The ICC cooks up success at Midland’s food Oscars

Winning ICC chefs Matt Eades and Damian Thomas, left and centre

28th Mar 2011

Chefs at The ICC triumphed in last night’s MARCHE awards – scooping two culinary accolades including ’Young Chef of the Year’ for a consecutive time.

Over a thousand of the region’s top chefs and restaurant owners gathered at The ICC for the annual MARCHE awards (Midland’s Association of Restaurants, Caterers, Hoteliers and Entertainment) – the largest culinary award ceremony outside London.

It was a big night for The ICC as 18 year old Damian Thomas, from Birmingham, scooped ‘Young Chef of the Year’ and chef combo Matt Eades and Leon Churchill achieved Merit in the competitive ‘cook and serve’ category.

Simon Hellier, Executive Head Chef at The ICC, said: “The Midlands is renowned worldwide for our eclectic food offering and the MARCHE Awards celebrate the talent and innovation that runs through our restaurants, hotels and banqueting.

“ICC chefs have to be highly skilled and able to work under pressure. One day they could be creating a bespoke menu for 50 people and the next serving heads of state in an 1800 strong banquet. I believe we’ve got some of the best talent in Britain working in our kitchens and I’m pleased that our commitment has been recognised in the Midland’s premier culinary awards ceremony. The fact the awards were actually in The ICC makes it even more special.”

To triumph at the awards chefs must prove their talent in a series of practical tasks observed by some of the Midland’s most experienced chefs – culminating in a ‘cook off’ against competitors.

List of awards:

  • Damian Thomas won ‘Young Chef of the Year’ – just 12 months after leaving catering college. It’s the second year that Amadeus chefs have scooped the award with 22 year old Simone Maxwell winning last year.
  • Matt Eades, Pastry Chef at The ICC and Leon Churchill, Deputy Head Chef at The ICC achieved a Merit for ‘Cook and serve’ – where teams are required to devise an ambitious menu and deliver it to a panel of judges.

All chefs at The ICC work for The NEC Group’s catering business, Amadeus. This is the latest in a string of awards for the Amadeus team who have won over an incredible 600 awards to date.