The ceda Technical Awards were introduced last year to recognise and reward outstanding achievements by ceda members and suppliers.

Awards were present at an awards evening following The Catering Equipment Industry Technical Conference in Nottingham on 11th October. There were two awards for individuals and one for a member company as well as one for a supplier.

The first award was the Technical Rising Star award which recognises someone who has been in their current job for less than 5 years and who has made a significant difference to the service to a member’s customers. The judges shortlisted two candidates for this award:

Matthew Bridges – HB Catering and Refrigeration Ltd
Matt joined HB as a mature apprentice having been to university where he gained a degree in Design Technology before undertaking several courses as he was keen to get into the fire service. He came to the attention HB as his father is a refrigeration engineer with whom some of HB’s senior engineers had apprenticed with and as the fire service was not recruiting, Matt was looking for an apprenticeship. Since joining the company he has progressed quickly to achieve his gas and refrigeration accreditations and is now working as an installation engineer responsible for sourcing all the material, arranging deliveries and accommodation for himself and other engineers and doing commissioning and handover to clients. One client, Chris Ferriday Head of Property for Brains Brewery said, “Can you please pass on a personal thank you to Matt Bridges who carried out the training at the Dock on Monday. I was extremely impressed with the confidence of the detailed delivery of training that was provided to the Operational management team”. His MD describes him as a great asset to the company.

Sam Howe –  Court Catering Equipment Ltd
Sam came into the company as a trainee engineer in 2013. Prior to joining the business Sam had qualified as a water sports instructor however he realised that he had very limited opportunities in that sector. Sam is now a fully qualified gas and electrical catering engineer. He is by his own admission not the finished article, as he wants to progress further with dishwasher work but has really shone as of late in the department by furthering his career and undertaking his comcat 5 and LPG gas tickets this year. He is always willing to learn and go that extra step to ensure any job is completed to the best of his ability. Sam has been out on his own for the last 18 months and has really become a key valuable member of the Court team.

The winner was Matt Bridges who received a top of the range Kane flue gas analyser donated by Commercial Catering Spares.

The second individual award was for the Apprentice of the Year. The two candidates considered for this award were:

Scott Jordan – Airedale Technical Care
Scott joined the company in 2016 at the age of 18 and was initially mentored by a number of experienced engineers to the point that by 2016 he had achieved his Gas ACS Accreditations, however, it was clear that there was an attitude issue with Scott not wanting to be late home and avoiding early starts in a morning. After a review meeting with his Technical Manager it was made clear that things would have to change if he was to succeed in the Hospitality industry which is 24/7. Since that day, he has embraced all the challenges presented to him and now always goes the extra mile to ensure the customer gets the best possible service.

Andy Smith – Court Catering Equipment Ltd
Andy joined court in 2012 as a dishwasher engineer having had some experience in this area but having previously worked as a French polisher and a golf instructor, jobs far removed from the role of a catering service engineer. The company very quickly realised that he was capable of much more and therefore put him onto a fast track training schedule with a senior engineer since when he has achieved his full Natural and LP Gas Com-Cat Accreditations, attended several manufacturers’ courses and is already progressed to the stage where he is training another engineer.

The winner was Scott Jordan who receives £500 worth of tools donated by First Choice Catering Spares

The ceda member company award is the Groundbreaker Award. This award is to recognise and reward a technical initiative that has been introduced by a member which benefits their customers. The judges again shortlisted two entries;

Vision Commercial Kitchens – for the Catering Engineer UK Forum
What was initially intended as a means of finding engineers who could carry out maintenance and repair work for Vision has now developed into a busy forum where engineers can seek help from other engineers resulting in faster fault diagnosis, more first time fixes and less recalls, all of which benefit customers. One ceda member who uses the forum describes it as “a priceless tool which is used by over 500 engineers”.

CHR Equipment – for developing flood proof induction technology
Following the devastating floods caused by storm Desmond in December 2015, the all electric cooking suite at the Castle Dairy restaurant in Kendal was damaged beyond repair and the restaurant’s insurers were not willing to provide new cover unless the client could guarantee that the replacement equipment was “flood proof”. CHR not only designed unique Induction Cooking facilities in which the main components were housed at high level but also built into the cooking suite a platform lift which could raise the unit above flood water levels.

The winner was Vision Commercial Kitchens.

The above awards were judged by Nick Oryino, Chairman of the Catering Engineers Standards and Regulations Board and Jonathan Booth, Managing Director of Commercial Catering Spares.

The supplier award was to recognise outstanding technical support to ceda members and particularly their engineers.  This award was voted for by ceda members and the top three companies were:

First Choice Catering Spares
Maidaid – Halcyon
Meiko UK
– The winner was Meiko UK Ltd