Two apprentice chefs from the Sydney Opera House now have their sights in the national finals of the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award after wining top honours at the NSW regional cook-off.
Drew Bolton and Sadekur Rahman, both aged 23, beat 12 other junior and apprentice chef teams from around the state at the competition held a the Ultimo TAFE kitchens and are now on their way to the national finals in Melbourne in September.
Head judge, George Hill, from the Australian Culinary Federation said all the teams worked “extremely hard on the day”. “Competing is all about gaining the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t in a pressured environment and I know all the competitors learnt something valuable from the day and had a great experience,” Hill said.
During the mystery ingredients box cook-off, each team is scored on the presentation and overall taste of the entrée, main and dessert dishes they create by a judging and kitchen panel including Nestlé chefs, local restaurateurs and members of the Australian Culinary Federation.
The winning young chefs impressed judges with their three cook-off dishes, including an entrée of Butternut Pumpkin and Mussel Soup. This tasty starter was followed up with a main of Braised Lamb Neck, with sweet potato mash and mushroom gratin and a delicious dessert course of Chocolate Tart, with strawberries and mocha cream.
Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award offers up and coming young chefs the chance to win an international culinary adventure of a lifetime. This year’s national winners will walk away with a $15,000 prize that will see them head to the 2008 World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and watch the Australian team in action.
The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award has been running for 40 years and is coordinated annually by the Australian Culinary Federation, sponsored solely by Nestlé and supported by key partners including Global-Pro, Meat & Livestock Australia, FEI and The Sebel, Albert Park.
For more information visit www.nestlefoodservices.com.au or www.austculinary.com.au