Meikles’ Chef Gonzo wins Personality of the Year Award 2009
The Personality of the Year Award is a special award given at the discretion of the sponsors and judges, to recognise truly note-worthy individuals operating in the restaurant trade, who have for any number of reasons, earned the respect of their peers in that trade and of those outside it as well. 

Chef Gonzo of Meikles Hotel is something of a legend.  A veteran of the hotel and restaurant trade who has extensive experience spanning several decades, has travelled abroad many times for high level culinary training, and won a span of other awards as well for his skills and creativity as a chef, who is a friendly yet dignified, winning personality, in his own right, was a most fitting recipient of the Personality of the Year Award 2009.
A very highly qualified and experienced, celebrated executive chef, and long time, very much respected member of the team at the Meikles Hotel, Chef Gonzo works tirelessly all year round, night and day, servicing the many dining needs of four well known restaurants in that hotel, as well as those of year round attendees at conferences and functions held there.  It’s an exceedingly demanding role, and he fills it with grace, guts and determination.  Executive Chefs of such high calibre are amongst those in the trade who often remain unsung heroes, as they work largely behind the scenes, yet without their efforts, so much would crumble and fail!  Chef Gonzo was a very well deserving recipient of this award, and in winning it, also drew necessary attention to those in his own profession, and the many other unsung heroes and heroines of the trade, whom the dining public often do not ever see or meet, but whose efforts they so very much enjoy!

Chef Gonzo was later invited by Rosie Mitchell to come up and present their framed Finalist certificates and Badges to the Finalists for Service Personality of the Year 2010, and the actual Award, to the winner – Fungai Mavodyo of The Inglenook in Bulawayo.