The winner of this year’s Outstanding Service to the Industry award is Paul Dickinson, director of food at Fuller’s.
This award is for an individual that has made a real difference to the sector they work in and that can certainly be said of this year’s recipient.
Having honed his craft under the guidance of names such as Marco Pierre White and Michel Roux Junior, Paul Dickinson gained valuable experience of the industry serving blue chip clients in his capacity as an executive chef in the contract catering side of the market.
However, it is his achievements at his current employer for which he is best known. Since taking over its food strategy more than a decade ago, he has transformed the menu offer to a level where it has delivered a 200% increase in food turnover and materially improved business profitability.
He always speaks passionately about the role that the right equipment plays in delivering menu consistency and making his company’s kitchens a place where chefs are proud to work. Having convinced his board that increasing the capital expenditure on its kitchens would elevate its food proposition, the business now boasts some of the most well-equipped kitchens in its sector.
Paul has also left an indelible mark on another vitally important area of the company’s business: chef development.
Under his leadership, the business has created dedicated scholarship and culinary programmes to give kitchen employees a clear pathway to career growth. Standards have been raised through awareness, education and encouraging competition.
Today he is accountable for the progress and performance of no fewer than 1200 chefs and the menus that they produce across more than 400 sites.
Paul Dickinson, director of food at Fuller’s, said: “I didn’t expect this, thanks guys. I represent a part of business where we get hidden and tonight I have seen amazing people achieve things, all I do is kick the doors down. I have an amazing team, I am quite moved actually.”
