Barcelo Hotels UK names Apprentice Chef of the Year 2010

May 17, 2010 - PRLog -- The event took place at the luxury Barceló Walton Hall 4 star hotel in Warwickshire, where five graduates battled it out in a Master Chef style competition to win the title.

James, who trained as a Commis Chef at the lavish Barceló the Lygon Arms hotel in the Cotswolds, stood out with his dish of ‘Supreme Chicken with Fondant Potatoes, Carrot Puree and Carrot Crisps’ followed by a ‘Dark Chocolate Tart with Milk Chocolate Sauce’.

James has recently been promoted to Chef de Partie at the hotel. He says: “The competition was extremely challenging and really tested my food knowledge as we only had 20 minutes to come up with the dishes. I am over the moon to have received this award as well as graduating from the Barceló Chef’s Academy and I am now much more confident in my ability. I have been passionate about food since I was a child and I hope to continue working with Barcelo Hotels & Resorts UK for many more years to come.”

Charles Prew, Chief Executive Officer for Barceló UK awarded James with a £600 set of Global Knives in recognition of his achievement, as well as work experience at the fabulous Barceló Asia Gardens Hotel in Spain.
Commending James he said: “I was impressed with all the young chefs but James particularly stood out because of his creativity and passion. I’m sure he will do extremely well in his career and I am very pleased to welcome him as part of the permanent team at the Barceló the Lygon Arms hotel in Cotswolds.”

The Barceló the Lygon Arms Hotel dates back to the 16th Century and is situated in the heart of the Cotswolds. It boasts 2 AA Rosette awarded restaurant, The Great Hall, as one of its many highlights.  

Tim Whibley from the Barceló Old Ship Hotel in Brighton, Zolt Kobel from the Barceló Angel Hotel in Cardiff,  Pawel Brzezinski from the Barceló Cheltenham Park Hotel and Virender Singh from the Barceló Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire also graduated from the Academy and were each presented with a set of Victrinox Chefs Knives, along with their Graduation Certificates.


The Barceló Apprentice Chef Academy (BACA) was designed to improve the shortage of skilled chefs within the UK hospitality industry. It aims to create and train exceptional and knowledgeable professionals and retain the very best of the UK’s culinary talent.

Recruitment for next year’s Barceló Apprentice Chefs will start in August.

Notes to Editor:


Barceló UK has 21 hotels throughout the country, from traditional coastal and country retreats to vibrant town and city getaways, all the way from Scotland to Torquay.
With over 2800 bedrooms and 217 conference and meeting rooms, plus Health & Leisure Clubs and spacious grounds for team building and outdoor events in many locations, Barceló UK offers extensive facilities to both corporate and leisure guests.

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