Gold Service Scholarship 2025 reveals names of 50 semi-finalists

The Gold Service Scholarship 2025 has announced the names of 50 young front of house professionals who have qualified for the semi-finals.

This year marks the competition’s biggest ever semi-final, featuring participants from all across the industry.

It comes after a tense set of quarter-finals, which took place last month at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London.

Candidates were tested on their food and beverage knowledge through interviews, written assessments and a table layout test. 

The 50 semi-finalists competing in the next round of the 2024 Gold Service Scholarship at the Rosewood London on 29 November are:

• Nikola Antoniou, assistant restaurant manager, the Waldorf Hilton, London
• Corentin Aucagne, sommelier, Core by Clare Smyth, London
• Tegan-Jayne Bateman, assistant restaurant manager, Buckland Manor, Worcestershire
• Adrien Besnard, chef de rang, the Ritz London 
• Laura Bishop, food and beverage executive, the Langham, London
• Katie Blake, senior head waiter, Trinity, London
• Ellena Coglan, chef de rang, Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
• Isabella Condon, junior assistant restaurant manager, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
• Jacob Cranch, restaurant manager, the Tasting Room, Rathfinny Wine Estate, Sussex
• Tara Dempsey, assistant hospitality manager, Restaurant Associates, Bank of America, London
• Andrea Di Gangi, assistant restaurant manager, Corinthia London
• Bradley Dorrington, director/owner, the Wine Cellar, Bury St Edmunds
• Lisa Dransfield, head waitress, the Samling hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
• Zain El Filali Ali, restaurant manager, Searcys, St Pancras Bar & Brasserie, London
• Severino Fascendini, restaurant manager, the Clockspire, Sherborne, Somerset
• Valentino Galdi, head waiter, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
• Rogan Galea, assistant manager, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• Niko Gjikoka, floor manager, the Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay, London
• Alanna Goddard, food and beverage service manager, event operations, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
• Hugh Graham, restaurant supervisor, Claridge’s, London
• Rachel Harvey, restaurant supervisor, Rosewood London
• Cayleigh Heffernan, food and beverage supervisor, Claridge’s London
• Daisy Hudson, assistant restaurant manager, the Botanical Rooms, the Newt, Somerset
• Charlotte Hughes, head waitress, the Grill by Tom Booton, the Dorchester, London
• Daniel Johnson, restaurant manager, the Grand, York
• Peter Keane, supervisor, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
• James Kenny, food and beverage duty manager, Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry, South Armagh
• Jessica Lambie, head of beverage, 64 Goodge Street, London
• Maximilian Laszlo, senior sommelier, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
• Leo Levinson, head waiter, Claridge’s, London
• Nicolas Macahis, head waiter, Fortnum & Mason, London
• Lewis McCarthy, chef de rang, the Ritz London
• Harry Nugent, client dining host, BaxterStorey, UBS, London
• Rebecca Panza, restaurant supervisor, Claridge’s, London
• Fatima Patel, event operations manager, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
• Ayla Raubenheimer, assistant manager, Cakes & Bubbles, Hotel Café Royal, London
• Callum Robertson, restaurant floor manager, Raffles London at the OWO
• Evan Russell, chef de rang, L’Enclume, Lancashire
• Rohit Sharma, head waiter, the Greyhound, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
• Charnice Smith, junior assistant restaurant manager, Source at Gilpin hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
• Yusuf Soeharjono, waiter, Fortnum & Mason, London
• Mélina Soulavie, assistant head sommelier, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London
• Diana Carolina Suzuki Chong, assistant restaurant manager, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, Corinthia London
• Brendan Tierney, chef de rang, the Balmoral, Edinburgh
• Delphine Vielrecobre, head waiter, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, London
• Dorel Vintila, head waiter, the Royal Automobile Club, London
• Arne von Bismarck, restaurant service manager, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire
• Alexandra von Stauffenberg, restaurant supervisor, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO
• Huw Williams, sommelier, the Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire
• Diana Zebro, senior head waitress, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London

Edward Griffiths, chair of judges, said: “This year’s quarter-finals saw a great quality of candidates who demonstrated that they deserved a place in the semi-finals. 

“My fellow judges and I are looking forward to hosting the biggest semi-final the Gold Service Scholarship has ever seen and finding out which of these young front-of-house professionals has what it takes to make it to the final and potentially be our next scholar.”

The final will take place on 13 January 2025 at the Corinthia London, with the scholar named at an awards ceremony on 10 February at Claridge’s in London. 

The Gold Service Scholarship was founded in 2012 to celebrate and raise the profile of young front of house professionals.