On Monday 11th September 2023 at the Maison de la Poste in Brussels, the Gault&Millau Belgium team presented the Catering Awards for the fifth time to the catering kitchens that have succeeded in differentiating themselves on various themes. Event caterers were also involved in this warm tribute.
“For just under 10 years, the Gault&Millau Catering Awards have been dedicated to the dynamic and fast-changing world of catering,” explains Marc Declerck, CEO of Gault&Millau. These awards are being granted (with a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic) for the fifth time this year. The importance of the sector cannot be underestimated. “Nowhere else in our country are so many meals served every day as in the companies, hospitals, schools and institutions where the chefs and their staff work”. The Gault&Millau aims to highlight people who have distinguished themselves in a significant and imaginative way in some aspect of their profession.
“Those in the catering sector who focus on hospitality deserve our attention”, insists Marc Declerck. “The same goes for those who think about the well-being of future generations in a sustainable way. And for the chefs and dieticians who create healthy, balanced and tasty dishes, the innovators and pioneers who come up with new and original ideas, and for those who make a difference, not only with good food, but also with an effective waste policy.”
Winners of the Gault&Millau Collectivity Kitchen Awards 2023:
Hospitality Award (Hospitality and customer relations):
PXL Catering, Hogeschool Hasselt (under own management)
Sustainability Award (Future well-being and corporate social responsibility):
AZ Zeno, Knokke (under own management)
CPAS Bastogne, Résidence Sans Souci with Sodexo (subcontracted)
Health Award (Health, food and nutritional aspects):
WZC Rustenhove, Ledegem (under own management)
Les Cuisines Bruxelloises (under own management)
Innovation in Catering Award (Innovation and originality):
Brussels Airlines with Aramark (sub-contracted)
Sint-Andriesziekenhuis, Tielt (under own management)
MSP Les 3 Arbres, Uccle (under own management)
Waste Management Award (waste management, prevention and recycling):
City of Ostend community kitchens (under own management)
CRP Les Marronniers, Tournai (under own management)
The editors of the Gault&Millau guide have also extended their vision of the world of catering to the events sector through their Catering Team. For the second time, they are presenting Event Catering Awards in four categories. “We highlight event caterers who have particularly distinguished themselves through an innovative approach or a healthy and sustainable food policy”, continues Marc Declerck. A special Gault&Millau Event Catering award is given to an event that stands out for its exceptional culinary experience. And finally, Gault&Millau Belgium is awarding a distinction to the event catering chefs who have demonstrated their professionalism in a specific competition.
Winners of the Gault&Millau Event Catering Awards 2023:
Innovative Catering Concept of the Year:
De Feestarchitect, Destelbergen
Healthy Event Caterer of the Year:
Elisabeth Catering, by a Room with a ZOO, Anvers
Best Catering Event of the Year:
KMSKA avec Seppe Nobels X Instroom and J&M Catering, 22 may 2023, Anvers
Event Catering Chef of the Year – Gold:
Han Smits, Gastronomie Nicolas, Beerse
Event Catering Chef of the Year – Silver:
Tim Nowé, Sir Catering, Gand
Event Catering Chef of the Year – Bronze:
Stefaan Urkens, Silverspoon, Schelle
In addition to this, Gault&Millau is announcing a new prize to be awarded in the next edition to a company or institution that stands out for its excellent human resources/employee welfare policy. “A highly strategic award at a time when it is not easy to find and keep qualified staff and when, as we can see, this sector is the focus of a great deal of effort”, concludes the director of Gault&Millau.
To coincide with the Gault&Millau Catering Awards 2023, the guide editor is publishing a digital magazine. As well as features on the winners, the magazine also includes best practice in the sector, interviews with industry professionals and a feature on human resources. The magazine is available digitally to the contract catering and event catering sector, and can be accessed via this link.
About the Catering Awards and Gault&Millau:
For Marc Declerck, CEO of Gault&Millau, the project is part of the expansion and renewal to which the company has been attaching great importance for 10 years now. “We’ve been food consultants for years, with a wide range of references, including Ostandaise – North Sea Food Fest, Tomorrowland, Aramark, Compass-Group and Gare Maritime Food Market, and we’ve been able to assess the quality of their offerings. In collaboration with Neuhaus, we have developed a range of wedding experiences and are promoting an expansion of the culinary sector with, for example, our Casual Dining selection. Our catering project aims to give a positive image to community kitchens and the event catering sector. These are all initiatives dedicated to innovation and quality enjoyment. We’re passionate about what we do, which gives us energy and keeps us coming up with ideas! This year, for example – and it’s a coincidence that this coincides with our 20th anniversary – we are publishing no less than three special guides: the very first edition of the Belgian wine guide, the new regional guide “A Taste of Haspengouw” and the second edition of the regional guide “A taste of Knokke-Heist”. We’ll end the year on a high note on 27 November 2023 with the publication of the new edition of the Belux restaurant guide. It remains our business card: the only printed restaurant guide and by far the largest in Belux.”
