Last night, the Evening Standard dropped its annual Progress 1000 list - its roundup of the most influential people in London - at a glitzy party in newly refurbed Leake Street Arches. While the Kingdom Choir, from the royal wedding, tore down the house with a rendition of Stormzy's Blinded by the Light (both they and he were on the list), Hot Dinners wandered around trying to spot London's influential food and drink folk. In total 73 made the list (us included).
Canapes and bowl food on the night were supplied by Imad Alarnab - a Syrian chef who, having fled the war in his own country, has spent the last six months running the Choose Love Kitchen on Columbia Road in Bethnal Green where profits are used to help the refugee crisis.
Here's the list - and if you want to see why everyone was nominated - you can read that here on the Standard site.
- Ruth Rogers - The River Cafe
- Karam, Jyotin and Sunaina Sethi - JKS Restaurants (Gymkhana, Sabor, Brigadiers).
- Skye Gyngell - Spring
- Jaega Wise - Head brewer, Wildcard Brewery
- Kavi and Shamil Thakrar - Dishoom
- Merlin Labron-Johnson - Portland and The Conduit
- Nieves Barragan Mohacho - Sabor
- Alan Yau
- Fay Maschler - Evening Standard
- Ewan Venters - Fortnum and Mason
- Fergus Henderson - St. John
- Nuno Mendes - Chiltern Firehouse and Maos
- Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney - Breddos Tacos
- Nick Jones - Soho House
- Isaac Carew - Chef and influencer
- Andrew Wong - A Wong and Kym's
- Nadiya Hussain
- Catherine and Gavin Hanly - Hot Dinners
- Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King - The Wolseley, Brasserie Zedel, Fischers and more
- Daniel Morgenthau and Will Lander - Portland, Clipstone and Quality Chop House
- Clare Smyth - Core by Clare Smyth
- Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew - Noble Rot
- Zoe and Layo Paskin - The Palomar and Barbary and The Blue Posts
- Clerkenwell Boy
- Jonathan Downey - Street Feast
- Ryan Chetiyawardana - Dandelyan
- Thomasina Miers - Wahaca
- Anna Jones - author A Modern Way to Eat
- Shing Tat and Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang - BAO
- Yotam Ottolenghi
- Jeremy Lee - Quo Vadis
- Ben Chapman - Kiln and Smoking Goat
- Sam and Sam Clark - Moro and Morito
- Selin Kiazim - Oklava and Kyseri
- Ollie Dabbous - Hide
- Isaac McHale - The Clove Club, Luca, Two Lights
- Darius Namdar - Cigar sommelier, Birley Group
- Alice Williams - Luminary Bakery
- Paula Fitzherbert - Comms director, Claridge’s, The Berkeley and The Connaught
- Karan Gokani - Hoppers
- Angela Hartnett - Murano and Merchant’s Tavern
- Mallika Basu - Food writer
- Claude Bosi - Bibendum
- Dan Saladino - Producer and reporter, The Food Programme
- Des Gunewardena and David Loewi - D&D Restaurants
- Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson - Nightjar, Swift and Oriole
- Eddie, Sam and James Hart and Crispin Somerville - Quo Vadis, Barrafina, El Pastor and The Drop
- Fernando Peire - The Ivy
- Jason Atherton - Pollen Street Social, Hai Cenato,
- Jamie Oliver
- Henry Dimbleby - Leon
- Gizzi Erskine - Mare Street Market
- Nigella Lawson
- Richard Caring - Caprice Holdings
- Ruby Tandoh - author Eat Up
- Tony Conigliaro - Bar with No Name, Untitled, Bar Termini and Gazelle.
