27th Apr 2012 - 00:00
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Abstract
Two Guernsey chefs took top honours in the Channel Islands Chef of the Year competition held at the Guernsey College of Further Education from April 19-20.
The competition, now in its fourth year, saw Malcolm Meiers from the Bella Luce Restaurant in Guernsey come first in the senior chef category and Indalecio Sebastiao from Old Government House in Guernsey first in the junior category. Meiers' winning menu was ravioli of Guernsey goat's cheese, new season asparagus, wild mushrooms and scorched onion consommé; assiette of lemon sole, scallop, pea purée, brown shrimp and tomato beurre noisette; followed by dark chocolate fondant, Amarena cherry parfait, sour cherry purée and roast pistachio soil Sebastiao's winner was roast sweet potato soup; slow roasted fillet of Guernsey sea bass with confit garlic and carrot purée, fricassee of wild mushroom and broad beans; followed by lemon grass emulsion and crispy sea bass skin, followed by dark chocolate and cherry mousse on almond dacquoise with cherry jus, caramelised cherries and almond tuille. Twelve junior chef finalists had two and a half hours to prepare, cook and serve two plated portions of a three course menu in an environment the college's programme manager Steve Bacon described as "very fast and hectic". The senior chefs followed suit displaying their skills in cooking and serving their dishes. Two new elements were added to the challenge this year – the Channel Islands Pastry Chef competition and Hygiene and Safety competition, the latter monitored and judged by an environmental health officer. Senior pastry chef Phani Kundeti from Hotel de France in Jersey demonstrated exceptional skills to win a gold award, while the judges added a bronze award to Sebastiao's junior chef award. Judges were leading chefs from the Craft Guild of Chefs in the UK, Craft Guild vice president Steve Scuffell and vice chairman Christopher Basten. After the event Scuffell and Bacon presented the awards. Certificates were given to all the competitors and the top three places from the junior and senior competitions were invited to attend the Taste Guernsey Food Industry Awards ceremony at Old Government House in St Peter Port on April 23, where speakers included: Tony Leck, chairman of the Taste Guernsey Group and chef owner of The Pavilion Restaurant; Paul Gayler, executive chef at The Lanesborough Hotel in London; and Shaun Rankin, head chef at the Bohemia Restaurant in Jersey. Channel Islands Senior Chef of the Year 1 Malcolm Meiers, Bella Luce, Guernsey 2 Tony Weetman, Hospital, Guernsey 3 Ashraf Elsergany, Saints Bay Hotel, Guernsey Channel Islands Junior Chef of the Year 1 Indalecio Sebastiao, Old Government House, Guernsey 2 Tom Le Cheminant, Rocquettes, Guernsey 3 Samuel McDonald, Highlands College, Jersey