100 most influential women in hospitality 2021

Sponsored by

Welcome to our annual 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality, once again sponsored by American Express and Resy. 
 
Each year, CODE champions women in every part of our industry – and the diversity of careers and roles that are represented grows each year too. From sommeliers to human resources, chefs to PRs, there are brilliant women at the heart of hospitality. 
 
For 2021, we felt it was important to acknowledge, in particular, the women who have not just survived the enormous challenge of the pandemic, but who have thrived in it. Whether that is launching a business, keeping one afloat, helping others or speaking up for us all, the range of achievements is remarkable. There are lots of new names on the list this year for that reason – it’s not to say that we don’t love and admire all of our previous listees, but Covid has brought some incredible women to our attention. 
 
As ever, this list is not ranked – we judge influence to mean anything from affecting change on an international scale to supporting just one other person. And speaking of judging, we were joined this year by a fantastic panel who live, breathe and love hospitality, just like us. We’d like to thank them for their enthusiasm and insights.  
 
Congratulations to all our 100 influential women, we wish you all continued success (and more freedom) in 2021. 
 
Adam Hyman, founder, CODE Hospitality 
Lisa Markwell, editor, CODE Hospitality 

The judges

Support

Nicole Pisani re-entry
Co-founder & executive chef, Chefs in Schools

It was a tweet from Henry Dimbleby asking if anyone would be interested in taking over a Hackney school kitchen that got the former Nopi head chef involved in Chefs in Schools. Her work has since become the model for the charity, which now works to help other schools completely transform the standards of school food and food education. She has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure that children are being fed good, nutritious meals.

Anastasia Emmanuel new entry
CEO, FoodChain

Working to build a more sustainable, efficient and transparent supply link for chefs and suppliers, Emmanuel returned to the business after having a baby in March 2020 to steer the team at FoodChain through this tough time.

Rachel Harty new entry
Founder, HospoDemo

Recognising that the hospitality industry had been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the food PR Rachel Harty set up HospoDemo to give hospitality workers representation and a voice and gained national attention for her work – which involved a gathering in Parliament Square where pots, pans, cocktail shakers, and more, made noise heard within the House of Commons.

Ravneet Gill
Founder, Countertalk

If anyone didn’t know Ravneet Gill’s name before this year, they most certainly do now. Having worked as a hugely successful pastry chef for eight years – most notably at St.JOHN, Black Axe Mangal and Wild by Tart – Gill joined the judging panel on Junior Bake Off this year, released her debut cookbook The Pastry Chef’s Guide, became a baking columnist for the Daily Telegraph and Guardian Feast, and relaunched Countertalk, her business building an empowered food community.

Tobie-Anna Durk
Founder, Kelly’s Cause Foundation

Many in the industry experienced poor mental health during the past year, and through the charity she founded, the former chef has continued to build a community of mental health first aiders to protect and care for those in hospitality.

Abi Dunn and Antonia Lallement new entry
Founders, No More No Shows

An impassioned response to the devastation impact of ‘no-shows’ to hospitality businesses, Dunn, who runs hospitality recruitment business Sixty Eight People, along with Antonia Lallement of Gusto Restaurant Group, created the ‘No More No Shows’ initiative, causing a significant change in consumer behaviour.

Abi Raman new entry
Founder, Papi’s Pickles

Following a period of conflict in Sri Lanka, in 2013 Raman met many women who had relocated to the UK and were experiencing an extreme sense of loss and isolation. Recognising that employment is at the core of the process of integration, she founded Papi’s Pickles in 2015. Alongside her team, Papi’s Pickles – which provides private catering and runs pop-ups – has recruited and trained 23 long-term unemployed women, providing income, confidence-building opportunities and language skills.

Claire Bosi new entry
Editor, Chef and Restaurant magazine

As editor at Chef and Restaurant magazine, Bosi has always been a supportive voice for the industry, and this was particularly evident in the last year. She has helped the industry in so many ways, helping to keep the problems and challenges many were facing in the media spotlight, as well as running hugely vocal campaign Seat at the Table to lobby for a minister for hospitality.

