Our outstanding Head Chef Tutor receives Prince Philip Medal

We’re delighted to announce that our Head Chef Tutor, Gary Richmond, was awarded the City and Guilds of London Institute’s Prince Philip Medal in recognition of his outstanding professional achievements.

It was awarded at an annual ceremony, held at St James’ Palace and presented by HRH The Princess Royal, who is President of the Institute.

The Prince Philip Medal is the highest recognition that the City and Guilds of London Institute offers and was given to Gary in honour of his skill as a chef and his commitment to helping the next generation of talent. The Medal has been given for more than 50 years, and honours those who, in The Duke of Edinburgh’s own words, have ‘travelled the City & Guilds path’ and made the most of their talents.

Gary joined our Chefs’ School from the start after long and significant culinary career. He began his training with the DeVere Academy, gaining City & Guilds Professional Cookery Qualifications. It helped him work his way up from apprentice to Head Chef at a 4* hotel and leisure complex.

He then moved to Compass Group where he spent 10 years as Group Head Chef for IBM. He got his first taste of teaching when he had to train and mentor a team in his role as Chef Development Trainer. Through this position, he supported dozens of professional cookery students to gain qualifications in the first 18 months.

Now with us at River Cottage, Gary is responsible for teaching more than 100 students about all facets of cookery, including sustainability and animal welfare.

Gary also assists with our consultancy arm, bringing his wealth of experience, knowledge and capability to other businesses. He’s also in-demand as a judge, ambassador and demonstrator, having won a number of medals at both the Culinary World Cup and the Culinary Olympics.

Gary said,‘I feel incredibly proud and honoured to be chosen for this prestigious award. I am lucky to have worked in a hugely diverse industry which has given me fantastic training, great opportunities, memories I will never forget and friends for life.

'Being a chef is not just a job it is a passion; the buzz for me now is training chefs of the future and watching them succeed and grow as chefs.’

Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group, Chris Jones said, ‘Gary’s passion for the culinary arts is evident in all he does. Not only is he an acclaimed chef in his own right, he genuinely cares about helping budding chefs find their own success. He is a very deserving winner of the Prince Philip Medal, and I’m sure he will continue to inspire those he teaches.’