Hospitality Assured client BaxterStorey is celebrating as their kitchen assistant, Davie Fleetham, has been crowned winner of the 2019 KP of the Year competition.
Organised by The Caterer, in partnership with warewasher manufacturer Winterhalter, the accolade recognises the unsung kitchen heroes in the hospitality sector.
Fleetham, who was worked with BaxterStorey on the Royal Bank Scotland (RBS) contract for 17 years is responsible for managing the kitchen store room and supports the chef team with breakfast and lunch preparation as well as baking bread and scones. He serves on the counters during holiday periods and supports with delivering sandwiches to up to 30 BaxterStorey sites a day across Scotland.
Voted for unanimously by the judges, they applauded his professionalism and dedication to his team, with one judge describing him as a “legend”. The win follows his recent achievement of the annual RBS Dedication to the Business Award.
When presented with his trophy, Fleetham said: “Are you serious? I can’t believe I’ve won. To be shortlisted in the top ten was fantastic, but this is such a surprise. I’ve achieved a lot in my job recently and this award tops it off”.
As the 2019 KP of the Year winner, Fleetham wins the coveted KP of the Year trophy, £1,000 cash and a celebratory meal with friends and family. BaxterStorey will receive one of Winterhalter’s warewash products up to £8,000.
Catering manager, Lindsay Turnbull said: “Davie is our biggest team player and never shies away from any task we throw at him. You can see that from the number of ‘star’ and ‘director’ awards he’s won and the regular customer feedback he receives. He’s so much more than a KP – he’s a complete all-rounder and everyone hates it when he’s away on holiday. He’s the hub of the catering function at RBS.”
BaxterStorey Operations Manager for RBS, Caroline Bacigalupo commented: “When we saw that applications were open for this award, we knew Davie would be the perfect candidate. The whole team value Davie for his hard work, support, enthusiasm and drive to learn. He’s always keen to take on additional tasks and continuously make sure the kitchen is kept spotless. Davie is a credit to the team and couldn’t be more deserving of this win”.
Hospitality Assured is the quality standard created by the Institute of Hospitality specifically for customer facing businesses. They enable businesses to reach and exceed their full potential by following world class processes, customer service standards and employee engagement.
About our client BaxterStorey
BaxterStorey provides bespoke hospitality services through restaurants, café bars, deli operations and executive dining rooms for a wide range of customers. Its heritage is built on the culinary expertise and the professional training and development of its people.
It employs more than 8,500 people at over 700 locations and provides food service excellence to clients and customers in business and industry.
BaxterStorey’s core principle is to serve the best quality food, sourced and prepared locally using the finest produce. Through its chef and barista academies, it provides focused and dedicated training to front line teams helping them to provide great service and build a career for life.
The reach and talent of BaxterStorey’s business enables it to draw on an extensive pool of expertise within the food service sphere in the UK, providing it with a strong foundation to share and distribute best practice both locally and across the country.
