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40 years of Acorn Awards: The 2020s – Emma Wood
Emma Wood, people director at Culinera, won her Acorn Award in 2020 when she was head of people at Casna
Throughout four decades, the Acorn Awards, in partnership with CH&Co, have helped spotlight talent that has gone on to shape the hospitality industry.
The prestigious awards, which celebrate 30 people under the age of 30, working back or front of house in the UK hospitality industry, are now in their 40th year – an extra-special milestone celebrating the brightest young talent shaping hospitality at an early stage in their careers. The Acorn Award winners are invited on a special weekend away in a hotel somewhere in the UK, where they take part in group activities and receive their trophies after a celebratory lunch.
Ahead of the 2026 winners’ weekend this week, The Caterer is looking back and speaking to a winner from each decade to ask them about what winning meant to them, how it shaped their career today, and what top tunes they were dancing away to on the night of their win.
For our 2020s cohort, we caught up with Emma Wood, who received her Acorn during lockdown. While the circumstances were far from traditional, it did little to dampen her enthusiasm for the award or its impact on her career.
Wood was recognised while serving as head of people at facilities services and specialist cleaning provider Casna, having joined the business from CH&Co in 2018. Later that year, she partnered with Tom Pass to launch education-focused caterer Culinera, where she now serves as people director. The business has gone on to enjoy rapid success, winning the Best Newcomer Award at the Cateys in 2023.
Who nominated you?
Nick Appell, who is the chief executive officer at my previous employer, Casna, where I was head of people.
Where was your winners’ weekend and what was your task?
In typical 2020 fashion, our event was on Zoom! I think The Caterer’s hope and dream was to try and have a normal winners’ weekend, but we just didn’t get there. Instead, it was a Zoom event on 18 November 2020. I remember I wore my smartest outfit, which was a blue jacket and dress, and I sat in my home office. I was scared that my cocker spaniel Rupert might bark, so I kept the door closed. The awards started at 4pm and by 5.30pm we had a wine tasting session, which was our activity.
The event was sponsored by CH&Co and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and supported by Ridgeview Wines, so we sampled Ridgeview, which is genuinely one of my favourite English sparkling wines. Perhaps we are overdue an alumni get-together now!
Can you recall the moment you received your award?
I was out walking Rupert during one of our ‘allowed’ Covid exercise breaks when I found out I was receiving an Acorn. Rupert has been with me in my hospitality journey and he is now Culinera’s chief barketing officer.
As there was no ceremony, the award arrived by post, which made the moment feel quite surreal. I celebrated properly at home with Champagne on a Zoom call with my family, which made it really special despite the circumstances. Receiving the award was definitely one of the highlights of my 2020.
What did winning an Acorn give you in your career?
It was a huge sense of pride and validation. It reassured me that the work I was doing at the time was making an impact. I was in the early stages of setting up Culinera with my partner Tom, so it felt like a strong endorsement of our approach and direction.
Longer term, it has given me the confidence to support and develop others in the same way I was supported at Casna and now at Culinera and Thomas & Tate – creating an environment where people feel empowered, trusted and able to succeed.
How helpful has the Acorn network been for you in your career?
There’s always a strong sense of shared pride and a real sense of community within the Acorns. I’ve been fortunate to know a number of fellow Acorns – in fact, we are very proud to have six Acorn Award winners in our 35-strong central team, including Miles Baxter, who won his award in 2022, and Georgia Price, who won hers in 2024.
Tom [who won an Acorn Award in 2016] and I both know first-hand the impact the award can have, and we’re committed to supporting our under-30s – pushing, challenging and encouraging them to bring out their natural talent and go for opportunities like this.
What would you say to young people entering the sector?
The sector is going through significant change, which makes it an incredibly exciting time to join. For people who are curious, motivated and willing to work hard, there is a huge opportunity to grow and shape the future of hospitality. AI will never replace excellent customer service or deliver a meaningful people experience, so people skills are more important than ever and investing in your own personal development will really help you stand out from the crowd.
Who was number one in the charts the weekend you won?
Depending on the exact timing, it was either Rain on Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, or Levitating by Dua Lipa.
Look back at 40 years of the Acorn Awards
The 30 under 30 for 2026 have already been decided, but you can register your interest for the 2027 competition
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