A St Albans restaurateur has been honoured by his peers at the annual “Chefs’ Oscars”.

Chad Rahman, executive chef and owner of Chez Mumtaj restaurant, beat two other shortlisted chefs to win the Ethnic Chef Award and was presented with his trophy by guild chairman, Lee Maycock, and Mark Campey, chief executive of award sponsor Nayati, in front of an audience of 800 industry luminaries.

The awards recognise the crème de la crème of the UK chef industry and have become known as the Chefs’ Oscars. Past winners at the awards have included many Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs such as James Martin, who took home the Special Award in 2013.

Guild vice president Steve Munkley, said: “Chad has a reputation for being an outstanding chef: creative, innovative and passionate in his eclectic style of haute cuisine and is constantly pushing the boundaries of modern French-Asian cooking. His attention to detail in crafting dishes demonstrates the utmost in technical precision.”

Chad told the Herts Ad: ““ I am deeply honored and humbled to be the recipient of this coveted award from the Craft Guild of Chefs. It is most definitely one of the highest achievements in my culinary career as a chef. A privilege to be recognized by your fellow peers in the culinary world.”