After a year of hard work and dedication, Fareham College Hospitality & Catering students were delighted to attend the AA Hospitality Awards dinner this week as finalists for College Restaurant of the Year 2017.

The students have been involved in a number of projects throughout the year which successfully led them to the finals. After creating a video to showcase the restaurant’s full potential, they were soon shortlisted to the final 16 colleges and headed to London to compete. They attended a special judging day where industry experts put candidates through a series of practical tasks in order to shortlist three finalists.

Level 2 Professional Cookery students, Ben Smith and Lily Poling, represented Avenue 141 on the judging day and attended the awards evening at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. Ben said: “We had such a great time competing for College Restaurant of the Year. I chose to study Catering at Fareham College because I’ve always enjoyed cooking. Now I’m looking forward to continuing on to level 3 while learning at one of the best college restaurants in the country!”

The AA College Rosette Scheme was designed to recognise the efforts of students, both front and back of house, who are the future of our hospitality industry. The college accreditation process recognises colleges offering exceptional hospitality training and those that perform above and beyond in a specialist field as centres of excellence.

The annual AA Hospitality awards are a highlight of the industries calendar and are attended by world-renowned chefs, prominent hoteliers and restaurateurs, hospitality gurus and key media.

This year’s awards were no exception with a menu created by AA Chef of the Year 2016, Simon Rogan, and the celebrity entertainment from Great British Bake Off favourite, Mel Giedroyc. The awards provide recognition of excellence in all areas of the hospitality industry and celebrates establishments and individuals hard work and excellence.

Avenue 141 is run by the professional Hospitality and Catering students who are committed to providing every customer with a unique dining experience. The students work tirelessly to ensure customers receive the highest level of service, whilst enjoying high quality food that has been cooked using locally sourced ingredients.
Restaurant Manager, Holly Stephenson, said: “I am extremely proud of all the hard work that our students have put into getting us to the final. They have set a high bench mark for our new students who have joined us this year. We had such a wonderful evening, with fabulous food and great company. We would all like to congratulate South Cheshire and all their team for winning the award, and are looking forward to next year’s competition.”

Commercial Manager, Sammy Eastwood, commented: “It is fantastic to see the college being recognised for the high standard of food and customer service on offer in our silver service restaurant and we are very proud to be able to say we made it to the final. We look forward to entering again next year!”

Fareham College were proud to see Avenue 141 holding their own against such strong competition and would like to extend their congratulations to South Cheshire College for taking home the top prize. To book a table at Avenue 141, call us on 01329 815 244 or visit our website www.avenue-141.co.uk