Christmas Archives - Page 15 of 15 - Destination Chesterfield

Cocina named as Chesterfield’s Restaurant of the Year

29th October 2015

Cocina at Casa Hotel has been crowned Chesterfield’s best restaurant in the town’s prestigious Food and Drink Awards last night.

Judges described Cocina’s menu as ‘imaginative’ and the quality of food as ‘excellent,’ highlighting the ‘provenance of locally-sourced food.’ They also praised the overall ‘quality dining experience.’

The prestigious Restaurant of the Year award is another to add to the trophy cabinet of Chesterfield’s four star hotel, owned by local entrepreneur Steve Perez. Earlier this year it was announced as one of the top 5 hotels in the UK in the Trip Advisor 2015 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Steve Perez said: “It’s always wonderful to receive awards, especially when you are in the company of other great shortlisted restaurants. Here at Casa we always try and put our customers first so it feels extra special when they make their voices heard in such a brilliant way. Cocina focuses on both the food product and the customer – using the best quality locally sourced ingredients in the kitchen, and friendly, professional service in the dining room.”

As well as Cocina, 11 other food and drink establishments, producers and individuals were also named as Chesterfield’s finest at the sell-out awards ceremony hosted by celebrity chef Theo Randall. Discover the full list of winners

Theo Randall said: ““Chesterfield’s food and drink scene is thriving; the strong field in the Best Newcomer category is testament to that. I commend all the finalists in this category knowing only too well myself, when I opened my first restaurant, Theo Randall at the InterContinental in 2006, the courage, commitment and belief in yourself it takes to set out and do it on your own.

“Good food is one of life’s simple pleasures. The support shown for the awards in both the nomination phase and the awards shows that good food is a passion of many people in Chesterfield.

“The awards are a great demonstration of how the food and drink scene in Chesterfield has evolved in recent years. It is now catering for many tastes, from authentic Japanese and Jamaican to Italian and Great British. The town has everything and is continuing to develop its thriving and increasingly successful hospitality scene.”

Organised by Destination Chesterfield, in association with Chesterfield College, the 2015 awards were the biggest yet and tickets sold out weeks in advance. More nominations than ever were received from the public resulting in 10 businesses being first time finalists in the awards.

As well as sponsoring the awards Chesterfield College also hosted them with 50 students, studying NVQ and BTECs in catering and hospitality, catering and silver serving a two course meal to more than 250 people attending the event. The college also trained the winner of the Young Chef of the Year James Greatorex.

Stuart Cutforth, Principal of Chesterfield College added: “The Food and Drink Awards are the go to event in Chesterfield. There is a wealth of outstanding food and drink establishments in the town and Chesterfield College is delighted to be training the future stars of the industry. Our mission statement is ‘inspiring futures, changing lives’ and the Food and Drink Awards enable us to do just that, giving the many apprentices we train real hands-on experiences at the ceremony each year.”

Destination Chesterfield Manager Dominic Stevens said: “Each year we have seen an increase in the number of people nominating businesses for the awards and this year was no exception. The support across Chesterfield has been phenomenal, with people keen to see the town, and the businesses and people working within its hospitality sector succeed and grow.”

Chatsworth at forefront of accessible tourism campaign

23rd October 2015

Chatsworth is one of eight businesses across the Peak District and Derbyshire playing a leading role in a pioneering project promoting England as a leading destination for accessible tourism.

Official tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire was one of just seven top destinations to net a share in national tourist board VisitEngland’s ‘Access for All’ project, funded by a 125,000 Euros (more than £93,000) grant from the European Commission.

Chastworth has had a site audit to review facilities and pinpoint areas that could be improved, classroom-based and on-line training to boost customer service, a ‘mystery shop’ by people with a range of disabilities and tips to improve their accessibility statement and websites.

It also shared in a £100,000 print and on-line media and marketing campaign by VisitEngland in partnership with Express Newspapers throughout September, which aimed to raise awareness of accessible destinations and businesses across England.

VisitEngland research reveals that the overnight accessible tourism market is now worth £3 billion per annum to the English economy, with day visits boosting the figure to £12.1 billion. Over the past few years, overnight trips by disabled tourists and their companions have increased by 19 per cent, and their spending is up by a third.

“VisitEngland estimates that the overall annual value of overnight accessible tourism to Derbyshire is £45 million, so it makes sense for local businesses to invest in improving their facilities and services for this key sector of the market,” said Lindsay Rae, Deputy Director and Head of Industry Engagement at Visit Peak District & Derbyshire

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “The accessible tourism market is worth a sizeable £12.1 billion to the English economy, and many tourism businesses are realising that catering for disabled customers is not only a necessity but a wise investment that brings a host of business benefits. Many of the changes businesses make may be small, but combined contribute significantly to the visitor experience.”

Sally Ambrose, Head of Marketing and Visitor Services at Chatsworth said: “Chatsworth is delighted to be part of VisitEngland’s Access for All initiative. We have always been committed to providing the best possible service to all our visitors, including those with mobility impairments, and this scheme has enabled us to ensure we are constantly improving our facilities to provide the best possible visitor experience for all.”