"These awards are an fantastic opportunity to celebrate some of the truly phenomenal women who make our hospitality industry so great! I'm honoured to help with the judging process and to have the opportunity to showcase how integral and incredible these women are."
Ayesha Kalaji is the Executive Chef and Owner of Queen of Cups in Glastonbury, a contemporary Middle Eastern restaurant housed in a historic 17th-century coaching inn. With deep roots in both North Wales and Jordan, Ayesha merges her heritage with locally sourced ingredients to craft a distinctive and innovative approach to Middle Eastern cuisine. After training at Leith’s and refining her skills as a butcher at Parsons Nose, she gained experience in renowned kitchens such as The Palomar, Sosban and The Old Butchers, The Good Egg, and Bubala before launching Queen of Cups in 2021. Ayesha has garnered widespread recognition, including maintaining a Michelin Bib Gourmand for four consecutive years—the first and only in the area. She received the Spotlight Award for Middle Eastern Food at the Be Inclusive Awards, was shortlisted for Be Inclusive Chef of the Year 2024, has been named one of Code’s Top 100 Most Influential Women of the Year, won Best Chef at last year's Trencherman Awards, after winning the Best Newcomer accolade last year. Ayesha was also recipient of this years Estrella Gastropub Top 50 Chef of the Year, being only the second woman to have won it.
