A hospitality superstar and Ukrainian refugee was given an amazing surprise in York last night (Thursday).
Mariana Kachun was nominated for an honour at the first ever York Hospitality Awards, held at the Radisson Hotel.
Mariana, the chef de rang at Middlethorpe Hall & Spa, took gold for the Rising Star Award. But even better was to come.
The judges were hugely inspired when reading Mariana’s story, and not just by her work in the industry.
Mariana is a war refugee from Ukraine who fled the country in April 2022 at the time of the Russian invasion. She joined the Middlethorpe team in York at aged 17 with her mother and sister, living in staff accommodation.
Despite the huge personal challenges Mariana’s faced at such a young age, she looked after her guests to the highest possible standard.
Mariana’s plan was to return to her hometown and continue to study medicine at the beginning of this year. However, her university was destroyed by bombing.
The awards were organised by HAY, the Hospitality Association York. One of the judges was Brendan Paddison, an associate professor at York St John University.
Along with HAY Chair Adam Wardale, the judges wanted to do more to reward the remarkable journey Mariana has been on and sacrifices she’s had to make.
YorkMix spoke to Brendan, who said: “As a judging panel, we were incredibly moved by Mariana’s story.
“Mariana has had to make significant sacrifices because of the war in Ukraine.”
Working with colleagues at the university, Brendan was able to offer Mariana a scholarship to study at York St John.
When Mariana was presented with the gold Rising Star award, Brendan joined her on stage to share the scholarship offer.
As Mariana reacted with disbelief, applause broke out from the audience – and cheers from her colleagues at Middlethorpe Hall hotel.
She was given a standing ovation.
Lionel Chatard, director & general manager at Middlethorpe Hotel & Spa, submitted the nomination form for Mariana.
He said: “Not only are we thrilled and proud of Mariana receiving a gold award, but we are very moved by the kindness and generosity displayed by York St John University represented by Brendan Paddison in granting her a scholarship.
“Mariana is a true ‘rising star’ and we couldn’t be more proud, watching her shine and progress her life goals and passion.”
YorkMix spoke to Mariana following the excitement, “I don’t really believe it. I probably need some more time just to think about it, but I’m just so happy.”
Mariana was hoping to study in England at some point, but felt held back because of the language barrier: “I was a bit worried. Because of my English, I thought I can’t really get into university.”
Brendan Paddison told YorkMix, “It was an absolute privilege to meet Mariana and offer her the scholarship. At York St John University, we believe in the transformational potential of education and our ethos is built on providing access to educational opportunities.”
Mariana now just has to decide which course to enrol on and when to begin her new University chapter. Everyone here at YorkMix wishes her the best of luck for the future.