14th Jun 2011 - 00:00
Image
Abstract
The six finalists for the University of Sheffield's Skills for Chefs Young Chef of the Year competition have been revealed.
They are: Ben Ashton from Shrewsbury College; Emma Campbell from Sheffield College; Jessica Greatorex from New College Stamford; Connor Jones from Saunton Sands Hotel; Deborah Kirk from Cumbernauld College; and Ben Murphy from Koffmann's at the Berkeley. The chefs, all aged 21 or under, will compete in the final on July 12 in the new state of the art kitchens at Sheffield College, where they will have to prepare and serve two courses to wow a stellar line up of chef judges including Nigel Haworth, Lisa Allen, Bryn Williams and Andrew Bennett. The event is part of the two day Skills for Chefs Conference. Director David McKown commented: "The standard of entries was very high and Andrew Bennett, our chair of the judging panel, selected the six finalists after very careful consideration." McKown says the competition really puts key skills under the spotlight since the finalists will be given a whole Label Anglais chicken which they will have to use to prepare a classical chicken sauté dish of their choice using a product from Essential Cuisine's range of stocks, gravies and jus. In addition, the dish must be listed in the renowned culinary reference book, Le Repertoire de la Cuisine, written by Louis Saulnier, a former student of the legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier. Another compulsory element of the competition is the preparation of a dessert featuring Cacoa Barry Chocolate and California Raisins. The winner will be announced at a spectacular gala dinner on the same evening at the University of Sheffield, to which all the finalists and their mentors will be invited as a guest. • For more information about the competition and the conference visit www.skillsforchefs.org.uk