Laura Cuthbert from The Agrarian Kitchen in Tasmania and Chris Bancroft (above) from Supernormal Brisbane are the recipients of the The 2026 Tranche Scholarship.
They will each receive $15,000 to undertake ambitious international professional development programs, before bringing their learnings back to their workplaces and the wider Australian hospitality industry.
Laura has been part of The Agrarian Kitchen since 2018, progressing from a casual front-of-house role to restaurant manager and helping lead the restaurant through a period of significant growth and recognition, including being named Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year in 2024.
She will travel to the United States to attend Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality Summit in Nashville, building on Guidara’s philosophy of creating extraordinary guest experiences, which has had a profound influence on her approach to service and leadership.
Laura also plans to visit Blue Hill at Stone Barns, whose connection between restaurant, farm and produce shares many parallels with The Agrarian Kitchen.
She hopes to return to Tasmania with new ideas around service, leadership and creating memorable guest experiences to share with her team and the broader hospitality community.
Laura Cuthbert
Chris Bancroft is the head sommelier at Supernormal Brisbane, part of Andrew McConnell’s Trader House.
With more than 15 years in hospitality, he has worked across restaurants including Maeve Wine Bar and Bar Francine before joining Supernormal Brisbane and progressing into his current role.
Chris will undertake a research trip across the United States and United Kingdom, exploring how leading restaurants and hospitality groups approach staff training, onboarding, professional development and building strong teams.
His proposed itinerary includes Le Bernardin and Union Square Hospitality Group in New York, alongside leading groups in the UK, examining how different businesses create effective training systems while maintaining their individual culture and standards of service.
With Brisbane experiencing significant growth in restaurant openings, Chris sees attracting, training and retaining great hospitality professionals as increasingly critical.
Mathilda Hill-Smith, director of the Tranche Scholarship, said, “Laura and Chris stood out for the strength of their proposals and their commitment to sharing what they learn.
“They’re at exciting points in their careers, and each came to us with a very clear idea of what they wanted to explore and, importantly, why it matters to the Australian hospitality industry.
“Laura’s focus on service and leadership and Chris’s work around staff training speak to two areas that are fundamental to building great hospitality businesses.
“We’re excited to support them and to see how they bring these experiences and ideas back home.”
Now in its fourth year, the Tranche Scholarship is led by Michael Hill-Smith AM MW (chairman) and Mathilda Hill-Smith (director).
Each year, two emerging leaders in the Australian wine and hospitality industry are awarded $15,000 each to undertake international travel, research and professional development.
The national advisors are Leanne Altmann, Nick Stock, Katie Spain, Erin Larkin, Amanda Yallop, Penny Grant and Pip Anderson.
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