4th May 2011 - 00:00
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Simon Hulstone and Jordan Bailey from The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay were awarded prestigious honours at the British Culinary Federation awards dinner at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on May 1.
Bailey, commis chef at the Michelin starred restaurant, was first to collect his Johnnie Borra Memorial award for the most promising young chef under the age of 25 who has demonstrated outstanding talent and enthusiasm. He said: "The last 12 months have been the most challenging and exciting of my career so far and to be recognised on a national level has made the experience even more rewarding." The Elephant's head chef Simon Hulstone was presented with the Classic Fine Foods Award for contributions of excellence to the hospitality industry. "It's fantastic to be taking back two awards to The Elephant," he said. "There's so much chef talent in this country right now that to win this kind of award is really something to be proud of. "Since he joined last year, Jordan has become a great asset to an already outstanding team. He was a fantastic support at the Bocuse d'Or and I believe he has huge potential; it's great to see his talent rewarded at such an early stage of his career. Other winners included Michael Edwards from University College Birmingham, who received the Robert J Smith Award, and Matt Davies, executive chef at the Lewis Partnership, who was presented with the Louis Cipolla Award.