Emanuele ‘Lele’ Mensah will represent Britain’s bartenders when he heads to the global final of Diageo World Class in Toronto this September.
Lele triumphed at the GB final of the competition, which was held at Rosebery Steading outside Edinburgh last month.
Speaking to SLTN, Lele – of The Connaught in London – said winning the competition was ‘a dream come true’.
He was announced as the winner by the 2024 GB champion, Danilo Frigulti, after two days of challenges against – and at times, being paired up with – the other nine finalists.
“I’m still processing it,” Lele told SLTN. “I didn’t believe it. I hugged Danilo and was like ‘did you say my name?’ I was shocked. I wanted to say lots of things, I wanted to say thankyou to my family, to my daughter, to my friends, to my team, to everyone, but while I was there I had no words.
“I was very happy but I was also shocked. I had dreamed this for so long that when it happened it felt like a dream. Am I dreaming or is it true?”
Scotland was represented at the GB final by Edinburgh bartender Sean Cavanagh, who won the People’s Choice Award at the final, along with his teammate, London bartender Chelsea Bailey.
Sean told SLTN on the day that making the top ten of the competition ‘means everything’.
“This year is the first year actually being in the top ten. I feel like I progressed each year and the challenges they set have really helped me grow as a person and a bartender too,” he said.
And he encouraged the next generation of bartenders to participate in the famously-daunting competition.
“If you’re looking to compete for the first time and you’re one of the younger bartenders in the community, I would just encourage you to go out there and do it. You learn a lot from your mistakes, and it helps you grow. You get to also experience some of the best bartenders in the country; it’s a really good chance to network and grow your community, which can obviously help you in the future.”
(Full interview with Lele Mensah next issue.)
