Open to UK-based full-time students aged 16-21, entrants should post a photo of themselves with the Asian-inspired dish they have created on Facebook or Instagram, along with the name of their college or university, a description of the recipe and a brief history of why they chose the dish together with any challenges they experienced along the way.
This should then be tagged @ZestQuestAsia with the hashtag #ZestQuestAsiaSummerChallenge when posted on social media.
The winners will be picked by Cyrus and Pervin together with Murray Chapman, the chef founder of Passion to Inspire.
First prize is a meal for four prepared by Cyrus at one of his five restaurants. The second prize will be a package of Mr Todiwala’s products and two other entries will be selected to win a signed copy of one of Cyrus’ cookbooks. Following the announcements, the winning recipe descriptions and accompanying photos will be posted on Zest Quest Asia’s social media channels.
Cyrus said, ‘The Zest Quest Asia Summer Challenge is an invitation to students to devote a bit of their time, curiosity and imagination to come up with an interesting and delicious Asian dish. The coronavirus may have shaken our world, but what hasn’t altered is our resilient and creative spirit.
‘Many chefs and those who love cooking have used our time during lockdown to rediscover the joys of cooking at home. I hope as many as students as possible will see this as an ideal period to learn and create new recipes and dishes inspired by the tastes and flavours of Asia.’
Pervin Todiwala, said, ‘Cyrus and I didn’t want Zest Quest Asia to lose its momentum during this difficult moment in our industry’s history, so we approached Murray Chapman, one of our competition’s fantastic judges, who organised our Zest Quest Asia Upskill Day last November. It didn’t take long for the three of us to come up with the idea of a simple, online competition that would give students and pupils something to aspire to using pots and pans during lockdown.’
Murray Chapman, Director of First Contact Chefs and founder of Passion to Inspire, a non-profit making, voluntary initiative bringing education and industry closer together, added, ‘Zest Quest Asia has accomplished so much for Asian cuisine among the younger generation, and opened eyes to new cultures and traditions through food. It’s the most prestigious student competition of its kind in the UK today. The Zest Quest Asia Summer Challenge is another opportunity for students to show off their skills in Asian cuisine.’
For more information on the Zest Quest Asia Summer Challenge, contact Murray Chapman at murray@firstcontactuk.com