Top honour for food professional

LIVERPOOL born Peter Avis, restaurant manager at Babylon restaurant at the Roof Gardens, London, has won a national competition.

Mr Avis, 33, was named 2009 UK Restaurant Manager of the Year, beating Mark Bevan who works at Cheshire’s Chester Grosvenor.

Mr Avis hopes to raise the profile of restaurant managers and do his utmost to encourage young people into front-of-house careers.

“The key attributes of a restaurant manager are the ability to communicate and the ability to value your team.”

The competition was endorsed and supported by the newly formed National Skills Academy for Hospitality.

Chief executive David McHattie said: “The Skills Academy is all about excellence in hospitality in terms of management, leadership and customer service, which is what the Restaurant Manager of the Year promotes.

“Front-of-house and restaurant management are not some sort of punishment, they are a hugely valuable part of the sector and offer people a wide range of opportunities.”