Southampton landlord celebrates award win

A landlord from Southampton who is upholding his family’s legacy is being recognised by leading pub company Admiral Taverns.

Stefano Centola of the Prince of Wales, on High Street, Shirrell Heath has been chosen from nearly 2,000 landlords nationwide to receive an Admiral Taverns Achievement Award.

Stefano took on the pub, which was formerly run by both his grandparents and his uncle in succession, in April of this year.

Stefano said: “When I was younger, I actually used to work for my uncle Peter Hake, who ran the Prince of Wales for 17 years; it gave me a great grounding for my career in the catering industry, which saw me work as a senior chef on various cruise ships before moving on to run my own restaurant and wine bar.

“When the pub became available, it was a combination of nostalgia, family loyalty and a desire to get back in the kitchen that drew me to it – I haven’t looked back since.”

Stefano has focused on getting the pub up to the standards previously set by his uncle, undertaking refurbishment work and developing the pub’s food offering using his expert knowledge of the catering industry.

Stefano said: “We pride ourselves on offering a great range of classic dishes with a modern twist. Word of mouth is spreading and we have customers coming from far and wide to try our food. The pub is trading so well that we’re currently looking for new full and part tine staff, as we’re expecting a busy Christmas.

“I employ two upcoming young chef in the kitchen, and my uncle is also helping out at the pub again while my girlfriend runs the front of house, so it’s still very much a family affair - we’re all delighted to have received this award in recognition of all our hard work.

Admiral Taverns – one of the UK’s largest independent operator of tenanted and leased pubs – introduced Achievement Awards to help recognise landlords like Stefano who have shown best practice and made a positive impact on their pub and their community.

Martyn Pincombe, business development manager for Admiral Taverns, said: “Stefano and his dedicated team at the Prince of Wales are fantastic role models for anyone who’s ever wanted to run a pub. Their hard work has established the pub as a destination food venue and brought it firmly back to its former glory.

“We are always on the look out for people who have the personality and drive to run a successful pub and have a number of available venues in the area. To find out more, contact our recruitment team on 0845 070 8950 or visit www.admiraltaverns.co.uk.”

For Christmas bookings at the Prince of Wales or to enquire about vacancies, call 01329 835 089.