Kate Nicholls OBE
Chief executive, UKHospitality

A key voice for the industry amidst a challenging period as the head of the trade association for hospitality, Nicholls has spent the last year tirelessly speaking up for the industry on TV, radio and across social media channels. She was awarded a much-deserved OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for her services to the hospitality industry.

Zoe Adjonyoh, Frankie Reddin and Anna Sulan Masing new entry
Founders, Black Book

Founded in June 2020, Black Book is a global representation platform for Black and non-white people working within hospitality and food media. With a mission to inspire and empower through enhancing visibility, equality, equity and wealth creation, Adjonyoh and Sulan Masing (and formerly Reddin, who has now stepped back) offer consultancy services, secure brand partnerships and are building a holistic mentorship programme. During lockdown, they hosted an eight-week series on de-colonising the food industry, a forum to push for positive change.

Holly Addison, Emma Causer and Ann Elliott
Founders, Plan B

Frustrated from the knowledge that most hospitality boards were dominated by men, the trio founded Plan B to take action on a practical level to get more women onto boards – now extended beyond this industry. They host events, webinars and run a mentoring service.

Lorraine Copes new entry
Founder, Be Inclusive Hospitality

Copes is the founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality, a not-for-profit with a mission to drive education, build community, amplify voices and accelerate racial equality within the sector. She has built a community of more than 300 Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals working throughout the sector.

Operators

Ravinder Bhogal
Founder, Jikoni

Bhogal’s restaurant Jikoni serves food inspired by immigrant cuisine, celebrating the similarities and intricate differences between cultures. During the pandemic, in addition to sending food to NHS staff, she launched a delivery spin-off Comfort & Joy (whose boxes are plastic-free), and took her Civilised Sunday event series – where she invites cultural leaders to give talks – online. She also released her latest book ‘Jikoni: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from an Immigrant Kitchen’, which was shortlisted for the André Simon award.

Pauline Foster new entry
Landlady, The George Tavern

Since 2008, the artist has worked tirelessly to save the historic George Tavern in Stepney from developers and transformed the pub into a popular pub and music, performance and arts venue.

Adejoké Bakare new entry
Founder, Chishuru

Building up her name in the industry with a weekend food van in Deptford and supper clubs, Bakare recently launched the already much-loved Chishuru in Brixton Village.

Imogen Davis new entry
Co-founder, Native

A pioneer of foraged, zero-waste cooking with chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes, Davis took the bold move of taking their restaurant Native to Osea Island last year and has just launched the latest iteration of Native at Browns in Mayfair.

Helen Hall new entry
Co-founder, Peckham Cellars

After years of dreaming about her own restaurant, Hall teamed up with her two friends and took the plunge in 2019 to launch Peckham Cellars. Despite a difficult year, the neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar has built a loyal south London following. Alongside launching an online wine shop, the team were awarded a Bib Gourmand for 2021.

Stacey Sherwood-French new entry
Director, Restaurant Jöro

The business partner of celebrated chef Luke French, Sherwood-French runs the operations, front of house, partnerships and more at Sheffield’s Restaurant Jöro, and the duo are planning a Jöro hotel and a site in Liverpool this year.

Laura Harper-Hinton
Founder, Caravan

It’s been more than a decade since Laura Harper-Hinton – a long-time supporter of other women in hospitality – opened the first Caravan site, a pioneer in all-day dining in London, offering fresh, healthy and bold flavours from around the globe. There are now five sites across London, as well as a cookbook, coffee and at-home brunch kits.

Sarah Gill
Co-owner, The Dairy group

Having quietly built a restaurant empire alongside her husband Robin since 2012, this year the duo have weathered the storm, closing The Dairy but launching new site Bermondsey Larder.

Shuko Oda re-entry
Co-founder and chef, Koya

Having spent much of her early life living in between Japan and the UK, Oda helped set up one of Soho’s favourite restaurants Koya a decade ago, at a time when there weren’t many Japanese restaurants in London. Celebrating their ten-year anniversary in October last year, Oda picked out the restaurant’s most popular dishes from the past decade. The team also launched the wildly successful Koyamail, delivering its signature freshly made udon and dashi to homes.

Elizabeth Haigh
Chef patron, Mei Mei

Haigh has founded both Kaizen House – a platform to create and share stories through food – and more recently Mei Mei in Borough Market, successfully pivoting to nationwide meal kits this year and acting as a voice for women in the industry.

