Apprentice chef Tobias Raley of Fish Dining has been named winner of the $10,000 Brett Graham Scholarship. Harrison Plant of Bistro Molines took out the First Creek Front of House Scholarship, worth $6,000.
The Rising Star Award was presented to Kaitlyn Smith from Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley. It recognises her hard work and commitment to hospitality, encouraging her to continue her education with a fully funded Diploma of Hospitality Management from TAFE NSW.
The three Brett Graham finalists Tenekah Chapman of Emerson’s At Pokolbin, Desmond Johns of Reserve and Raley prepared a three-course meal for 60 guests at an awards gala, which was the final part of their assessment.
Each of the finalists created, prepared and cooked a menu based on ingredients selected by Brett Graham while also managing and directing a kitchen support team of apprentices.
The individual courses were served to industry guests and the panel of expert judges including former Brett Graham scholarship recipient Garreth Robbs of Bistro Molines, Ben Way of Little Beach Boathouse, Stephanie Airlie-Noe from House of Airlie Public Relations and Tracey Amos from TAFE NSW.
“The standard of dishes of this year’s entrants has been exceptionally high, with all three finalists showing a great understanding of the importance of using quality produce and creating subtle flavour combinations in their dishes,” says Robbs. “While it was hard to select, each of the judges agreed Raley was the deserving winner.”
Raley will fly to London to work alongside one of the world’s best chefs at his two Michelin-star restaurant The Ledbury. Raley can spend the remaining prize money exploring Europe before returning home to start a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery at TAFE NSW.
Winner of the First Creek Front of House Scholarship Award, Harrison Plant will also be able to put his prize towards international travel and sampling some of the world’s finest restaurants as well as starting a qualification thanks to the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).