CODE’s list of London’s most inspirational hospitality staff in the UK under 30 has just been released for 2018, and boy are things ever looking promising for the capital’s restaurant scene.
The ranking is based on “young individuals who have offered a notable contribution in redefining hospitality across the UK throughout 2017” and is packed with bright young things who are destined for glory in the world of food and drink.
There’s a seriously good spread of London restaurants named on the list, with some of the standout names including Perilla, Kricket, Western’s Laundry, Farang, Pidgin, Bao and Balls & Company.
And just to make you feel really old, the youngest chef on the list is Krisztian Palinkas, who's working as head chef at Rambla at the tender age of just 23.
They’ve also picked 10 ‘ones to watch’ in 2018 - so we suggest keeping a very close eye indeed on what they’re up to....
“It’s not only amazing to see what people have achieved in their career during their twenties, but also a reminder how this industry allows those who are dedicated and hard-working to excel to the top of the tree very quickly,” said Adam Hyman, CODE Hospitality founder.
Here’s the full list.
- Dan Graham, 30 - Head Chef, Pidgin
- Krisztian Palinkas, 23 - Head Chef, Rambla
- Bonny Porter, 28 - Owner, Balls & Company
- Fin Spiteri, 27 - Bar Manager, Rochelle Canteen at the ICA
- Tommy Banks, 28 - Owner & Head Chef, The Black Swan
- Tori Slater, 29 - Managing Director, Gerber Communications
- Toby Burrowes, 26 - Head Chef, Elystan Street
- Niall Keating, 26 - Executive Chef, Whatley Manor
- Ben Marks, 25 and Matt Emmerson, 26 – Co-owner’s, Perilla
- Aaron Webster, 28 – Co-owner, Smoke & Salt
- Will Bowby, 29 and Rik Campbell, 29 – Co-owner’s, Kricket
- Merlin Labron-Johnson, 26 – Executive Chef, Portland and Clipstone
- Jeremy Chan, 30 - Co-owner and Head Chef, Ikoyi
- Ollie Templeton, 26 - Co-owner and Head Chef, Carousel
- Erchen Chang, 27 - Co-owner and Chef-Director, XU and BAO
- Tom Adams, 29 - Co-owner, Coombeshead Farm
- Bastien Ferreri, 28 - Food and Beverage Manager, Frenchie Covent Garden
- Matthew Maynard, 27 - Head of food & drink, Trafalgar St. James
- Rob Howell, 25 - Co-Founder and Head Chef, Root
- Francis Roberts, 30 - General Manager and Sommelier, Westerns Laundry
- Sophie Orbaum, 28 - Head of Communications, The Harts Group
- Richie Corrigan, 28 - General Manager, Corrigans Mayfair
- Sebby Holmes, 27 - Owner, Farang
- Liam Nelson, 30 - Restaurant Director, Stevie Parle Restaurants
- Addyson Pope, 29 - Marketing Manager, Caprice Holdings
- Luca Missaglia, 29 - Senior Bar Manager, Aqua Shard
- Greg Almeida, 29 - Head Bartender, Scarfes bar at Rosewood London
- Oscar Holgado, 28 - Head Chef, Murano
- Richard Sharples, 27 - Executive Chef, Elite Bistros
- Rose Ashby, 27 - Head Chef, Spring
Meanwhile, here’s the 10 to watch for next year..
- Vicky Heafeld, 28 - Head chef, Berber & Q Shawarma Bar, 28
- Sara Lewis, 28 - Head chef, The Pilgrm
- Katherine Craughwell, 28 - Manager, Bulrush
- Harry Bown, 28 General manager - Granary Square Brasserie
- Ali Borer, 28 - Head chef, Smoking Goat Shoreditch
- Jonny Mills, 28 - Chef-director, The Tame Hare
- Innes Haywood, 26 - Restaurant manager, Moor Hall
- Kiloran Buckler 27 - Restaurant manager
- Tom Brown 26 - Sous chef, Gauthier
- Julia Oudill 28 - Wine and spirit director, Experimental Group
Find out more about Code: Visit CODE’s website or follow them on Twitter @codehospitality.