Culinary Competition Finalists Named
At Westminster National College this week, 40 semi-final contestants battled it out to position themselves among the ten finalists for the National Chef of the Year 2010 competition.
With finalists now named, the competitors reaching this stage were split into four different groups based on a particular style of cuisine: Mediterranean, Modern British/Irish, European and Asian/Oriental. Within each of these categories, the chefs put together a three-course dinner, comprising canapés, a main dish and a dessert. Their creations were then tested on taste, texture, presentation, skill, creativity and service.
According to the chair judge, Andrew Bennett, the divided format of this year’s competition generated a varied standard of results, particularly with the addition of the Asian cuisine element which resulted in lots of different complex flavours being used and sparked much discussion in the judging room. “It’s been a really interesting exercise which is only going to grow,” Bennett commented.
The national final is due to take place on 11 October, The Final Restaurant Show “promises to be an exciting and very strong contest considering the calibre of finalists,” said competition director, David Mulcahy.
Meanwhile across the Irish sea, four culinary competitors are ready to go head to head in pursuit of the I Love Manx Chef of the Year 2010 title. The first of its kind, the final will take place on 25-26 September at the Food and Drink Festival at the Villa Marina.
With just 35 minutes to produce their winning dish, the finalists will be incorporating as much local produce as possible to support Manx agriculture and will be scrutinised by competition judges as well as festival goers.
