Local chefs off to a big start at 2016 Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Awards
For young chefs in Western Australia it was a big night.
Cherise Davids (23), of Pearsall, and Angela Fairfield (20), of Leeming outcooked everyone at the 2016 Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award at North Metropolitan TAFE.
They picked up the Gold Award.
The regional cooking competition was held in Joondalup.
Davids works as a chef de partie at Royal on the Waterfront restaurant. Fairfield is learning the trade as an apprentice chef at Modo Mio at Crown Perth.
And what they had on the menu really set them apart: a main course of seared spiced lamb loin, braised lamb rump infused with coffee, potato rosti, carrot and cumin puree, buttered beans, Dijon mustard sabayon, crispy leeks and red wine jus.
The have both won a trip to Melbourne where they will represent their state in the national finals.
And the pressure will be on them at the event: they’ll be cooking live in front of show attendees in purpose-built kitchens at Fine Food Australia.
And the national winners get a culinary trip to North America.
That national cook-off is open to all residents of Australia working in the industry aged between 16 and 25 years on 30 September 2016.
The key feature about the Nestle awards is it gives young chefs the opportunity of being mentored by culinary instructors and given access to a national network of professional chefs.
Other winners were:
Gold: Brayden Davies (Hillarys) and Sophie Cornes (North Beach), both from Clarkes of North Beach.
Gold: Jason Scott (South Yunderup) from Sandalford and Hayden Bilton (Greenfields) from Red Manna Waterfront Restaurant.
Gold: Amanda Dunham (Baldivis) from HMAS Stirling Main Galley and Paige Large (HMAS Stirling) from Australian Navy.
Gold: Mark Johnson (Trigg) from Co-Op Dining and Jade Hugi Ferguson (Wanneroo) from Down the Hatch.
Gold: Jaimi Rogers (St James) and Jason Howard, from from Bib and Tucker.
Gold: Nattawat Thiengdee (Quinns Rocks) and Denham Docherty.
Silver: Eden Ellis (Beldon) from North Metropolitan TAFE and Te Ananui Heya (Maylands) from Mean Machines.
Silver: Maverick Cuthbert (Kelmscott) from The Reveley and Alexis Watson (Two Rocks) from C Restaurant.
Silver: Olivia How (Wellard) from HMAS Stirling Main Galley and Joshua Walford (Baldivis) from Australian Navy.
Silver: Reagan Lumley (Hopeland) and Jordan Buchanan (Secret Harbour), both from Sunsets Cafe.
by Leon Gettler, September 15th 2016