Alison Ross new entry
Landlady, Normans Coach & Horses

Leading the Soho institution through a change of ownership against the odds, Ross manages an all-female team and famously created a £3 ‘substantial meal’ of vegetarian daal to keep the business busy this year.

Melanie Brown
Founder, The Laundry

Brown has built a female management team and adapted the restaurant at every turn in the past year, alongside running online wine shop Specialist Cellars and a wine bar in Pop Brixton.

Katie Toogood new entry
Co-founder, Prawn on the Lawn & Prawn on the Farm

Toogood started out working in the music industry, and after years in record labels, she and now-husband Rick set out to open their own restaurant. The couple launched their small fishmongers and seafood bar in Islington in 2013, sourcing the freshest fish from Padstow and working closely with suppliers. They later jumped at the opportunity to open a second site in Cornwall, and in 2020 they created clever pop-up Prawn on the Farm.

Mandy Yin re-entry
Founder, Sambal Shiok

One of the few Malaysian chef owners in the UK, Yin founded the much-loved Sambal Shiok in London in 2013. Her restaurant takes inspiration from her upbringing in Kuala Lumpur, and quickly pivoted this year to launch ‘Sambal to Go.’ Yin is a strong voice in representation of women, and south east Asian chefs.

Linda Lee
Founder, On The Bab

After running various restaurants in her native South Korea, Lee, launched On The Bab on Old Street in 2015. The Korean street-food restaurant now has four sites across London, one in Paris and will soon open in the city that first inspired them, Seoul.

Florence Hellier new entry
Co-founder, Hoxton Bakehouse

Alongside her husband, Hellier expanded Hoxton Bakehouse from two to five cafes last year, as well as delivering to the local community in lockdown. They are planning a further two bakeries.

Keshia Sakarah new entry
Founder, Caribe

With the aim of showcasing Caribbean food in the UK and celebrating the nuances of the region, Sakarah completed numerous pop-ups and residences around London. Following their success and popularity, Caribe has now become a permanent fixture at Pop Brixton, getting rave reviews from many, including the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa. Sakarah also shares cooking tutorials on her YouTube channels and offers a more detailed understanding of the cuisine amongst the islands.

Jill Stein OBE re-entry
Co-owner, Rick Stein Group

A hugely successful interior designer and director of Rick Stein restaurants, Stein was an early figurehead for women in hospitality. She continues to help run her former husband’s restaurants and is the chair of Visit Cornwall.

Ifeyinwa Frederick new entry
Co-owner, Chuku’s

Ifeyinwa and her brother Emeka wanted to do something about the lack of Nigerian cuisine in the capital: they created Chuku’s, the world’s first Nigerian tapas restaurant – which counts The Guardian’s Grace Dent among its fans.

Ruth Rogers CBE
Chef owner, The River Café

A fabled Italian restaurant and London institution since 1987, Ruth Rogers continues to lead the team at The River Café. This year, they created a smash-hit online shop this year, selling at-home boxes, food and homeware.

Skye Gyngell
Chef patron, Spring and culinary director, Heckfield Place

The chef, known for her commitment to tackling environmental issues head-on at her restaurant Spring, has worked tirelessly this year to adapt her offering and keep her team busy. Gyngell launched a pop-up, Spring in Summer, in a shipping container in the courtyard of Somerset House, teamed up with Heckfield Place to take Marle outside at the hotel and most recently announced the launch of a shop version of Spring in Notting Hill.

Sally Clarke MBE
Chef owner, Clarke’s

There is a great deal to be said for the quietly successful restaurateur, and one such person is Sally Clarke. Her restaurant Clarke’s celebrated 35 years in business in 2020 and she kept diners entertained during lockdown.

Prue Freeman new entry
Co-founder, Daisy Green

The creative force behind the Daisy Green collection of restaurants, this year the team launched baking project Radio Lamington. For every box of lamingtons they sell, the team donate one box to a hospital, and have now given more than 50,000 for the NHS and frontline workers.

