Scott Crowe, a supervisor at Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, was announced as the 2024 Gold Service Scholarship Scholar last night at the annual awards ceremony at Claridge’s hotel in London.
Crowe, who is originally from Australia, has been at Balmoral for five years, initially starting as a chef de rang before working his way up to supervisor level.
He was presented his title in front of more than 250 high-profile guests from across the hospitality sector.
As part of his prize, Crowe will be able to take advantage of a range of educational trips, work placements and development opportunities, tailored to his knowledge and skills, including a bespoke course at the world-famous EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland; working at a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle; placements at Michelin-starred restaurants and five-star hotels in the UK and abroad including the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Bangkok; a Rocco Forte hotel in Italy and educational trips to Champagne and Porto.
Simona Federová, chef de rang, The Ritz London and Etienne Harding, assistant restaurant manager, The Goring Hotel, London, were both highly commended on the evening.
The eight winning finalists were tested through a series of tasks and interviews culminating in an exciting final in January, where they had to prepare for and serve a three-course lunch – including canapés, Champagne and wines – to a table of four at the Corinthia London.
They will all also receive a range of development opportunities, including the study trip to Lausanne, and have automatically joined the Team Gold alumni network.
Crowe said: “I can’t believe it. You prepare yourself for every eventuality but I’m still a bit numb. I’ve worked very hard for this and I can’t wait to make the most of my time with the mentors, as well as enjoying some incredible learning opportunities.”
Chair of judges Edward Griffiths said: “This has been yet another incredible year. Not only did we see a record-breaking number of entrants but the fact that we have two highly-commended candidates just tells you how high the standards were.”
Alastair Storey, chair of the Gold Service Scholarship, said: “Ever since we launched the Scholarship 12 years ago, we had a clear vision; we wanted to encourage more people into the sector and celebrate and recognise those already doing an exceptional job of maintaining the service standards that make our industry one of the best in the world.
“We also wanted to create a group of ambassadors who can continue to inspire future generations. We’re delighted with the appetite and passion that so many of our candidates demonstrated this year and can’t wait to see how their careers develop and evolve over the coming years.”
The full list of winning finalists is below:
– Serena Buono, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Royal Automobile Club, Surrey
– Scott Crowe, Supervisor, Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
– Simona Federová, Chef de Rang, The Ritz London
– Etienne Harding, Assistant Restaurant Manager, The Goring Hotel, London
– Rizwan Khan, General Manager, Junsei Marylebone, London
– Annabel Rohm, Restaurant Assistant Manager, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire
– Alexandra Sollis, Guest Relations Manager, The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
– Joe Southwood, Assistant Lounge Manager, Corinthia London a
