Brian Turner CBE was last night awarded The Restaurant Association Award for services to Hospitality – celebrating with a reunion of Ready, Steady, Cook stars.
UKHospitality and The Nth Degree Global joined together to host the third annual The Restaurant Association Gala Dinner, Celebrating Excellence in Food & Wine Service on Monday 24 February 2020.
The prestigious event was held at The Savoy Hotel in the heart of London and raised £25,000 for Hospitality Action. The charity works to provide hospitality workers with financial, physical and psychological support to help them overcome adversity and get back to work as quickly as possible.
The award, presented on stage by James Martin was designed by Sarah Faberge and Joey Richardson. Sarah Faberge said:
"This unique egg objet award, created by Joey Richardson for Fabergé, represents many elements of Brian’s life. If we look closely, amongst the many symbols and illustrations, we can see references to the Yorkshire Rose, his father’s cafe, fish and chips, the Tuba, the Salvation Army, rugby, cricket, the London Marathon and Brian’s charitable interests including the Anthony Nolan Trust. Joey has paid homage to the opening of Turners of Walton St, his many TV appearances and books and of course his Michelin star and Presidency of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. The colourful butterfly (the artist's symbol) here represents Brian and the smaller butterflies are his trainees.
The base of the egg references both Yorkshire’s sandy coast and woodlands. The emeralds (kindly donated by Gemfields) not only represent the green forests of Yorkshire but the “Emerald” Headingley Stadium. A look inside the egg reveals one of Brian’s legendary recipes, a stack of Yorkshire puddings! Brian’s career and his many interests, documented on this bespoke egg objet are “crowned” by a chef’s hat”
The Restaurant Association Gala Dinner raised £25,000 through a live auction hosted by Brian Turner CBE plus a Heads or Tails competition with a prize from the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands provided provide the flights and accommodation for a coveted holiday to the Cayman Islands for two lucky winners. Diners paid £30 for their entry which went directly to the Hospitality Action Charity.
It was also announced that the awards for Young Chef Young Waiter 2020 will be held in the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai in November, in partnership with the Department for International Trade. Expo 2020 provides a global platform to showcase British innovation, creativity and collaboration to over 15 million visitors across the six months, from students and families to celebrities and heads of Government. Under the UK’s participation theme ‘Innovating for a shared future’ the topic of how we grow, consume and provide food sustainably will be a key point of discussion across the six months. Previous UK pavilions at World Expos have featured curated menus from some of the UK’s top chefs including Tom Kitchin, Angela Hartnett, Ken Hom and Tom Aikens.
Brian Turner CBE said: “It has just been such an exciting night and what a privilege to hold this award. I hold this award for lots of people, it is all about the hospitality industry and looking after people with food and drink. I’ve had such a good time in the industry and I can’t tell you how lucky I’ve been. Thank you to everyone at the Restaurant Association for the award for Services to Hospitality and to my friend James for coming to present it.”
James Martin said: “If anybody knows service, it’s Brian. I actually first met Brian Turner when I was nine years old in a kitchen. Brian was doing a dinner at a place called The Mallyan Spout in Goathland. As a young nine-year-old chef, keen as mustard, with a brand new starch jacket on, that’s when I walked into a professional kitchen for the very first time. He’s taught me a lot about life ever since then and he deserves this award for Services to Hospitality big time.”