Ellen Chew new entry
Founder, Rasa Sayang, Mrs Chew’s Chinese, Arome and Shan Shui

Praised for her ‘sheer tenacity’ in the past 12 months, Chew is the founder of Chinatown’s Rasa Sayang, Mrs Chew’s Chinese in Birmingham, Shan Shui in Bicester Village and most recently the bakery concept Arôme in Covent Garden.

Anna Haugh new entry
Founder and head chef, Myrtle

A chef shining the light on Irish food and produce, Haugh works with small-scale farmers to showcase the land’s produce at her Chelsea restaurant. Haugh frequently appears on television.

Zahra Khan new entry
Founder and CEO, Feya Café and DYCE

Named in this year’s Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list, Khan has already made her mark on the hospitality industry. When all her sites closed this year, she created a retail line with profit exceeding that of previous years and donated 10 per cent of proceeds to the Young Women Trust.

Freddie Janssen new entry
Owner, Snackbar

The owner of Dalston neighbourhood café Snackbar, Janssen turned it around within 24 hours of lockdown, rewriting the menu for delivery and opening a grocery store. The team later created a new delivery service, Snackbar at Home.

Teams

Hawksmoor Edinburgh new entry

Occupying eight out of 10 management positions, a team of women lead the way at Hawksmoor Edinburgh – including the general manager, head chef and restaurant manager. Opening in 2018, the team has continued to work hard in lockdown to support local charities. They reopened their kitchen last March to cook weekly for Soul Food, an organisation providing hot meals to those in need.

Harts Group
Lisa Jones, people director; Ellie Vening, events director; Sophie Orbaum, communications director; Ellie Sallis, head of sales; Harriet Matley, communications manager

The team at Harts Group have had a busy year, from managing furlough for 300 staff to pivoting to delivery models and maintaining community spirit within the company. Post-lockdown they will be straight into launching a new El Pastor, in Soho.

Camellia Panjabi and Namita Panjabi
Directors, MW Eat

Key figures in changing the perception of Indian food in the UK, sisters Camellia and Namita are the co-founders of MW Eat, with three restaurants in the Fine India Collection, alongside seven Masala Zones. Flagship restaurant Chutney Mary marked its 30th anniversary last year.

Amanda Hyndman and Jill Kluge
VP of operations and group director; Chief Marketing Officer, Mandarin Oriental

Hyndman’s role has grown exponentially in the past year, and she is now VP of operations and group director of quality and rooms, covering the company’s 33 hotels. Meanwhile, Kluge had led brand communications for the group for more than 30 years and was the first woman appointed to the board at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Erchen Chang, Wai Ting Chung and Hilary Brett
Co-founders and operations manager, BAO

The female-led team continued to push on during the pandemic and became a huge success story of the last year. BAO now occupies four sites, and this year the trio launched delivery-only concepts Call Suzy, Rice Error, online convenience store Convi, a dine-in cinema, then teamed up with Black Axe Mangal to create a meal kit. We can’t wait to see what they do next.

JKS Restaurants
Sunaina Sethi, co-founder & director of group operations; Joanne Searley, director of operations; Tania Davey, director of people; Ria Pattni, group marketing manager

Co-founded by Sunaina Sethi alongside her brothers Karam and Jyotin , JKS Restaurants operates 15 brands across London. As director of operations, Joanne Searley has led the way with Covid compliance and orchestrating meal kits, while director of people Tania Davey has ensured employees were looked after during the pandemic. Group marketing manager Ria Pattni joined the team in 2019, working on creative campaigns, overseeing new concepts and honing the communication strategy.

Olga Polizzi and Alex Polizzi new entry
Co-founders, The Polizzi Collection

The renowned interior designer, hotelier and director of design for Rocco Forte hotels joined forces with her daughter and presenter of The Hotel Inspector to launch The Polizzi Collection. Their first official joint venture Star Inn in Alfriston launches soon, to add to Hotel Tresanton and Hotel Endsleigh.

Drinks

Anna Sebastian new entry
Bar manager, The Artesian Bar at The Langham Hotel

The Artesian Bar manager is a champion for women in the hospitality industry. She founded the Celebrate Her initiative to provide support and gender parity and diversity for women across the UK, and recently partnered with Glenfiddich whisky to create special International Women’s Day cocktail, ‘The Golden Era.’

