Finalists announced for Unilever Chef of the Year

The finalists for the Unilever Food Solutions Chef of the Year competition have been announced, with 32 professional chefs chosen from more than 150 nominations.

The selected chefs will now meet for the live cook-off at the centre of the Foodservice Australia show in Sydney on 22-24 May. They will be given one hour and a mystery box of ingredients to prepare their best dishes. The winner of each heat proceeds through to the finals and receives a share of $10,000 in prize money.

Gary Farrell says that apart from Chris Malone, Lesley Chan and Stephan Blant the chefs are all first time competitors. “We have opened it up this year to give more people a chance. There are some very high calibre chefs on board this year and competition will be fierce.”

Finalists include Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa in South Melbourne, Luke Corkery from Aqua in Port Macquarie, Naomi Lowery from Popolo in Rushcutters Bay, Matt Weller from the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Federico Perez from No 8 in Crown, Matteo Toffano from Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Tamara Stowers from Stitch in Sydney and Brad Lott from the Tingalpa Hotel in Queensland.

The event is proudly sponsored by industry leaders Unilever Food Solutions. Equipment is being supplied by Unox Australia and protein by Meat & Livestock Australia. Uniforms come from Alsco, dairy from Dairy Farmers, baked good by Hug and extra equipment from Sous Vide Australia. It is hosted by the Foodservice Australia exhibition.

Want to come along and cheer your favourite chefs? As long as you work in the hospitality industry you can register for free. You can also visit over 250 exhibitors showing the latest food, drink and equipment in the tradeshow. It really is an amazing opportunity to keep yourself up to date.

Gary Farrell says that apart from Chris Malone, Lesley Chan and Stephan Blant the chefs are all first time competitors. “We have opened it up this year to give more people a chance. There are some very high calibre chefs on board this year and competition will be fierce.”

Finalists include Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa in South Melbourne, Luke Corkery from Aqua in Port Macquarie, Naomi Lowery from Popolo in Rushcutters Bay, Matt Weller from the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Federico Perez from No 8 in Crown, Matteo Toffano from Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Tamara Stowers from Stitch in Sydney and Brad Lott from the Tingalpa Hotel in Queensland.

The event is proudly sponsored by industry leaders Unilever Food Solutions. Equipment is being supplied by Unox Australia and protein by Meat & Livestock Australia. Uniforms come from Alsco, dairy from Dairy Farmers, baked good by Hug and extra equipment from Sous Vide Australia. It is hosted by the Foodservice Australia exhibition.

Want to come along and cheer your favourite chefs? As long as you work in the hospitality industry you can register for free. You can also visit over 250 exhibitors showing the latest food, drink and equipment in the tradeshow. It really is an amazing opportunity to keep yourself up to date.

Gary Farrell says that apart from Chris Malone, Lesley Chan and Stephan Blant the chefs are all first time competitors. “We have opened it up this year to give more people a chance. There are some very high calibre chefs on board this year and competition will be fierce.”

Finalists include Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa in South Melbourne, Luke Corkery from Aqua in Port Macquarie, Naomi Lowery from Popolo in Rushcutters Bay, Matt Weller from the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Federico Perez from No 8 in Crown, Matteo Toffano from Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Tamara Stowers from Stitch in Sydney and Brad Lott from the Tingalpa Hotel in Queensland.

The event is proudly sponsored by industry leaders Unilever Food Solutions. Equipment is being supplied by Unox Australia and protein by Meat & Livestock Australia. Uniforms come from Alsco, dairy from Dairy Farmers, baked good by Hug and extra equipment from Sous Vide Australia. It is hosted by the Foodservice Australia exhibition.

Want to come along and cheer your favourite chefs? As long as you work in the hospitality industry you can register for free. You can also visit over 250 exhibitors showing the latest food, drink and equipment in the tradeshow. It really is an amazing opportunity to keep yourself up to date.

Competition director Gary Farrell said the standard of entry was higher than ever before and judges had to limit the number of returning entries. “We opened it up this year to give more people a chance. There are some remarkably talented chefs and competition will be fierce,” he said.

Finalists include Naomi Lowry from Popolo in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney; Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa in South Melbourne; Luke Corkery from Aqua in Port Macquarie; Matt Weller from the Royal Canberra Golf Club; Federico Perez from No 8 in Crown, Melbourne; Tamara Stowers from Stitch in Sydney; Matteo Toffano from Grossi Florentino in Melbourne; and Brad Lott from the Tingalpa Hotel in Queensland.  Finalists include Paul Cooper from Bishop Sessa in South Melbourne, Luke Corkery from Aqua in Port Macquarie, Naomi Lowery from Popolo in Rushcutters Bay, Matt Weller from the Royal Canberra Golf Club, Federico Perez from No 8 in Crown, Matteo Toffano from Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Tamara Stowers from Stitch in Sydney and Brad Lott from the Tingalpa Hotel in Queensland

A team of judges including chefs John McFadden, Karen Doyle, Sam Burke and Mark Bayliss will assess each dish.

Farrell advises contestants to enjoy the moment, but be prepared to work hard. “It is about being in the zone and staying there. It’s about culinary ability, skill and execution. It’s about technique, balance, texture and taste. For a change it is not about your kitchen or your team – it is simply about you,” he said.

The competition runs within the Foodservice Australia trade exhibition at the Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park. Entry is free if you work in the hospitality industry and register online.