fat Duck Group on projects including the launch of Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental. In October 2014 moved to New York, working for Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, managing the Modern. March 2018 saw Simon return to London as Operations Director for JKS, overseeing their 16 sites. Simon now runs his own business Igniting Hospitality where he shares his knowledge and experiences advising, inspiring and helping other businesses fulfil their potential.

Daniel Baernreuther

Gleneagles General Manager

Daniel’s career in hospitality started with InterContinental Hotels In Berlin where he completed an apprenticeship before finding his calling behind the bar of one of the most iconic hotels in the city. read more After a move to London in early 2003 he spent nearly six years as the Bar Manager of Claridge’s, where he took charge of the development of their drinks programme.

Daniel then worked with the Gorgeous Group as a Hospitality Consultant before joining The Savoy as part of their opening team, while developing their bar concepts for the Savoy under his consultancy remit during its pre-opening phase.

His first role at The Savoy as American Bar Manager culminated in the bar being awarded ‘World’s Best Hotel Bar’ at the Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail, USA a year later.

Daniel then took on further roles within The Savoy, including Beverage Manager and Director of Beverages, before taking on the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage role. During his time in this role the Beaufort Bar was crowned ‘Best International Hotel Bar 2015’ at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, USA.

Immediately prior to joining Gleneagles Daniel broadened his expertise by taking on the role of Director of Food and Beverage at The Berkeley, where he helped support the re-positioning of their Food & Beverage offering, after the extensive refurbishment of the hotel, and was part of the reimagination of this well-established grand hotel.

Joining Gleneagles as Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Food & Beverage, Daniel took a leading role in the re-positioning of the Strathearn after its complete restoration, as well building on the foundations of F&B division as a whole and was soon promoted into the role of Hotel Manager.

As Hotel Manager Daniel was accountable for the day to day running of the hotel and drove the creation and implementation of all COVID-19 related procedures and protocols, as well as overseeing the safe operation of all guest facing services during the pandemic and soon thereafter, re-entering into a challenging hospitality landscape with record occupancies.

Daniel then completed the world-renowned General Managers Program at Cornell University, before taking on his current role as General Manager of Gleneagles at the end of 2022.

Daniel loves spending time with his family his wife Jen and his two children, William, and Mila, taking long walks and discovering new places in Scotland with their family dog, a beautiful cocker named Jackson. He has picked up cold water swimming since moving to Scotland and enjoys the great outdoors and all that Scotland has to offer.

Daniel Greenock

Director of Food & Beverage

Daniel kicked off his hospitality management career 17 years ago during which time he’s worked at the forefront of some of Britain’s finest establishments. It all began when he was appointed as Restaurant Manager at The Corinthian Club in Glasgow. prior to a move to London to take up the position of Assistant Restaurant Manager in Marcus Wareing’s two Michelin starred restaurant at The Berkeley Hotel. read more Daniel’s energy, ambition and talent led to him accepting an invitation from Marcus to expand his experience by completing a 10-month traineeship at Eleven Madison Park in New York, before returning to London as Marcus’ Restaurant Manager.
During his three years as Restaurant Manager, Daniel was responsible for the day-to-day front of house operation as well as overseeing the refurbishment and relaunch of the restaurant in 2014.
Homeward bound, Daniel returned to his native Scotland, spending valuable time at Trump Turnberry in charge of the 1906 Restaurant and In-Room Dining before joining the team at Gleneagles in 2017.
Daniel’s journey at the Glorious Playground started as Assistant Restaurant Manager of The Strathearn, before being promoted to Restaurant Manager. During his time as Restaurant Manager, and a key part of the food and beverage management team, Daniel oversaw the relaunch of the refurbished Strathearn, ensuring that the service and the experience matched the surroundings.
In 2019, Daniel competed in London at the prestigious Institute of Hospitality Restaurant Manager of the Year competition, winning the coveted title.
After being appointed as Assistant Food & Beverage Director in late 2022, Daniel has seen his hard work and leadership qualities come to the fore with his recent promotion to Director of Food & Beverage, and with it he now leads a team of over 300 people, across 9 different F&B outlets.

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