Roux family honoured at second annual Restaurant Association Gala Dinner
The Restaurant Association honoured the Roux family last night in an event full of glitz and glamour at the Savoy, London.
The second annual Restaurant Association Gala Dinner, which celebrates excellence in food and wine and featured an auction for industry charity Springboard, honoured the Rouxs with a prize for services to hospitality.
The award was received by several generations of the culinary dynasty, with Albert, Maria, Michel, Gisele and Emily Roux all in attendance.
Other sector leaders to attend included Shaun Rankin, Brian Turner, Fabrice Lasnon, Richard Corrigan, Francesco Mazzei, Richard Shepherd, Martyn Nail, Claude Bosi, Chris and Jeff Galvin, Neil Rankin, Ruth Hansom, Matthew Ryle, Laurence Henry, Oli Martin, Dean Banks, Ben Tish, Sophie Michell, Gizzi Erskine and André Garrett.
Michel Roux Jr said: "We were so honoured at the Restaurant Association's recognition of our family's contribution to the UK restaurant industry. We're now into our third generation of restaurateurs with Emily and Diego's opening last year, and it was wonderful to receive such an accolade in front of all our respected peers."
More than £48,000 was raised for hospitality charity Springboard on the night.
e Nth Degree Club founder and president of the Restaurant Association Robert Walton said: "I opened my second restaurant, Pincents Manor, in 1985. Shortly afterwards, I joined the Restaurant Association of Great Britain. It was fantastic to receive my scroll, meet like-minded people and be part of an association dedicated to such an exciting sector and which I am so passionate about.
"In 1992, to my delight, I was invited to join the Restaurant Association committee and, after 27 years, I now have the great honour of being its president for the last nine. I look back at the past 50 years of the Restaurant Association and think of the pioneers of 1967 and how their contribution to the hospitality industry in the UK, and especially London, have been instrumental to its success.
"This has led to London being recognised as the hospitality capital of the world. The association is about to start a new journey and the future is extremely exciting. There seems to be an insatiable appetite for the hospitality sector, with our chefs becoming ever more popular, not only in their own establishments, but also in the world of media and television".
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