Andy Devaney
Lawrence Rosenberg is swapping the high-pressure boardroom for the rather more forgiving surroundings of Amalfi Ristorante this June, as The Apprentice star prepares to host an exclusive charity dinner in London’s West End in support of Dreams Come True.
The one-night-only evening will take place on Tuesday, 16th June at Amalfi Ristorante on Argyll Street, bringing together Italian dining, television intrigue and a cause with considerably more substance than most celebrity diary fillers.
Guests will be treated to a three-course Italian dinner and a live Q&A with Rosenberg, who reached the final five of the 20th series of The Apprentice after taking on Lord Alan Sugar’s famously brutal business gauntlet.
There are only 65 tickets available, priced at £50, with all profits going directly to Dreams Come True, the children’s charity supported by The Big Table Group.
A Rare Chance To Hear What Really Happens On The Apprentice
For anyone who has ever watched The Apprentice from the sofa and wondered whether the boardroom is quite as tense as it looks, this evening should have some answers.
Rosenberg, 27, entered the BBC series with a professional background in PR and public affairs, which is another way of saying he already knew how to survive awkward rooms, difficult questions and people pretending not to panic.
Across the series, he was put through high-pressure challenges spanning locations from Hong Kong to Egypt, while competing for Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment and mentorship opportunity.
Out of 20 candidates, Rosenberg made it all the way to the final five before exiting during the programme’s notorious interview stage, that beloved annual ritual in which business plans are dismantled with the delicacy of a runaway trolley.
Now, away from the cameras and the clipped exchanges of the BBC boardroom, Lawrence Rosenberg will share first-hand stories from the process, including the behind-the-scenes moments viewers rarely get to see.
Lawrence said: “The Apprentice was one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of my life, and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the behind-the-scenes moments from the process all while helping raise money for Dreams Come True, an incredible cause that supports children and families who truly need it.”
Why This Charity Evening Has Real Weight Behind It
The event is being held in support of Dreams Come True, the UK’s only national wish-granting charity exclusively supporting children living with serious illness, disability or life-limiting conditions who are also living in the highest areas of deprivation.
That detail matters. This is not merely dinner with a television personality and a polite round of applause before dessert. It is part of a wider fundraising effort designed to give children and families moments of joy, confidence and relief during circumstances most of us would struggle to imagine.
The evening also continues The Big Table Group’s partnership with Dreams Come True, now entering a second year after the hospitality group helped raise an impressive £160,000 for the charity.
Alan Morgan, CEO of The Big Table Group, said: “We’re delighted to host this very special evening at Amalfi in support of Dreams Come True. Every ticket sold will help Dreams Come True continue delivering life-changing experiences for children who need them most.”
The Big Table Group’s Wider Fundraising Push
The Big Table Group operates more than 200 restaurants and employs around 5,000 team members nationwide. Its restaurant brands include Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Banana Tree, Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito, Café Rouge and Amalfi.
Its fundraising for Dreams Come True has included gala events, sporting challenges and community initiatives involving staff and supporters across the UK.
There is something quietly effective about hospitality groups using their scale this way. Restaurants are, at their best, places where people gather, celebrate, recover, gossip and occasionally overestimate their tolerance for tiramisu. Turning that network into a fundraising engine gives the partnership a practical reach beyond the usual corporate handshake.
Lisa King OBE, Chief Executive of Dreams Come True, added: “We are incredibly grateful to The Big Table Group and Lawrence Rosenberg for supporting Dreams Come True through this fantastic event. Opportunities like this not only raise vital funds but also help shine a light on the children and families we support every day. Every pound raised helps us continue delivering joy, hope and confidence to children facing some of the toughest circumstances imaginable.”
A Small Room, A Big Cause, And A Proper Story
The intimacy of the evening is part of the appeal. With only 65 tickets available, this is not a cavernous ballroom affair where the speaker is reduced to a well-lit dot behind a lectern. It is closer, warmer and more personal — the sort of setting where a live Q&A can actually feel like a conversation rather than a managed appearance.
For fans of The Apprentice, the draw is obvious: Rosenberg’s experience offers a rare look inside one of British television’s most demanding business competitions. For those less interested in boardroom theatrics, the real story is the cause behind the night.
Dreams Come True works with children and families facing serious illness, disability, life-limiting conditions and deprivation. The charity’s work is built around granting wishes that create moments of hope where hope may be in short supply.
That gives the evening its proper spine. Yes, there will be Apprentice stories. Yes, there will be pasta. Yes, someone will almost certainly ask what Lord Sugar is really like. But beneath the television curiosity and West End polish sits something far more meaningful.
Tickets are priced at £50, with all profits supporting Dreams Come True. For an evening that offers dinner, candid conversation and the chance to help children and families who genuinely need it, that feels less like a ticket price and more like a useful nudge in the right direction.
And if Lawrence Rosenberg can survive The Apprentice interview stage, one suspects a room full of dinner guests should hold no fear whatsoever.