Record-breaking number of Gold Service Scholarship winning finalists revealed

Ten young front of house professionals from across the UK will be competing in the final of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship – the highest number of winning finalists since the competition began.

Coming from a variety of restaurants, from Perthshire to Berkshire and Sussex to South Armagh, the candidates will go on to compete in the final at Corinthia London on 13 January.

Winning finalists will be tested on their preparation and planning for service of a three-course lunch to a table of four high-profile guests from across the hospitality sector.

They will be assessed on their welcome, wine and Champagne knowledge, professionalism, demeanour, social skills, the creation of three dishes table side, and their potential to become the Gold Service Scholar.

The highest achiever will then be announced at an awards ceremony at Claridge’s on 10 February and named as the 2025 Scholar.

The winning finalists are:

• Isabella Condon, junior assistant restaurant manager, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
• Jacob Cranch, restaurant manager, the Tasting Room, Rathfinny Wine Estate, Sussex
• Andrea Di Gangi, assistant restaurant manager, Northall restaurant, Corinthia London
• Valentino Galdi, head waiter, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
• Rogan Galea, assistant manager, the Strathearn, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• Charlotte Hughes, head waiter, the Grill by Tom Booton at the Dorchester, London
• James Kenny, food and beverage duty manager, Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry, South Armagh
• Rebecca Panza, restaurant supervisor, Claridge’s restaurant, London
• Delphine Vielrecobre, head waiter, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, London
• Huw Williams, sommelier, the Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire

The winning finalists were selected from what was the Gold Service Scholarship’s biggest ever semi-final at Rosewood London. Fifty candidates were tested on cocktail making, wine decanting, service priorities, event management, and table set up to an order.

Each year’s winning finalists and Scholar receive a range of prizes tailored to support their development, including a trip to Porto, a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School, Switzerland’s top hotel management school in Lausanne, and the opportunity to work at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

In addition, the Scholar and a commended winning finalist benefit from work experience at prestigious venues such as the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Hong Kong, an overseas Rocco Forte hotel, and the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, as well as a trip to Laurent-Perrier in Champagne.

All winning finalists also receive a host of professional development opportunities and automatically join the Team Gold alumni network.

Edward Griffiths, trustee and chair of judges, said: “This has been another exceptional year, so much so that we had to extend the number of semi-finalists and now the final itself includes more candidates than ever before.

“My fellow judges and I are extremely excited for the upcoming final and would like to wish a hearty congratulations to all the winning finalists.

“Making it to the quarter and semi-finals in the competition is an incredible achievement. These candidates have all demonstrated great skill and passion to reach the final. We are very much looking forward to their performance in January and finding out who will be the next Gold Service Scholar.”

The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 with the aim of inspiring the UK’s up and coming front of house talent with mentoring, study and placement opportunities.