Entry competition for the National Hennessy Hospitality Award 2024 open!

The 23rd edition of the competition for the National Hennessy Hospitality Award is about to start. Are you the Netherlands' hospitality talent? Is pampering guests gastronomically and providing top service in your blood? Are you aged between 20 and 26? Then register no later than 31 March 2024!

Within the competition for the National Hennessy Hospitality Award (NHGP), key culinary players are working together to raise awareness of hospitality in the Netherlands. Hospitality is a profession and the black brigade is therefore a very important factor in the experience and in the success of a culinary evening. The NHGP is a competition where, as a participant, you gain a lot of experience, get to know fellow professionals and test your own skills. Winner of the 2023 edition was Marèl Disselhorst of restaurant YANO in Rotterdam. She was awarded her prize for the best young hostess in the Netherlands during the festive launch of restaurant guide Lekker500 in Capital C, Amsterdam, which was presented by Winston Gerschtanowitz.

Requirement for participation is an age between 20 and 26 years as of 31 March 2024. In addition, the candidate must work at least 4 days a week as a hostess or host in a restaurant listed in the Lekker500, Michelin or Gault&Millau guides, or affiliated to the G4, or belonging to a hotel rated 5 stars. Entry is not tied to membership of a restaurant association. Full competition conditions and entry information can be found at the Website of media partner Lekker. Subscription is possible until 31 March 2024.

The NHGP is organised by the G4 foundation, in which restaurant associations Alliance Gastronomique, JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, Les Patrons Cuisiniers and Fine Eastern Restaurants work together with the aim of creating a stage for young talents. The G4 also provide a wild card candidate.

The technical interpretation and accountability of the NHGP is in the hands of jury president Edwin Raben, former top sommelier and active with Edwines.com with consultancy and a wine school, among other things. The competition starts with a theory round on 15 April 2024. The top six participants from the theory day, together with the four wildcard holders, will advance to the practical round on 23 September 2024. These 10 will also be visited by the professional jury at the company where the contestant works, where the candidate plays the role of hostess or host during a lunch or dinner. The theory and practical rounds will be held at the ROC Mondriaan location in The Hague. Astrid Schreuders will supervise the candidates on both days.

The participants will be judged by a jury with prominent figures from Dutch gastronomy including the nestor of Dutch gastronomy Cees Helder; owner Restaurant, Hotel & Spa Savarin and chairman of the NHGP committee Patrick van Zuiden; SVH Meestergastvrouw of restaurant Bij Jef Nadine Mögling and jury chairman Edwin Raben. Also on the jury are the chairmen of the G4: Bob Bron on behalf of Alliance Gastronomique (also chairman G4), Marko Karelse on behalf of JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, Frank Visser for Les Patrons Cuisiniers and Michael Hu on behalf of Fine Eastern Restaurants. In addition, former winners Marèl Disselhorst (2023), Teide Schepers (2022), Max Oude Veldhuis (2021), Anne Marie Nijhoff (2020) and Tim Wellenberg (2019) are part of the jury, as well as Lekker500 editor-in-chief Annelies Pijper and former restaurateur and former chairman of Stichting Samenwerking G4 Lex Gasseling.

The winner will be announced on 4 November 2024 during the launch of the new edition of Lekker500 and will go home with the challenge trophy (a sculpture by artist Lou Thissen) and get to pay a study visit to Hennessy's renowned Château de Bagnolet in France. In addition, the winner will receive a bottle of highly exclusive Hennessy Paradis worth €1,250 and a cash prize of no less than €2,500.
The finalist who makes the best Hennessy Cognac cocktail during the practical round will be offered a WSET Spirits course by Edwines School.

To take Dutch hospitality to the next level, the National Hennessy Hospitality Award was established in 1999. The aim is to promote knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic hospitality and to raise awareness of the profession. Under the banner of the G4, Alliance Gastronomique, JRE Jeunes Restaurateurs, Les Patrons Cuisiniers and Fine Eastern Restaurants collaborate on the NHGP. In addition, ROC Mondriaan in The Hague is contributing and Lekker500, S.Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, House of Caviar, Stichting Vakbekwaamheid Horeca (SVH), Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) and Nespresso are linked as partners. Although the competition is organised by the G4, entry is not tied to membership of a restaurant association.

Family business Hennessy was founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy and is currently run by the eighth generation. The brand, which joined LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, in 1987, is the world's best-selling cognac. The versatile drink is served both in club life and at chic socialites, from New York to Tokyo and from Oslo to Cape Town. Hennessy has a strong connection with music and art, working with leading artists such as The Roots, Nas, Futura and Tom Dixon. Behind every bottle of cognac is a world of craftsmanship and precision. The unique wealth of knowledge dating back to the 18th century, the exceptional selection and the perfected ageing and blending process guarantee the best cognac until the last drop.