Acorn Awards 2025: Ben Thomson, Dakota Hotels

Age 29                              

Position Head chef, Dakota Hotel Newcastle

Nominator Katie Hogan, head of outreach, learning and development, Dakota Hotels

Ben Thomson is taking the lead in one of Dakota Hotels’ most ambitious new ventures – overseeing the launch of Dakota Newcastle as head chef at just 29.

Thomson’s career began with a spark of inspiration at Manchester House, where a formative dining experience set him on the path to professional kitchens. That passion has translated into a steep trajectory: joining Dakota Manchester as senior chef de partie in 2020, he rose rapidly through the ranks, stepping up during the pandemic to run the kitchen solo and earning a promotion to junior sous chef within 10 months.

Over the past year, Thomson has made the jump from senior sous to head chef, taking on the full pre-opening remit of Dakota’s Newcastle site, which opened this March with a 94-cover brasserie-style grill and 64-cover cocktail bar. He built the kitchen team from scratch, developed a locally tailored menu, and laid the groundwork for a landmark opening.

Known for his calm leadership and practical mentorship, Thomson plays a key role in apprentice development and cross-department collaboration. He helped reduce turnover and improve guest satisfaction by improving communication between kitchen and service teams and has taken steps to grow his commercial acumen – supporting budget reviews, labour planning and business meetings to align culinary creativity with financial performance.

Thomson also actively engages with schools and colleges, promoting careers in hospitality through talks, workshops and live demos. His mix of discipline, ambition and hands-on leadership makes him a standout figure – not just in the kitchen, but across the wider Dakota business.