In a new initiative – ‘Heinz Food Heroes’ – Heinz, in collaboration with Arena – the hospitality networking association, is launching a new awards programme to recognise ‘foodies’ who have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact on their community.
Open to the whole food industry, from delis to diners, caterers to columnists, manufacturers to marketers and scientists to sandwich makers; the awards will celebrate and spotlight both individuals and companies who have stood out from the crowd and really gone the extra mile to make an exceptional difference to their community.
Jojo de Noronha, Kraft Heinz Northern Europe President, says: ““Here at Heinz, we have long been in awe of the outstanding work of people across the food industry – it’s something our founder Henry J Heinz recognised since the very beginning, and making a positive contribution to the world through food, is something that still drives the Heinz business today.
“This philosophy is why we started the Heinz Food Heroes awards; to recognise the dedication of individuals working hard and going above and beyond to make a difference in their communities.”
The winners will be selected by an esteemed judging panel which includes Leo Kattou, head chef at Simpson’s restaurant and 2019 MasterChef: The Professionals finalist, Candice Brown, winner of The Great British Bake off and owner of The Green Man Pub, Lorraine Wood, Director of Arena – The Hospitality Network and Jojo de Noronha, Kraft Heinz Northern European President.
The two award categories are;
Most Heroic Individual – celebrates someone who works in food and has gone the extra mile to make things better in their community in the last 12 months.
Most Heroic Team – celebrates part of or a whole team working in food who go the extra mile to make things better in their community in the last 12 months.
The winner of each category will receive £5,000 each to go towards a training or mentorship programme of their choice.
The 2020 Heinz Food Heroes initiative builds on last year’s Hospitality Heroes competition which celebrated hospitality individuals under 35 who went above and beyond to help their communities.
Jojo continues: “This year, we’ve evolved the competition to encompass the whole food industry and have removed the age limit. It’s a reflection of the collaborative approach the whole industry has taken to navigate through this unprecedented period and an acknowledgment of our much wider food community.”
Leo Kattou, head chef at Simpsons adds: “I’ve been blown away by the generosity and kindness I’ve seen over the last few months. I think the fantastic stories we’ve seen to date are just the tip of the iceberg and this competition will help uncover lots of untold heroes; it’s going to be a very tough gig to judge.”
Candice Brown, winner of The Great British Bake Off and owner of The Green Man Pub, said: “The hospitality world, like so many of us, is having one hell of a year. Yet the great and the good across the industry have been pulling out all the stops to support their communities and the country through this time. Therefore, I feel that it is more important than ever to celebrate those in our industry who are doing amazing things to support not only themselves and their teams but their communities too, so I couldn’t be happier to be teaming up with the nation’s beloved Heinz to do just that! I can’t wait to see what stories are submitted to Heinz Food Heroes and would encourage as many people as possible to get involved and nominate someone who has made life better!”
Lorraine Wood, Director of Arena adds: “There has been so much positivity and many ‘good news’ stories over the last few months, despite the very challenging circumstances. I’m looking forward to reading about the great work, passion and dedication that both individuals and companies have shown.”
Anybody can nominate a person or team of their choice who works in the food industry. Individuals and teams can also enter themselves.
Entries for the Heinz Food Heroes competition need to be completed online at www.heinz.co.uk/heroes.
The closing date is Friday 18 September 2020.