Melania Battison new entry
Head sommelier, Medlar

Becoming head sommelier at the age of 24, Battison has a profound influence on the team and is responsible for compiling the wine list and advising guests at the acclaimed Medlar restaurant.

Karine Canevet new entry
Co-owner & sommelier, Maison Bleue Restaurant

Originally from Brittany, Canevet now runs French restaurant Maison Bleue alongside her partner Pascal. Located in the Suffolk market town of Bury St. Edmunds, the restaurant has received much critical acclaim. She received the Michelin Sommelier Award this year, recognised for managing a wine list of more than 300 wines, and running the restaurant with ‘relaxed, self-effacing charm.’

Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne
Co-owners, London Cocktail Week

A huge contribution to the bar industry, the duo managed to not only pull off but extend London Cocktail Week for the month of October last year and again for 2021, a lifeline for bars which had to move in and out of lockdowns.

Monica Berg
Co-founder, Tayer + Elementary and P(OUR)

Previous winner of the Altos Bartender’s Bartender Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars, Berg’s bar Tayēr + Elementary recently launched a cocktail range at Selfridges. As co-founder of P(OUR), Berg also works to inspire, educate and support the drinks community.

Leaders

Angela Hartnett MBE
Chef patron, Murano

Quite simply one of hospitality’s most beloved figures. Hartnett has not just tirelessly built on the success of Murano and spin-off Café Murano, but she has become a towering role model for women in the industry. She appears on everything from Britain’s Best Home Cook to Newsnight and represents hospitality with integrity and enthusiasm. In the last year she has campaigned for a minister for hospitality and used her platform to be vocal about issues that impact both restaurateurs and staff. She has just been made an ambassador for Hospitality Action.

Chantelle Nicholson
Chef patron, Tredwells and All’s Well

Constantly championing sustainability and looking for new opportunities via her restaurant Tredwells, Nicholson launched All’s Well this year, a hyper-seasonal pop-up in Hackney celebrating British produce.

Zan Kaufman
Founder, Bleecker

Opening three new delivery sites in the past year, Kaufman’s priority over the past year has been to enable staff to keep their jobs and keep suppliers going. Kaufman works hard to raise awareness of mental-health issues and promote diversity and inclusion within Bleecker and the wider industry.

Anshu Ahuja and Renne Williams new entry
Founders, DabbaDrop

A takeaway inspired by the Indian dabbawalla delivery system, where customers return used stainless-steel tiffins each time they order, DabbaDrop fed 10 people the first week they opened in November 2018. As of early 2021, the company led by Ahuja and Williams delivers to more than 1,000 people every week – and helped save 50,000 plastic containers from landfill in 2020 alone.

Asma Khan
Chef patron, Darjeeling Express

Khan’s restaurant with an all-female kitchen, Darjeeling Express, continues to be a trailblazing hit. The team has moved into a huge new space in Covent Garden and created a successful takeaway biriyani kit during lockdown. Khan is a high-profile speaker on hospitality in the media and at events and calls out inequality wherever she finds it.

Sarit Packer
Co-founder, Honey & Co

The quieter, but extremely productive half of Honey & Co not only runs their three restaurants brilliantly but writes cookbooks and masterminded woman-focused events and podcast series. Packer has kept the “Honeys” business going with pivots over the past year.

Judy Hutson
Co-owner and designer, The Pig hotels

The aesthetic of the five-strong and fast-growing chain of Pig restaurants with rooms is meticulously created by Judy Hutson. Along with husband Robin, she can claim to be one of the most influential people in Britain’s hotel industry.

Madeleine Calon new entry
President, Society of the Golden Keys UK

The first and only woman to have ever held the position, Calon is the president of the UK section of the Society of the Golden Keys, the prestigious association of hotel concierges, which founded in 1952.

Clare Smyth MBE
Chef patron, CORE by Clare Smyth

Since moving to England from Northern Ireland at the age of 16, Smyth worked tirelessly to hone her craft and become recognised as one of the country’s most successful and celebrated chefs. Smyth opened her debut restaurant CORE, which this year was awarded three stars in the 2021 Michelin Guide, making her the first and only UK female chef to run a restaurant with three Michelin stars in this country.

