National Hennessy Hospitality Award announces finalists 2026 edition

After an intensive theory round and a tasting technical part, the jury of the competition for the National Hennessy Hospitality Award has selected the ten contestants who will go on to the finals. The top talents competed against each other on 15 April 2026 in the jubilee edition of this prestigious competition for young hospitality talent between the ages of 20 and 26, which this year is for the 25^e time will be held.

With an intensive theory test and a challenging wine and food test, 24 candidates competed for a place in the finals on 15 April. During this round, not only their knowledge on hostmanship was tested, questions on communication, drinks and commodity knowledge of the kitchen also came up. Another topic was the harmony between drink and dish.

Participants were judged by jury chairman Edwin Raben, while Astrid Schreuders provided candidate guidance. Competition arena was traditionally the ROC Mondriaan in The Hague, location Koningin Marialaan.

Gathering knowledge

The second part of the first competition round was all about gaining knowledge. This included a master class on Hennessy Cognac, a workshop on making cocktails with Hennessy Cognac and a demonstration of preparing a lobster salad for two at the table by SVH Meestergastheer Eduard van der Toolen, who is also Hospitality Manager and lecturer at ROC Mondriaan. The latter two topics allowed the participants to prepare for the next round of the competition to be held in September 2026.

Level rising annually

Jury chairman Edwin Raben looks back with satisfaction. “The enthusiasm among the participants was great, noting how positive and comradely the mutual atmosphere was. Although the theoretical parts were perceived as tough, we see the level of the selected top talents increasing every year. The participants showed great eagerness to learn during the workshops and demonstrations in the afternoon section. It is wonderful to see how this new generation is raising the bar for hospitality in the Dutch hospitality industry.”

These contestants will advance to the final of the NHGP 2026 (in no particular order)

      Name Restaurant Place

1. Youri van Dijk Apicius Bakkum
2. Sophie Pauws Maeve Utrecht
3. Perry Heneweer Merlet Schoorl
4. Celine Treffers De Librije Zwolle
5. Thomas Blokdijk 212 Amsterdam
6. Sjoerd van Dijk Mearkas Eastermar
7. Michelle Leone Éclusier Bloemendaal
8. Mees Kooring Lutum Wijk bij Duurstede
9. Wietse van Eijsden Central Park Voorburg
10. Sjoerd van den Oetelaar Roku Waalwijk

Reserve candidate:

1. Sam Grimbergen Harvey Rijswijk

Continuation of the match

Over the next few months, the 10 finalists will be visited by the judges at the restaurant where they work, where they will be judged over a meal in the role of head hostess or head host.

The concluding competition component is the practical day on 28 September 2026, which will include a test of practical skills. The announcement of the winner of the Hennessy Hospitality Award 2026 will take place on 2 November 2026 during the launch of Lekker500 edition 2027.