Stacey Dacosta
September 13, 2024
News

We shook things up at our biggest event of the year, the BaxterStorey People Awards, where we turned the spotlight to our incredible people who make it all happen.

Held at the iconic Honourable Artillery Company in London, nearly 300 team members travelled in from Ireland, France, Netherlands, Norway and all corners of the UK – a symbol of the strength and diversity we have in our BaxterStorey family!

At the reception, Wandering Hands, an acoustic trio band, floated between groups of guests letting them pick the tunes and getting them ready for a jam-packed evening of celebration. Gourmet bites made the rounds, including salmon tartlets, cheddar jalapeno doughnuts, and BBQ jackfruit tacos – all curated by the talented Searcy’s team.

In the grand dining room, our CEO, Ronan Harte, opened the night, reflecting on our amazing year and summer of regional people awards celebrations, where we held 7 regional parties with nearly 1,000 team members!

Guests were treated to showstopping starters, burrata with a stunning heritage tomato salad with pickled shallots and sourdough crisp. For the main course, choices of short rib of beef with creamed potatoes or potato and wild mushroom pithivier were dished up.

Beatboxing band Duke lit up the stage with their high-energy performance, getting the crowd on their feet and fuelling their excitement for the big moment – the Grand Final awards! With 12 categories, we celebrated all our of stars, from Chef of the Year to Front of House Star and Kitchen Porter of the Year.

Celebrating our culinary heroes, Chef Partners Thuy Pham presented the well-deserved Chef of the Year to Jess Simpson while Bettina Campolucci Bordi proudly awarded Chef Manager of the Year to Andrejs Aleksejevs.

Project Knead, made a big splash, winning the Gamechanger of the Year award, securing top spot in the people’s vote! A surprise category was also introduced, the Gamechanger Location special award, presented to chefs, Andre and Jam for their incredible work on their Caribbean street food pod at BCU, Soul Hut.

Victor Shooter scooped up Kitchen Porter for the year, with Operations Manager, Mark Evertt, praising his 26 years of service, “Victor’s hard work, and consistency have made a real difference to our business. He’s the backbone of our kitchen operations, and his commitment is an inspiration to us all.”

As the ceremony drew to a close, one final special award stirred the room – the BaxterStorey Award. Our young star, Account Director Tabitha Kirby, was recognised for her incredible work in successfully leading one of our flagship accounts and one of our busiest locations in London. WSH Executive Director, Noel Mahoney praised Tabitha’s ability to “spot talent, provide huge encouragement and create the youngest, most dynamic leadership team in BaxterStorey”.

The party continued with a cocktail bar and dessert station, serving up martinis and margaritas, along with indulgent desserts like coconut and lime cheesecake and banoffee pies. To keep everyone fuelled until the early hours, late-night snacks like sliders, sausage rolls, and fish & chips were also up for grabs.

Here’s to another unforgettable night. Congratulations to all our winners!

Replay all the highlights here.