AMADEUS factsheet
Amadeus is currently dishing up a winning formula
as one of the UK’s fastest-growing venue and event
caterers.
Amadeus serves 1.8m covers every year operating in
venues such as the NEC, the ICC, LG Arena, the NIA,
Coventry Transport Museum, Kenilworth Castle, Hagley
Hall and the National Sea Life Centre. Amadeus serves
food at a number of major events, including Barclays
Scottish Open Golf and the RHS Hampton Court Palace
Flower Show. In addition, the company will be providing
catering at the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics and
Paralympics associated events.
This is all done with an impressive background of more
than 35 years of experience catering for the NEC Group’s
800 annual diverse events that see around 4m visitors.
With over 800 staff, including 75 chefs, the Amadeus team
has clocked up more than 600 awards for quality during
this time.
With a passion for food and service, Amadeus guarantees
to bring more to the table.
KEY MILESTONES
1999
Amadeus first operated at the
Scottish Open
2005 First food and beverage high-street outlets arrive at the NEC – BB’s
Coffee and Muffins, Wetherspoons and Subway
2006 NEC Group Catering becomes recognised as a business division
with own Managing Director
2007 Refurbishment of Halls 1 - 5 including
£10m investment in catering
2011Amadeus awarded contract for Olympic Park North at London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
2011
NEC Group Catering officially renamed Amadeus
AWARDS
Amadeus has won more than 600 awards, including:
2011 Hospitality Award - Birmingham Post Business Awards
2011 Young Chef of the Year for Damian Thomas - Marche Awards
2011 Merits for ICC chefs Matt Eades and Leon Churchill – Marche Awards
2011 Birmingham Green Restaurant Award for energy reduction – Café Vite at the ICC
2010 Young Chef of the Year for Simone Maxwell - Marche Awards
2008 More than 20 awards won by our chefs - Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres
2008
Five medals won - Wessex Salon Culinaire
2008 Three awards – Marche Awards
2008 Six medals awarded – Food & Drinks Expo
1998 Awards for Paul Gould and John Berry – Culinary Olympics
1992 Fifteen awards – Culinary Olympics
Visit Amadeus online:
www.amadeusfood.co.uk
www.twitter.com/amadeusfood
For all press enquiries, please contact:
Clare Usher
Corporate Media Relations Manager
0121 767 3124 / 07769 238 127
clare.usher@necgroup.co.uk
EXECUTIVE BOARD AND CHEF TEAM
Alyson joined Amadeus in July 2010 with over 25 years experience in the catering and
hospitality sector. In her previous role as a divisional Managing Director of a leading
event hospitality and management company Alyson was responsible for developing
and managing the business at a number of prestigious venues which included; racing,
stadium, events and historic venues. Alyson works in partnership with the NEC Group
venues and events to develop mutually beneficial strategies that deliver great financial
results for clients and great quality food for customers. Never one to shirk a challenge
Alyson has recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro!
Alyson Cawley
Managing Director
Andrew joined Amadeus following seven successful years as Stadium General
Manager at the new Wembley Stadium overseeing the operation of all food &
beverage operations. Andrew has over 20 years experience in major sport & leisure
events catering, having also previously been Operations Director of The British Grand
Prix. Andrew’s true passion in life is food and drink, and he spent his early career
as a Chef. Andrew balances this with a love of running and has completed 27 half
marathons and one full marathon but at the 2012 Olympics he’ll be staying firmly on
the other side of the tracks!
Andrew Taylor
Project Director
Olympics 2012
Paul Gould
Group Executive Head
Chef
Paul is Amadeus’ Group Executive Head Chef covering all venues and events. Paul’s
passion and enthusiasm for food are well known throughout the chef world. After
training at Birmingham College of Food, Paul completed his apprenticeship in Zurich,
London and on the South Coast before joining the NEC in 1976 and making Amadeus
his home. Paul is well regarded as one of the most innovative chefs in the UK and has
consistently been first to market with new initiatives in event catering. He is the only
chef in Great Britain to have won a Gold Medal at the World Culinary Olympics, The
Banqueting Chef of the Year Award, The Grand Prix D’Honneur and The Arthur Hope
Trophy at the British Cookery Open Championships. To this day this has not been
achieved by anyone else.
Neil Ashton leads the NEC Group’s Olympic 2012 culinary team, developing concepts
and is ultimately responsible for delivering the offer at the London 2012 Olympics at
Olympic Park North. Prior to this Neil was Group Deputy Executive Head Chef of
Amadeus. Neil has been with the company for 22 years having previously held roles
at Ettington Park and The Mortal Man Hotel in the Lake District and worked on events
including the Rugby World Cup. An avid rugby fan, Neil coaches an under 15’s rugby
team in his spare time and follows Leicester Tigers whenever he can.
Neil Ashton
Executive Chef,
Olympic team
Kevin Magee “Buzz”
Group Deputy
Executive Head Chef
Simon Hellier
Executive Head Chef,
The ICC
Kevin, more commonly known as “Buzz” has been with Amadeus for some 28 years.
Initially he joined “for a few weeks” whilst awaiting a visa to go and work in Singapore.
However, weeks turned into months and luckily Buzz decided to stay! He worked his
way up the ladder and became Deputy Executive Chef in 2008. A lot of Buzz’s time is
spent on menu development and managing rotas. However, whenever there’s a major
event on you can be sure Buzz will be back at the helm in the kitchen doing what he
loves best. An experienced competition Chef, Buzz enjoys training and developing
newcomers for the competition world. That leaves just one thing; the question on
everyone’s lips “Why is Buzz called Buzz?” Apparently the name came from a
character called Buzby in a 1970’s BT advert and it stuck!
Simon Hellier leads the team at the ICC Birmingham and has been based with
Amadeus at the ICC since it opened in 1991. Simon learnt his craft at The Plough
and Harrow Hotel, Edgbaston (a former Egon Ronay hotel of the year). Through hard
work and long days he moved up the kitchen ladder to become one of the youngest
ever ‘chef de partie’. At just 22, Simon went on to work in a four star hotel as ‘sous
chef’ and later had the pleasure of travelling the world working aboard Cunard Ship
QE2. A leading innovator in event catering and highly respected by both his event
industry and Birmingham restaurant contemporaries, Simon is always keen to push
boundaries and take things up a level.
Darren had always wanted to be a chef and started his career straight from
school in Newcastle. He eventually wound up as Head Chef at London’s
Grosvenor House before deciding he wanted more variety and headed to the
NEC Group where he now heads up the Amadeus chef team. When he’s not
busy at work, Darren has two young daughters and is teaching them the tricks
of the trade.
Darren Proud
Senior Head Chef
Events