Acorn Awards 2024: Ben Garnett-Sinclair, 27, head chef, Vacherin

Age 27

Position Head chef, Vacherin

Nominator Stephen Humphries, executive development chef, Vacherin

Ben Sinclair has progressed through Vacherin from apprentice to head chef in seven years, working steadily to increase his skillset. Along the way, he’s scooped awards such as Craft Guild of Chefs Young Apprentice 2016 and ACE Ready Steady Cook Gold Medal in 2023.

By 2022, Sinclair had worked through chef de partie and sous chef at the company’s blue-chip B&I contracts and was made head chef at a £1m contract in London with a brigade of 10 and seven front of house, delivering a monthly-changing fine dining menu for director’s dining and catering for large events.

By introducing a daily à la carte and last-minute lunch menu for executives, he has increased revenue by about £1,000 a week. This inspired another tenant in the building to use Vacherin’s fine-dining services for clients, boosting revenue by £2,500 a week.

Doing his bit for the planet, Sinclair has reduced food waste by 30% partly through creating three specials a week to use unused food, which has added £20,000 a year in additional revenue. He also designed a fish butchery class to demonstrate techniques to reduce waste. To date, 15 chefs have attended and now use this knowledge at their sites, supporting Vacherin’s sustainability initiatives and the clients’ ESG goals.

Sinclair gives a lot of his own time to develop others. He mentors chefs across the company and outside the business coaches young aspiring chefs for entry to the industry - his first-ever student is now his chef de partie. This includes teaching cookery at Surrey Dock Farm - a working community farm and education charity in London – for free.

Who has been your biggest champion in the industry?

"My executive chef Grazydas Sincia, he is always pushing me to the next level, letting me make mistakes and then learning how to rectify them, making my weaknesses my strengths."

How do you get the best out of your team?

"By taking them out of their comfort zone, ensuring they are executing every job at a high standard, and once a week letting them do a dish of their choice, to push their creative side and finally pushing them to do a competition."