Double success as Max reaches competition finals
Assistant Restaurant Manager Max Daglish has a lot to celebrate after reaching the finals in two prestigious service competitions.
Max is one of 10 waiter finalists in the Young Chef Young Waiter competition where he will compete in the finals at the Expo 2020, Dubai on 15 & 16 November.
He has also reached the semi finals of the Gold Scholarship Front of House competition. These take place at The Rosewood, London on 22 November.
Max joined Northcote in 2019 as Chef de Rang, working his way up to his current position as Assistant Restaurant Manager.
During the pandemic lockdowns he worked in two care homes in the kitchen, and helped to arrange dinners to re-unite couples and families who were forced to spend time apart due to Covid restrictions.
He said: “I found my time in the care homes really rewarding and fulfilling. Being able to bring couples back together when they had been apart was a magical thing to be part of and I found it quite emotional to help facilitate them re-unite. My values have changed after working there and it’s made me more focused on spending time with the people around me that I care about, and it’s helped me to put things in life in perspective more.”
Young Chef Young Waiter Competition
The application process involved answering 3 detailed questions about service and how you would help develop the next generation of front of house team members. Entrants also had to record a short video interview about themselves and answer a series of multiple choice questions about general hospitality service.
Max said “I found out a couple of weeks later that I was one of the 10 front of house people who were chosen to compete in the semi-final at The Dubai Expo 2020. When I got the email saying I’d got through, I was surprised but very happy about it. I feel grateful that I have the opportunity to show what I’ve learned working at Northcote and I’m really excited for the trip! I haven’t been told what will be required yet so it’s a bit nerve-wracking, but it does make it more of a level playing field for everyone.”
The semi-finals take place on Monday 15th November and the final will be held on Tuesday 16th with the winners’ ceremony on the same day. The winners receive an all expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi and highly sought after tickets to watch the seasonal finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max added “I’m a big fan of the Grand Prix so it would be amazing to win. You also get paddock club access which is invitation only, so it’s a really incredible prize. The winners will also be guests at the Restaurant Association Gala Dinner on 22 November at The Dorchester which would be a very exciting experience.
The Gold Service Scholarship
Max competed in the quarter finals of the Gold Scholarship on 25 October at Hotel Café Royal after passing the initial application stage. At the quarter final, entrants had to undertake a series of individual tasks to test their knowledge and the skills in different aspects of food and beverage service.
This week, the semi-finals were announced, with Max successfully reaching the next stage of the renowned competition. The semi finals will test competitors on table preparation, deciding service priorities, wine and drinks service and salesmanship.
Scholarship prizes are based around an individual assessment of the personal and professional development needs of the winner, to be taken over the following year. This could include for example three or four stages, each of one-week duration at a range of different establishments, and a wine-based study visit, together with personal mentoring from one of a family of judges. In addition, the Scholar will be provided with a range of learning/qualification opportunities, customised to the Scholar’s individual aspirations. There may also be accreditations and awards for other Finalists on merit.
Max says his long-term ambition is to have his own business: “In the future, I want to continue furthering my career in hospitality and my dream is to open my own restaurant one day. I’m also really keen to be involved in mentoring the front of house staff of the future. ”