Two young Victorian chefs are on their way to the finals of the prestigious Nestle Golden Chefs Hat competition.
Phillip Taylor, 21, and Dylan Sanding, 22, both chefs at award-winning venue and event caterer, Epicure, were victorious in the Victorian state cook-off of the annual competition dedicated to the development of junior and apprentice chefs under 23 years of age.
Held at the William Angliss TAFE kitchens, the cook off saw the two young chefs beat 17 other junior and apprentice chef teams from around the state. They are now on their way to the competition’s national finals in September.
“All teams worked exceptionally hard in what was a very competitive environment,” said competition director, George Hill, from the Australian Culinary Federation.
The young chefs impressed judges with their cook-off dishes, including a tasting plate dessert of self-saucing chocolate pudding, white and dark chocolate pannacotta and mille feuille with crème diplomat served with poached quince.
Third time lucky team leader Sanding entered the Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat Award in 2005 and 2006 and says they went “all out” to win this time. “Having not made it to the finals twice, I was even more determined to make it this time. We worked really hard to prepare for yesterday’s cook-off. It was so much fun and we’re really looking forward to the finals.”
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 under pressure cooker conditions by a judging and kitchen panel including Nestlé chefs, local restaurateurs and members of the Australian Culinary Federation.
“Competing is all about gaining experience and 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, ”said Hill.
The ambitious pair will now have their skills put to the test, having secured a trip to the national finals in September. The team that triumphs at the national finals in Sydney will share a once in a lifetime career advancement prize of a $12,000 international culinary training trip to the 2008 World Culinary Olympics. The prize will be an invaluable opportunity to see some of the world’s top chefs in action, catch up on the latest trends and meet with key industry people.
For more details about the competition visit http://www.nestlefoodservices.com.au