Chef lecturer at The Sheffield College shortlisted in industry ‘Oscars’

A catering and hospitality lecturer at The Sheffield College has been shortlisted for a national industry award.

Andy Gabbitas, Chef Lecturer, is a finalist in the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards, which celebrate culinary excellence across the UK.

Hailed as the industry’s equivalent of the ‘Oscars’, the awards recognise a wide range of chef talent.

Nominees range from apprentices and trainees to seasoned experts working in hospitality, pubs and restaurants, and educators training the next generation.

Andy has been shortlisted in the Chef Lecturer category, which is for those who have shown a commitment to helping others over and above their daily responsibilities.

Andy plays a pivotal role at the college mentoring students for competitions alongside his teaching responsibilities.

He said: “I feel very flattered and humbled to be nominated for this award. It means a lot to be held in high regard by your peers and those within the industry.

“It’s very rewarding to see students develop the skills and confidence to go further in their careers thanks to the support and exciting opportunities from the industry.”

The college’s Silver Plate Restaurant has also been shortlisted for the Accredited College Restaurant of the Year Award, and which it won last year.

This award category honours ‘exceptional’ real-world training environments for the culinary arts. 

The 60-seater restaurant, which is open to the public for bookings, offers fine dining lunches as well as gourmet tasting menus and guest chef evenings.

Staff and students also organise events involving leading chefs such as Dan Ashmore, Ross Sneddon and Ian Musgrave, some of whom trained at the college.

The Sheffield College offers a range of bakery, catering and hospitality, and patisserie courses, and regularly wins national industry awards.

Recent successes include winning Zest Quest Asia in 2024 and second place in this year’s competition, with the college team securing a prize trip to the gastronomic capital of the world, Lyon.

The Craft Guild of Chefs Awards winners will be announced at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 16th June 2025.

The Sheffield College, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, is a further and higher education college that provides academic, vocational and professional qualifications to approximately 14,500 young people and adults a year. Its mission is transforming lives through learning.

The college offers a broad curriculum that includes apprenticeships, vocational diplomas, A Levels, T Levels, access courses, and foundation and honours degrees.

Pictured: Andy Gabbitas, Chef Lecturer, is a finalist in the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards. Photo credit: The Sheffield College.