A WEST Devon chef has been named as the best in the South West at a recent awards ceremony.
Steve Pidgeon, head chef at the Arundell Arms Hotel in Lifton, has joined the likes of Michael Caines, Paul Ainsworth and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall as one of its winners in this year’s Food Reader Awards.
Steve was invited to the awards ceremony where he was thrilled to pick up the accolade of Best Chef in what is one of the largest and most highly acclaimed food awards in the South West.
The awards were launched by Salt Media five years ago through its publication Food magazine with the aim of celebrating the very best restaurants, cafés, pubs, chefs, producers, retailers, cookery schools and bloggers in the South West.
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The voters were readers of Food magazine and www.food-mag.co.uk and this year saw the biggest response yet with more than 110,000 votes cast across the 13 categories.
The ceremony took place at Yeo Valley HQ in Blagdon last week and was attended by high profile figures from across the industry.
After the awards ceremony, Steve said: ’I’m absolutely thrilled to have won this award. It’s always great to receive praise and recognition from those that enjoy my food as well as my respected industry peers. Thank you so much to all of you who voted for me.’
Food magazine editor Jo Rees said: ’Steve Pidgeon and all the finalists exemplify the leading, creative and groundbreaking food and drink businesses we’ve got in the South West. It was a fabulous evening and we’re thrilled that Steve will now join our list of previous winners which includes Nathan Outlaw, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Cornish Sea Salt, Riverford Field Kitchen and Waitrose.’