Last year's kitchen hero Ziyad Hejamady Last year's kitchen hero Ziyad Hejamady

 The award for Kitchen Hero of the Year recognises those F&B employees that perform much more than is required of them in their role, and always with a smile.

The five candidates for this year’s much loved Kitchen Hero of the Year 2011 in the Caterer Middle East Awards are as follows:

• Nalendra Anindita, junior chef, Cavalli Club, Restaurant and Lounge
• Sandheep Cherian, first commi chef, Butchery, Aloft Abu Dhabi
• Babuji Panicker, chef de parie, Wavebreaker, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah
• Chamara Segara, first commi chef, Butchery, Iberotel, Fujairah Al Aqah
• Ajayan Vamadeven, stead supervisor, Media One Dubai

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The Kitchen Hero of the Year was launched in 2010. The inaugural winner, Ziyad Hejamady, head steward Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, beat off stiff competition from a number of high-quality candidates, each bringing a wide-range of qualities to the table.