Hélène Darroze
Chef proprietor, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

As well as her head chef role at The Connaught since 2008, Darroze runs restaurants in Moscow and Paris. Darroze at The Connaught, which recently had a new look and an acclaimed new menu, earned its third Michelin star this year.

Rebecca Mascarenhas
Co-owner and director, Elystan Street, Kitchen W8, Church Road and Home SW15

A force in the London restaurant scene for more than 30 years, Mascarenhas spent lockdown feeding the staff of two nearby hospitals from Michelin-starred restaurant Elystan Street, sending out 150 meals each day – and created an online tip system for staff while the restaurants were closed.

Roberta Hall-McCarron new entry
Chef patron, The Little Chartroom

Her debut restaurant The Little Chartroom opened in Edinburgh in 2018, and Roberta Hall-McCarron has since become a familiar face from Great British Menu; she also won the YBFs chef of the year award in 2018. This year, she set up a crowdfunder which raised more than £7,000 for Soul Food Edinburgh, allowing her to cook every weekend for people in need of a nourishing hot meal.

Nieves Barrágan Mohacho
Chef director, Sabor

Not only a tireless leader in her own kitchen, Barragán does regular charity work for Action Against Hunger. This year, the chef pivoted to create Sabor En Casa and Sabor Al Fresco at Heddon Street, at which she was often to be seen cooking on the street herself.

Thomasina Miers OBE
Founder, Wahaca

A positive presence in the hospitality industry through her social media presence, newsletter and patronage of Chefs in Schools, Miers is the co-founder of the Mexican chain Wahaca with 13 branches in the UK.

Meriel Armitage new entry
Founder, Club Mexicana and Mega Aid

It’s been a busy year for Armitage, who not only opened a site in Kingly Court in the middle of the pandemic, but also established the not-for-profit pop-up Mega Aid to help keep 21 restaurants in business during lockdown.

Management

Diana Nabagereka new entry
General manager, Brixton Village

Former general operations manager of Camden Market, Nabagereka joined Brixton Village in 2019. The team is currently running an inventive #BackToBrixton drive, offering diners a 50 per cent discount on food across the site.

Elin Hansen
Manager, Otto’s

Alongside partner Otto Tepasse, the duo kept their kitchen (which usually prepares pressed duck and lobster) open to cook daily meals for ICU workers at St Thomas’, and later launched a campaign to teach underprivileged teenagers how to cook.

Emma Underwood
General manager, Darby’s

The face of Robin and Sarah Gill’s restaurant Darby’s, alongside Dean Parker, Underwood has worked hard throughout the pandemic to support her team and entertain customers at the restaurant’s takeaway “hatch”. Described as a ‘guiding light’ and a ‘pillar of support’, Underwood is recognised for her infectious love and passion for the hospitality industry – she champions other women and has written eloquently on lockdown’s effects on hospitality in the Evening Standard.

Zuleika Fennel
Managing director, Corbin & King

Fennel has worked her way up through the ranks of Corbin & King to become an integral part of the hugely successful operation. Fennel became managing director in 2017 and while perhaps less visible than Jeremy King to their loyal clientele, is instrumental in the day-to-day running of the group along with its continued growth.

Madeleine Geach new entry
Head of culture, Hawksmoor

Voted as the best employer twice by the CODE community and consistently in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies, Geach ensures that Hawksmoor preserves its people-centred culture as it grows. This year, she has offered pro-bono leadership coaching for smaller, independent restaurateurs as they plan for reopening.

Jules Kaniewska new entry
General manager, Berenjak

At 26 years old, Kaniewska is the general manager at popular Iranian restaurant Berenjak in Soho. She has worked tirelessly to organise the delivery of thousands of kebab kits in the past year and kept the team motivated throughout.

Nicola Gartenberg new entry
Executive director, Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Praised by Handling for keeping him going throughout lockdown amidst financial struggles and the closure of sites, Gartenberg has helped to grow the company from one restaurant to three in London, plus a new site soon to open in Windsor.

