The Beacon down Tea Garden Lane
Talent in Tunbridge Wells
I am hopping around like a proud mother hen as not one but two of the talented team at The Beacon, part of the I'll be Mother group in Kent have been shortlisted for a national hospitality award. Doug Sanham, 27, Sous Chef and George Lee, 19, Assistant Manager at The Beacon, are two finalists on a shortlist of 10 including entries from the Four Seasons and The Savoy Hotel, London for the national scholarship and bursary, worth £5,000.
Known as the Acorns, the prestigious Scholarship is an independent bursary award created by The Caterer, the leading trade magazine for the restaurant and hospitality industry. The competition presents a young manager, chef, HR manager, sommelier, or any young high-achiever involved in hospitality with the opportunity to make a name for themselves by presenting their skills and ambitions to some of the most respected names in the industry.
With a prize worth more than £5,000, the 2017 Acorn Scholar will become part of a prestigious Acorn Scholarship alumni. The scholarship is now in its 14th year, and past winners include Simon Houston, now sales director of Bartlett Mitchell, award-winning chocolatier and patissier Will Torrent and Daniel McLoughlin, opening project manager of Shoda Café & Restaurant.
The winner will be chosen after a full day of face-to-face interviews at Coworth Park, Berkshire in on 21st November.
The Beacon, known as the Garden Kitchen, is an 80 cover restaurant, with private dining and event space and is part of the I’ll be Mother group including The Twenty Six in Southborough (Test Kitchen) and The Swan at Chapel Down in Tenterden (Wine Kitchen). All three restaurants have been listed in the recent Michelin Eating Out Guide 2017.