On Friday 16th February, The Association of Catering Excellence held a spectacular Charity Dinner at The Langham London. 180 members and guests were in attendance at the glamorous black tie event. ACE Chair, Gaye Bullard (Sodexo) welcomed special guests including celebrity chefs, Michel Roux Jr and Adam Handling of The Frog, and Masterchef finalists Jamie Park (head chef at The Frog E1) and Steve Lickley from Vacherin Abby Guilding, chair of ACE’s chosen charity, The Wiggly Worm was also there to thank the ACE council for its continued support.
The evening started with a champagne reception, followed by an exquisite meal introduced by Michel Roux Jr. Michel inspired guests to dig deep for the charity, one that is close to his heart having worked with some of The Wiggly Worm chefs on the Channel 4 TV show, Kitchen Impossible:
“I’ve had some memorable times with The Wiggly Worm, helping people with a range of disabilities and mental health issues to secure jobs in the hospitality industry. Together, we can really make a difference to the lives of these young people, so dig deep and let’s put some more of them through this fantastic programme.”
The Wiggly Worm’s Managing Director, Abby Guilding explained how the funds raised would be used:
“This year, we want to open a ‘Community Kitchen’ hub in the city centre of Gloucester, to teach people with mental health issues and disabilities the skills required to cook healthy food independently, in a safe and fun environment. Many never get the opportunity to try cooking for themselves, have limited access to fresh produce, and do not get the chance to sit and share meals with others.
Your kind support will help us to set up and run this unique kitchen hub and give people the chance to cook, eat, and create opportunities for life.”
Adam Handling and Michel Roux JrAlso at the event were representatives of ACE’s ‘next generation’, rising stars of the hospitality industry including Laura Amos who won the ACE Robyns Award last year, and Marta Pegram who was highly commended.
The next ACE event is the Quiz Night on Wednesday 18th April at Lloyds London.