A chef from Preston has been nominated for a Lancashire Tourism Unsung Hero award.

Oli Martin, who is the Chef Director at Aven Restaurant, Fell Urban Bistro and Foray Catering, is up for the award for excelling when it comes to his job in the tourism industry.

The Unsung Hero Award highlights those individuals who are working within tourism and exceling in their role.

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He is going up against Joanne Denton, Head of Weddings at Holland Hall Hotel and Simon Entwistle, Tour Guide of Top Hat Tours.

Oli is widely known due to appearing on BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals in 2018 where he showed off his cooking skills.

He supports local farmers, businesses, and has created more than 30 employment opportunities in Lancashire.

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The chef has an impressive social media following where he shows off his creations to his 16,000 followers on Instagram.

The Lancashire Tourism Awards 2023 ceremony will take place at King Georges Hall in Blackburn on Tuesday 6 February, 2024.

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Vikki Harris, Marketing and Partnerships Director of Marketing Lancashire said: “We are delighted to have such highly-regarded colleagues and individuals in the running for the Unsung Hero Award. 

“This is a very special category and we hope each of the finalists are proud to have their name associated with the award, which celebrates the finalists’ achievements and their contributions to the industry 

“Our judges have a difficult task ahead of them determining the winner, as all of these finalists deserve our thanks and recognition for their hard work.”

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