The Welsh National Team win silver and bronze at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany

The Staff Canteen

Two teams representing the Culinary Association of Wales at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany in IKA, Erfurt, Germany on October 22-25, 2016 have returned with silver and bronze medals.

The Wales junior team followed up their silver in the hot kitchen by winning a second silver in the cold edible buffet and live theatre -  a new element of the competition - on Monday, while their senior counterparts collected three bronze medals.

Junior Team

Arwyn Watkins, Culinary Association of Wales president said: “With a number of the team members competing at the highest level for the first time, the medal total is an excellent result.  Some countries did not win a medal in the competition, which puts our achievement into perspective.

“The junior team had an exceptional competition and it’s great news for the Culinary Association of Wales because it shows that we have very talented young chefs who are coming through to compete for places in the senior team in the future. The international experience that they have gained will be invaluable to their progression.

“For the senior chefs, it’s a relatively new team which has great potential. They too will benefit hugely from competing at the Culinary Olympics, the biggest competition that exists for chefs. The competition has been a steep learning curve for everyone involved.”

The Wales senior team is captained by Danny Burke, 39, co-owner of Shared Olive Restaurant and Olive Tree Catering, Hawarden. The other team members are Karl Jones Hughes and Simon Crockford from the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Ryan Jones from Dawn Meats, Cross Hands, Wales, Jason Hughes from Chateau Rhianfa, Menai Bridge and Michael Ramsden from Cambrian Training Company, Welshpool. CAW team manager is Peter Fuchs, culinary director at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

The junior team, coached by Michael Evans, a lecturer at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Rhos on Sea included captain Jack Davison, Deganwy Quay Hotel and Spa, Deganwy, Conwy, Ffion Lewis, Nag’s Head, Garthmyl, Joe Jones, Carden Park Hotel, near Chester, Steffan Davies, Gidleigh Park, Exeter, Sion Roberts, Pollen Street Social, London and Harry Paynter-Roberts, Castle Hotel, Conwy and Arron Tye, Shared Olive, Hawarden.

Thirty-two national senior teams and 20 junior teams from around the world cooked over four days of intense competition. The Culinary Olympics are organised every four years and endorsed by the World Associations of Chefs’ Societies, or Worldchefs, of which the CAW is a member.

>>> Read more about the Culinary Olympics here

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 26th October 2016

The Welsh National Team win silver and bronze at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany