WestKing Nominated for Two Prestigious Awards

Westminster Kingsway College’s award-winning School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Victoria has been nominated in two categories at the coveted Cateys Awards 2020.

The Cateys are the ‘Oscars’ of the hospitality industry, and are run by the leading industry magazine The Caterer. The awards are one of the biggest events in the hospitality calendar and recognise the “most talented individuals, the biggest brands and strongest performers in the hospitality industry.”

WestKing has been shortlisted in two categories:

• Deputy Executive Principal (and Master Chocolatier) Gary Hunter, is shortlisted for the Education and Training Award;
• The college’s unique and innovative Culinary Medicine programme and degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition, have been nominated for the Health and Nutrition Award.

Speaking about his nomination, Gary Hunter said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been shortlisted for this year’s Cateys, alongside three other great culinary educators.

“I am fortunate to lead a wonderful team of professionals at Westminster Kingsway College, who inspire and educate our culinary students every day. This nomination is very much a recognition of their hard work, dedication and expertise.”

The #Cateys 2020 shortlist for the Health and Nutrition Award has @Westking nominated this year. Phenomenal work by the whole team to even be shortlisted. I couldn’t be prouder! #culinaryhealth #foodchallenge #HealthyEating #culinarymedicine

— Gary Hunter (@GaryHunterChef) September 30, 2020

Westminster Kingsway College has over 100 years’ culinary expertise and we are at the forefront of the emerging science of culinary medicine. We help to run a culinary medicine course for NHS clinicians (in partnership with Culinary Medicine UK), and running our own Degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition.

The culinary medicine course gives doctors and medical students a greater understanding of the vital role that nutrition plays in health, and enables them to speak to their patients about the dietary changes they could make based on their medical condition.

The course has recently been adapted to educate students about nutrition challenges that have been exacerbated by COVID-19, for example the difficulties that some – especially those from poorer households – have in getting good-quality and nutritious food to help them fight infection.

Our degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition is the only one of its kind. It’s designed for trained chefs and gives them an in-depth understanding of the medical effects of food on health and wellbeing, and a grounding in the scientific principles of clinical nutrition. The degree is a stepping-stone into many careers in nutrition, including in commercial product development, corporate wellness, working with the health sector, public health, the supplementation industry and sports nutrition.

WestKing Chef Lecturer Vince Kelly tutors on both courses. He told us:
“It’s fantastic that the college has been recognised for our Culinary Medicine programme and our new Culinary Health and Nutrition Degree course. The link between nutrition and health is – thankfully – becoming better understood in both the hospitality and clinical worlds, and I am really pleased to be able to pass on my knowledge, passion and expertise to clinicians and my fellow professional chefs.”

The winners of the Cateys will be revealed in a virtual ceremony on Tuesday 24 November.

Find out more about all our culinary arts and hospitality courses.

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