2022 Scholar – Thomas Gammella
Thomas Gammella, from the Clockspire Restaurant in Somerset was named the Gold Service Scholarship’s 2022 Scholar on 15 February at a gala reception and presentation at Claridge's in London.
Having proceeded through the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final assessments over the past several months, where tasks and interviews covered a wide variety of front-of-house skills, all eight of the Winning Finalists shone through. Thomas Gammella proved to be a particularly noteworthy candidate through the entire process. His background, prior to joining The Clockspire as Deputy Restaurant Manager, and then becoming Restaurant Manager, was in Milan as a waiter at both Ristorante Da Palmiro and Da Regina Irio, and as a trainee at Hotel dei Giardini. Special Commendation has also been awarded to two Finalists - Manon Gaillard, Senior Footman at the Royal Household, and Harry Champion, Private Members Club Manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
“Thomas Gammella has shown himself to be a very personable and confident young man, with great front of house service skills, and he is a worthy Scholar. The judging process was once again a difficult task, faced with eight Winning Finalists, and all with such wonderful talent. They should all be proud of their achievement as we celebrate Thomas as the Scholar, and Manon Gaillard and Harry Champion as Commended Finalists. As we mark our 10th anniversary, we are encouraged to see such talent continuing to shine in our Industry.”
As the new Scholar, Thomas will enjoy a range of prizes with personalised opportunities to broaden his hospitality experience, including opportunities of work experience at Buckingham Palace and the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, an educational visit to Laurent Perrier and a four-day specialised course, together with all Winning Finalists at Lausanne Hotel School. Sergio Rebecchi added:
“The unique educational opportunities Thomas has earned, will be of great benefit to achieve his goals in his chosen career path in hospitality.”
The other Winning Finalists in this years’ competition are:
Julien Beltzung
Executive Sommelier, The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Perthshire
Harry Champion
Private Membership Club Manager, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Max Daglish
Assistant Restaurant Manager, Northcote Hotel, Lancashire
Manon Gaillard
Senior Footman, Royal Household
Riccardo Migliorini
Chef de Rang, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
Valentina Pirri
Guest Relations Manager, Davies and Brook, Claridge’s
Anne Rasing
Restaurant Supervisor, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, Corinthia London
