The quarter finals took place in October at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London, where candidates were tested on their food and beverage knowledge through interviews, written assessments and a table layout test.
Entrants came from across the hospitality Industry, including top restaurants like Trinity and Core by Clare Smyth and high-end hotels including The Ritz, Corinthia London and Claridge’s.
“This year’s quarter finals saw a great quality of candidates who demonstrated that they deserved a place in the semi-finals,” says chair of judges Edward Griffiths.
“My fellow judges and I are looking forward to hosting the biggest semi-final the Gold Service Scholarship has ever seen and finding out which of these young front-of-house professionals has what it takes to make it to the final and potentially be our next scholar.”
The 50 semi finalists selected to go on to the next round of the competition at Rosewood London on 29 November 2024 are listed below.
The final will take place on 13 January 2025 at the Corinthia London, with the Scholar named at an awards ceremony on 10 February at Claridge’s in London.
The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 to inspire and nurture the UK’s hospitality leaders of the future through mentoring, travel and placement opportunities.
The Gold Service Scholarship 2025 semi finalists
Nikola Antoniou, assistant restaurant manager, The Waldorf Hilton, London
Corentin Aucagne, sommelier, Core by Clare Smyth, London
Tegan-Jayne Bateman, assistant restaurant manager, Buckland Manor, Worcestershire
Adrien Besnard, chef de rang, The Ritz London
Laura Bishop, food & beverage executive, the Langham, London
Katie Blake, senior head waiter, Trinity restaurant, London
Ellena Coglan, chef de rang, Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
Isabella Condon, junior assistant restaurant manager, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
Jacob Cranch, restaurant manager, the Tasting Room, Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex
Tara Dempsey, assistant hospitality manager, Restaurant Associates, Bank of America, London
Andrea Di Gangi, assistant restaurant manager, Corinthia London
Bradley Dorrington, director/owner, The Wine Cellar, Bury St Edmunds
Lisa Dransfield, head waitress, the Samling hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
Zain El Filali Ali, restaurant manager, Searcys, St Pancras Bar & Brasserie, London
Severino Fascendini, restaurant manager, the Clockspire, Sherborne, Somerset
Valentino Galdi, head waiter, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Rogan Galea, assistant manager, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
Niko Gjikoka, floor manager, the Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay, London
Alanna Goddard, food and beverage service manager, event operations, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
Hugh Graham, restaurant supervisor, Claridge’s, London
Rachel Harvey, restaurant supervisor, Rosewood London
Cayleigh Heffernan, food and beverage supervisor, Claridge's London
Daisy Hudson, assistant restaurant manager, the Botanical Rooms, the Newt in Somerset
Charlotte Hughes, head waitress, the Grill by Tom Booton, the Dorchester, London
Daniel Johnson, restaurant manager, the Grand, York
Peter Keane, supervisor, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
James Kenny, food and beverage duty manager, Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry, South Armagh
Jessica Lambie, head of beverage, 64 Goodge Street, London
Maximilian Laszlo, senior sommelier, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Leo Levinson, head waiter, Claridge's, London
Nicolas Macahis, head waiter, Fortnum and Mason, London
Lewis McCarthy, chef de rang, the Ritz London
Harry Nugent, client dining host, BaxterStorey, UBS, London
Rebecca Panza, restaurant supervisor, Claridge's, London
Fatima Patel, event operations manager, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Ayla Raubenheimer, assistant manager, Cakes & Bubbles, Hotel Café Royal, London
Callum Robertson, restaurant floor manager, Raffles London at the OWO
Evan Russell, chef de rang, L'Enclume, Lancashire
Rohit Sharma, head waiter, The Greyhound, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Charnice Smith, junior assistant restaurant manager, SOURCE at Gilpin hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
Yusuf Soeharjono, waiter, Fortnum & Mason, London
Mélina Soulavie, assistant head sommelier, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London
Diana Carolina Suzuki Chong, assistant restaurant manager, Kerridge's Bar & Grill, Corinthia London
Brendan Tierney, chef de rang, the Balmoral, Edinburgh
Delphine Vielrecobre, head waiter, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, London
Dorel Vintila, head waiter, the Royal Automobile Club, London
Arne von Bismarck, restaurant service manager, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
Alexandra von Stauffenberg, restaurant supervisor, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO
Huw Williams, sommelier, the Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire
Diana Zebro, senior head waitress, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London
