The N^TH Degree Club Book Launch

7 November 2019

The N^TH Degree Club published their 7th book which coincided with their 200th Private Dining event at Claridge’s on 2 December 2019. The book is content rich with a cutting edge design and stunning photography. The book includes the world’s leading Private Dining Room Guide alongside luxury lifestyle features and interviews. The N^TH Degree Club book cover features three generations of the Roux family who were honoured at the Restaurant Association Gala Dinner in February with the Award for Services to Hospitality which was designed and sponsored by Fabergé. In his editor’s letter, Robert Walton MBE reflected on the success of the Young Chef Young Waiter competition in 2019 and announced new partnerships with Tatler and the Michelin Star Revelation for 2020. The book is free for The
N^TH Degree Club members and is available on request for £75.

Robert Walton MBE said: “Welcome to the 7th edition of The N^TH Degree Club book which is a celebration of the last 18 months and includes a preview of our exciting plans for the future. My last editor’s letter in Spring 2018 focused on the highs and lows of a difficult period where I had just emerged from gruelling treatment for cancer and returned with vigour to the the job I love. It is now safe to say that life has never been better and the business is going from strength to strength. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the best names in hospitality industry and partnering with the biggest luxury brands in the business.

On the cover of this issue you will find three generations of the Roux family from our special star-studded Restaurant Association Gala Dinner in February 2019 at The Savoy. We were delighted to honour Albert Roux OBE, Michel Roux
Jr. and Emily Roux with the Restaurant Association Award for Services to Hospitality which was designed and sponsored by Fabergé and presented to the family by Sarah Fabergé. We are so grateful to our many sponsors who made this evening possible including No.1 Botanical Soda who created an exclusive bar in The Savoy and the Cayman Islands who donated an incredible prize for our coveted Heads or Tails competition. We are looking forward to returning to The Savoy for our next Restaurant Association Gala Dinner in February 2020.

Another significant milestone for The N^TH Degree Club this year has been the relaunch of the Young Chef Young Waiter Competition in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association. As the past Chairman of the competition from 2006 to 2012, I was delighted to revamp the concept for the 40th anniversary where we were joined by Arla Pro, Magnum and the Cayman Islands as our title sponsors. I recruited the best people in the hospitality
industry so our roster of judges included Theo Randall, Tom Kerridge, Clare Smyth MBE, Claude Bosi, Emily Roux, Jeff Galvin, Andy Downton, Johanna Wimmer. This competition showcased new talent and we have ambitions to replicate this concept worldwide to find the best global young chefs and waiters. In recent years we have been working closely with Michelin, so it is with great pleasure that I can announce that The N^TH Degree Club joined them as their events partners for the Michelin Guide Star Revelation in October 2019. In this book you’ll find a history of Michelin so you can find out more about this iconic institution.

Our final partnership to announce this year is with Tatler, the most prestigious and iconic publication which is renowned for setting the tone for high society. From September this year, we joined together with Tatler to produce their exclusive Address Book with a view to creating the most exciting restaurant directory. This is a very exciting year for Tatler as they celebrate their 310th anniversary this December and the Address Book, which will be published in late 2020, is sure to be a calendar highlight for restaurateurs, chefs and restaurants.

This year The N^TH Degree Club celebrated a number of intimate private drinks, lunches and dinners in exclusive settings plus we travelled the globe to attend special events. Thomas Keller’s 25th anniversary of The French Laundry was extremely special to me and I hope you enjoy the photos from California. We are looking forward to celebrating The N^TH Degree Club’s historic 200th private dining event in December 2019 with a special Christmas Lunch at Claridge’s, the epitome of timeless elegance.

Just to return for a brief moment to the highs and lows of previous years, I have been so fortunate to have been given the all-clear from my tongue cancer, that I have now I have turned my attention to supporting the Oracle Cancer Trust. Our special dinner at The French Salon at Claridge’s in May raised £50,000 and this will become an annual event to raise funds for the UK’s leading charity solely dedicated to funding research into head and neck cancer.

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that Sean Valentine is now taking the reins as the day to day contact as The N^TH Degree Club’s Managing Director so that I can focus on our global plans. We are so thankful to our members, sponsors, partners and friends for their support on this spectacular journey and we are look forward to raising a glass of Champagne to toast our past successes and future plans very soon.”

Find out more about the book here.