Grand Jersey executive head chef shortlisted for Craft Guild of Chefs Award

James Qualtrough | May 17, 2012 | 0 Comments

Richard Allen, executive head chef at Grand Jersey, has reached the final three in the Restaurant Chef of the Year category of the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs Awards.

The awards, now in their 19th year, recognise the talent that exists within British kitchens today. Established in 1965 as a Guild of the Cookery and Food Association, the Craft Guild of Chefs has developed into the leading chefs’ association in the UK and has many members worldwide.

Richard Allen is delighted to be shortlisted. ‘I am thrilled to reach the final three. The awards are a fantastic way to pay tribute to chefs from across the industry and I can’t express my delight at being included alongside such talented chefs from leading restaurants such as The Ivy, The Savoy and The Ritz. I’m looking forward to the presentation at Wembley!’

An elite line up of judges has whittled down a record number of entries for the 2012 Craft Guild of Chefs Awards to reveal the final three nominees for each of the categories. Those shortlisted will have to wait until the awards ceremony on June 13th, which takes place at Wembley Stadium, to find out which of them has won these coveted prizes.

There are 16 awards in total, 14 open to nominations, and two that are decided by a special team of Craft Guild member judges. These include an award which is presented to the person who, above all, has made an outstanding contribution to the industry. The New Restaurant of the Year Award is also judged by the Craft Guild committee.

Mr Allen, has been executive head chef at Grand Jersey’s Michelin starred restaurant, Tassili, since 2007, and has enjoyed significant recognition since taking on the role. After only six months at Grand Jersey, Mr Allen was awarded three AA Rosettes for Tassili, and has retained them for three consecutive years. Most recently he was recognised in the prestigious Debrett’s 2012 People of Today list, after securing his Michelin star in October 2011. He has also been shortlisted for a prestigious Hotel Catey award two years in succession, 2010 and 2011.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Mr Allen trained at Bournemouth and Poole catering school before embarking on his career as a chef and has since had the opportunity to work with a variety of renowned chefs including Australian master chef Cheong Liew, Martin Blunos and Michele Roux JR – all of whom have influenced Mr Allen’s style of cuisine.

After working in various Michelin starred kitchens, Mr Allen took up the head chef role at the Cavendish Restaurant in Bath where he gained his first 3 AA Rosettes. Following three years at the Cavendish, Mr Allen relocated to Jersey to take up the position of executive head chef at Grand Jersey.

Mr Allen has been shortlisted in the Restaurant Chef Award alongside Morgan Meunier of Morgan M Ltd and Paul Shields of the Covent Garden Hotel.