Waiter Of The Year

Waiter Of The Year

The Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) is calling on all professional waiters to dust off their cummerbunds, iron their white shirts and enter into the prestigious “New Zealand Professional Waiter of the Year 2003” competition, which has a prize package of $5,000.

The prize package includes a prestigious trophy, $2000 in cash and a week’s work experience (meals, accommodation and travel paid for) at a deluxe Sofitel property in the Asia Pacific region, sponsored by Accor Hotels and Resorts.

The Waiter of the Year Competition is sponsored by the Hospitality Standards Institute (ITO to the hospitality industry) and aims to foster higher professional standards and recognition of excellence in the ‘waiting’ profession.

Chief Executive of the HSI, Ian Harding, says the Waiter of the Year competition is made up of five separate competitions. “All competitors are required to compete in the first two compulsory fields, which are New Zealand Wine Knowledge and Wine and Beverage Service. The top 8 competitors then go on to compete in the final three classes of Table Service, Mystery Box Table Setting and Food and Wine Matching”.

“For the Mystery Box, competitors are given a box of tableware (cloths, napkins, cutlery, glassware) and flowers. They then set the table with the implements they have been given and make a floral arrangement with the flowers. The Judges will be looking for things like originality in setting, mirror-image settings, clean and hygienic work practices and impact of setting”, says Ian Harding.

Food and Wine matching is clearly a skill that sets a great waiter apart from the rest, and this too will be an important part of what makes a top waiter.

All the judging will take place at the Logan Campbell centre, Auckland Show Grounds 18-20 August 2003, at the New Zealand Culinary Fare.

To enter, waiters should contact the Restaurant Association of New Zealand ph 09 3788 403 .

ENTRIES CLOSE 27 JULY 2003

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