Nearly 50 members of the Vacherin team were singled out for special praise for their high achievements and long service at the VIP reception held at the ORTUS Centre in Denmark Hill.
Mark Philpott, Vacherin’s managing director, opened the awards by explaining that the event was all about acknowledging and celebrating the successes over the past year, and especially, all of the talented people that make up the Vacherin team.
Vacherin’s ‘Employee of the Year’ was awarded to Andrew Lane, recently promoted to catering supervisor at Bain & Company.
Philpott said: “Andrew has done an incredible job at Bain and has recently been promoted from café assistant to Catering Supervisor. He knows and understands what our clients want there and he works seamlessly with the café, kitchen and our hospitality service.
“Andrew has played a big part in our Sparkle innovation process, in marketing workshops, merchandising and many more areas beside. He is a fantastic team player liked by colleagues and customers alike and he’s a credit to Bain and Vacherin.”
The winner of Vacherin’s culinary cook-off competition, Hot Nosh, was also announced at the event. The Prix D’Or trophy was presented to Urbaneers team, comprising chefs, managers and front of house staff from Vacherin’s teams at Imagination, The Building Centre, Mercers and Cushman & Wakefield.
The Evonne Baptiste Award, named in honour of long term employee Evonne Baptiste who sadly passed away in 2013 and who epitomised service excellence, was awarded to John Pinto from Maudsley Learning. John, known for constantly having a smile on his face and time for everyone, was recognised for his excellent customer service and anticipating the needs of his customers.
Awards celebrating great achievement and contribution also included Five and Ten Year Long Service Awards, the Sparkle Innovation prizes, and the Triple D Awards (nicknamed after the three Vacherin Directors) for the team members personifying the Vacherin brand personality of Tastier, Brighter and Stronger.
The 2015 Hot Shots Roll of Honour:
Employee of the Year – Andrew Lane, Catering Supervisor, Bain & Company
Urbaneers Hot Nosh team – team members from Imagination, The Building Centre, Mercers and Cushman & Wakefield
Triple D’s Tastier Award for Nick Smith, Head Chef, for consistently fabulous food and amazing cakes
Triple D’s Brighter Award for Loulou Benites, Catering Manager from Maudsley Learning, for fantastic service with a smile and for generating great sales growth
Triple D’s Stronger Award for Lenka Sarkozovia, Accounts Assistant, for being understated, knowledgeable and versatile, and for going way beyond the extra mile.
Sparkle Innovation Award – the team at Bain & Co
Best Individual Sparkle idea was won by Monica Pereiro from Field Fisher, for her cold brew coffee and iced tea service for hospitality over the summer months
Evonne Baptiste Award – awarded to John Pinto, from Maudsley Learning for excellent customer service and anticipating the needs of his customers.
5-Year and 10-Year Long Service Awards – nearly 20 employees awarded, representing 1 in 12 employees of Vacherin
Barista of the Year – Oliver Isiuwa from Battersea Power Station