Tossed Founder Gets Acorn Award

This is someone worth looking out for!

Vincent Mckevitt, founder of Tossed, the fast casual healthy eating group, has been recognised as one of the top 30 hospitality figures by Caterer & Hotelkeeper, the respected catering trade publication and the inceptor of the ‘Acorn Awards’.

Started in 1986 to recognise the 30 hospitality figures under the age of 30 that represent tomorrow’s leading lights, the Acorn Awards have spotted the likes of Marco Pierre White, Gary Rhodes and Marcus Wearing, all of whom rose to celebrity chef fame, yet in 23 years only 690 people have received an Acorn.

Over the past four years since founding Tossed in 2005, Mckevitt has opened seven units, created 100 jobs and has been picked as ‘the one to watch’ for hospitality in The Observer’s ‘Future 500’ list. After graduating with a first-class degree in business administration, Mckevitt spent time researching the salad bar market in California and New York before opening the first Tossed. On a mission to educate the world that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring, the Acorn award is an accolade to his business acumen when he spotted a gap in the market for taking healthy eating on- the-go to a whole new level. Tossed specialises in freshly tossed-to-order salads, as well as wraps, soups and other healthy and nutritionally balanced, freshly prepared foods, with the emphasis on health and indulgence. By changing salads from their side dish status to that of ‘big and tasty’ main meals, low in fat, with no added salt, made with free range eggs and organic or farm-assured meats, packing in superfoods and protein, using low GI carbs and low in calories, Tossed has changed people’s perception of what healthy eating is all about. Fruit smoothies alone provide 100 percent of the daily fruit intake in one hit. And the price point defies the credit crunch anytime. Company ethics are impressive too. www.tosseduk.com

On receiving his 2009 Acorn, Mckevitt said: ‘It is a great feeling to be recognised within the industry and to meet so many of the people who have shaped and are shaping the way we eat. I have put my all in building Tossed and I firmly believe that the concept will grow. I like healthy food at a decent price and this is what we offer’. The 2009 Acorns were presented at a ceremony held at luxury hotel operator Von Essen’s Lower Slaughter Manor, Gloucestershire. Bright stars from catering sectors to include airport catering, pubs, hotels food service and in-store restaurants were among the winners.