Chefs

Pamela Yung new entry
Head chef, Flor

Heading the kitchen at James Lowe’s Flor with huge success, Yung found herself unable to get back to her native US in lockdown. With the food at Flor not ideal for takeaway, Yung decided to quickly pivot towards a more casual offering and spearheaded the hugely successful ASAP Pizza, a New York style sourdough pizza service. Contributing her wealth of experience from kitchens and pizzerias across the globe, ASAP Pizza sets itself apart by using the same seasonal and low-intervention ingredients as at Flor. More recently, Yung invited friends and chefs from around the world to create their own guest creations for ASAP Pizza’s menu, to raise money for charity.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen
Executive chef, Northcote

Goodwin-Allen has led the kitchen brigade at Northcote since the age of 23, showcasing the wide range of produce from the Ribble Valley landscape, as well as becoming a regular face on television, winning huge acclaim for her last appearance on Great British Menu.

Lorna McNee new entry
Head chef, Cail Bruich

Currently the only woman to hold a Michelin Star in Scotland, McNee achieved the award after just six months in the head chef role at Glasgow’s Cail Bruich. She was crowned Great British Menu’s “Champion of Champions” in 2019 and has won a host of other awards, including Game Chef of the year.

Nokx Majozi
Sous chef, Rosewood London and senior pie maker, Holborn Dining Room

Inspired by her father’s unique cooking skills as a child, Majozi attended culinary school in South Africa before moving to London in 2004 to pursue a career in hospitality. She joined Calum Franklin at Holborn Dining Room in 2014, and is now sous chef and senior pie maker, creating more than 300 pies each day and overseeing four chefs in The Pie Room. Franklin himself gives Majozi great credit for the restaurant’s famous pies.

Safiya Robinson new entry
Founder, Sisterwoman Vegan

Using plant-based food as a medium for education, Robinson founded social enterprise Sisterwoman Vegan to encourage people to think critically and repair our relationships with food – the organisation runs private catering, events, education projects and much more.

Leyli Homayoonfar new entry
Head chef, Bab Haus & Bab Haus Mex

Homayoonfar’s cooking has made a big impact on the food scene in south Wales since she returned from London. She currently operates two Bab Haus and Bab Haus Mex street-food outlets in Cardiff, and her taco home delivery kits were a hit in lockdown.

Ixta Belfrage
Chef and co-author, Flavour

Known for her creativity in the Ottolenghi test kitchen, Belfrage is well recognised in the industry for breaking down the factors and process that create flavour in vegetable-focused dishes. She co-wrote Flavour alongside Yotam Ottolenghi in 2020 and the chef was quick to give her huge credit for her input. Having recently left the test kitchen, we look forward to seeing her next move.

Nina Matsunaga
Head chef, The Black Bull Sedbergh

Born in Germany to Japanese parents, the two different food cultures play a big role in Matsunaga’s cooking. Sourcing food no more than 20 miles from the kitchen door, the chef crafts seasonal menus at the multi-award-winning inn with rooms, The Black Bull in the Yorkshire dales.

Comms and Media

Martha Bryce and Jessica Sneddon new entry
Co-owners, Sound Bite PR

A specialist hospitality PR agency based in Scotland, Sound Bite PR has been behind promoting some of the country’s most exciting openings including The Little Chartroom, The Kinneuchar Inn and Cail Bruich.

Yasmin Jaunbocus new entry
Account director, Sauce Communications

An excellent support system for her clients in the past year and champion for diversity in hospitality, Jaunbocus notably worked with Riaz Phillips to produce the Community Comfort cookbook, raising funds for the bereaved families of Black, Asian and ethnic minority victims of Covid.

Paula Fitzherbert
Director of Communications, The Maybourne Group

A legend of the hospitality world, Paula Fitzherbert knows everyone from world-famous chefs to singers, actors and hoteliers. Director of Communications for the Maybourne Group – Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley – her team of communications directors Charlotte Alexander, Orla Hickey and Christina Norton were instrumental in feeding emergency workers at the Berkeley, offering rooms to key workers at Claridge’s as well as overseeing the launch of the group’s new hotel the Maybourne Beverly Hills.

Maureen Mills
Founder, Network PR

An established figure in London restaurant PR world, Mills has not only maintained a strong client list, but mentors other PRs, quietly advises former clients and has done an immense amount of pro-bono work over the last year to help the industry.

Jules Pearson re-entry
Co-founder, London On The Inside

Pearson leads the way as both development director – creative at Ennismore and co-founder of London On The Inside, where her predominantly female team share everything about London that both tourists and locals need to know.

