Sodexo chef wins mentor of the year

Sodexo executive chef at Everton FC Gareth Billington was named mentor of the year at the People 1st Shine Awards.

The People 1st Shine Awards, in association with The Caterer, celebrates the achievements of women working in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, as well as the mentors, ambassadors and businesses that support gender diversity in those industries.

Gareth Billington, who is based at Goodison Park, has been helping train and support young women in developing their careers in foodservice for more than ten years.

He is widely regarded within the catering industry for his mentoring of young chefs, through Springboard’s FutureChef initiative, which helps young people learn cookery skills and train for careers in the hospitality industry. He has mentored two of the last three FutureChef winners, all young women from the local area.

Billington has also developed close contact with local schools and colleges offering demonstrations and work experience and actively helps members of his team develop their careers often from kitchen porters who have shown interest and aptitude for cooking.

Billington said, “I was very surprised to win. I was up against good people who have done a lot of work in the industry, so just to be shortlisted was as real pleasure.

“Ten years ago we could see there would be a shortage in skills in the industry so we set up a training programme for chefs, with an aim to get more women into the role. The most important thing was to get a good structure and be flexible. We’ve worked a lot with Everton in the locally community and the people we working with already had other life commitments so it was important to be inclusive.’

He continued, ‘I’m a Springboard ambassador and working with them has been very rewarding. They help me find people for work experience and we share the same goal. FutureChef has been great, because you’re not only helping young people become chefs but also teaching them life skills.

‘The one thing all three FutureChef winners I’ve worked with have said is they learn to cook competitively, but they also build their confidence and get an introduction to a work environment.

“In addition their parents and guardians who accompany them learn how to prepare tasty and healthy meals in the process.”

Oliver Wright, Everton’s Head of Hospitality, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Gareth, he is a true professional and is committed to finding and training local young people to realise their potential, which is very important to us here at Everton.”

Chris Bray, CEO for Sodexo sports and leisure, UK and Ireland, said, “This is fantastic news. Over the years Gareth has taken the time to help a number of young chefs develop their careers and is particularly skilled at spotting potential both within his own team and those he supports from local schools and colleges.

“Through his encouragement and training he has helped many achieve more than they imagined. He is a great asset to Sodexo and the foodservice industry as a whole and we are extremely proud of his achievements.”

Pictured (L-R): Katie Derham, who hosted the awards, GarethBillington, and Simon Tarr, chief executive of People 1st