Sara Stark and Rachael Whittle new entry
Marketing and creative director, and PR manager, Dishoom

The creative duo helped to steer Dishoom through lockdown, as the team pivoted to at-home kits and recently reached the milestone of donating 10 million meals to children in need.

Catherine Hanly
Co-founder, Hot Dinners

Keeping Londoners informed and championing the capital’s restaurants through her writing, editor Hanly is one half of the brother-and-sister team behind Hot Dinners – a vital consumer-facing platform which supports hospitality.

Gemma Bell and Alice Grier
Founder and manager director, Gemma Bell and Company

Despite a slimmed down team, Bell and Grier have weathered the storm and diversified their PR business by growing a marketing department and supporting clients. Bell is also an advocate for the industry, working closely on campaigns such as Eat Out To Help Out and a minister for hospitality.

Jess Corrigan and Tessa Berry new entry
Co-founders, CRAB Communications

The pair co-founded CRAB communications alongside Tom Rogers, navigating and growing the business despite the pandemic, and coming up with creative ideas to help their restaurant clients through lockdown.

Hannah Berry new entry
Director of marketing and communications, Corbin & King

As director of marketing at aqua restaurant group for six years, Berry helped to open two restaurants in The Shard, and joined Corbin & King as director of marketing and communications in 2019.

Andi Oliver new entry
Co-founder, Wadadli Kitchen and presenter, Great British Menu

As a judge and now presenter of Great British Menu, Oliver showcases our chef talent on screen. She teamed up with The Crooked Billet to launch Wadadli Kitchen in 2020, offering ‘real Caribbean home cooking’ influenced by the islands; the brand is now on the Big Night platform.

Suppliers

Calixta Killander
Founder, Flourish Produce

A member of the CODE team spent time volunteering on Flourish Produce’s Cambridgeshire farm during lockdown, witnessing first-hand the work Calixta Killander and her team put in. Killander works closely with some of the best chefs in the country and provides vegetables, fruit and salad often within 12 hours of being picked. While the restaurants she works with were closed, produce doesn’t stop growing, so the farm pivoted to selling produce boxes, goose eggs and flowers to consumers.

Terri Mercieca
Founder, Happy Endings

One of the most popular figures in hospitality, Mercieca creates ice cream that has been more adored than ever in lockdown, selling through Supermarket of Dreams among other sites. A recent crowdfunding campaign to expand Happy Endings has been well supported. Mercieca is a strong role model for LGBTQIA people in hospitality.

Patricia Michelson
Founder, La Fromagerie

Michelson started La Fromagerie out of her garden shed, before moving to a Camden market stall. Fast forward to today, Michelson has three award-winning shops and a hugely successful wholesale business. An industry inspiration.

Natalie Campbell new entry
CEO, Belu Water

An entrepreneur, broadcaster and author, Campbell is now CEO of Belu Water, which gives 100 per cent of its profits to WaterAid to transform lives with clean water.

Katya Torres de la Rocha new entry
Owner and CEO, MexGrocer

The one-stop-shop for Mexican ingredients in the UK. A Mexican herself, Torres de la Rocha was frustrated by the lack of Mexican produce and the fair price Mexican suppliers were being offered for their artisan products, so decided to build a model to rectify this. MexGrocer, an online produce retailer, is used by some of the best restaurants in the country: from Annabel’s Mayfair, Ella Canta and Breddos Tacos to small taquerias like La Chingada.

Monika Linton re-entry
Founder, Brindisa Kitchen

An inspiring voice and influence in the industry, Linton has been bringing the best Spanish ingredients to the UK for 33 years.

Jane Scotter
Founder, Fern Verrow

Scotter has been farming the 16-acre biodynamic farm in Herefordshire since 1996, and has been in a farm-to-table collaboration with chef Skye Gyngell’s Spring since 2015.

Ikuko Suzuki new entry
Co-owner and farmer, NamaYasai Farms

Growers of English and Japanese vegetables, herbs and fruit, Suzuki co-founded NamaYasai Farms alongside her husband in 2005. They were among the first growers in the UK to pioneer the agroforestry method known as ‘alley cropping’, and still use no pesticides or herbicides 15 years later.