Daniela Tucci wins the Merseyside heat of the North West Young Chef Competition
Daniela Tucci from The Art School Restaurant in Liverpool becomes the Merseyside Young Chef of the Year 2016 and the first girl in this year's competition to win after battling it out at Wirral Met College on Tuesday, 19 April.
Daniela said: "I am so happy to have won, I really didn’t know what to expect but it’s such a great feeling to win. Competing against five other men didn’t bother me as I am one of the only girls in the kitchen at work. Paul was really helpful when preparing for the competition as he assisted me in planning my menu and practicing over and over. For the final I want to push myself to practice further, I think I will produce similar dishes but hopefully make them even in better. I will take into consideration the season in which the final is held for my ingredients too."
The competition, sponsored by CHR and Essential Cuisine, was judged on the day by Chairman of Judges - Brian Mellor, Business Development Chef for Essential Cuisine – Jon Harvey-Barnes and Anson Bolton Food Development Manager for J W Lees.
Jon Harvey-Barnes said: "It was great to see how Daniela remained so calm under the pressure but still delivered great dishes. Her tartar of lemon sole starter was really delicious."
>>> See the other winners of the North West Young Chef of the Year regional finals here
Daniela fought off competition from five talented male chefs including Patrick McCarthy from Alma De Cuba, Harry Entwistle from the Fuel station, Alexander Prescott from The Lawns at Thornton Hall Hotel, Lewis Roberts from City Wine Bar and Richard Gregory from The Racquet Club. But it was Daniela's 'added precision, presentation and consistency' in her menu that saw her triumph on the day.
On talking about why she entered the competition, Daniela said: "Paul (owner of The Art School Restaurant) encourages one of his young chefs to enter each year and this year it was me! At work I am a pastry chef so I thought the competition would be a fantastic way for me to practice starter and main dishes using fish and meat."
Daniela will now go on to attend a master class with an acclaimed chef to hone skills with the industry’s best, before going on to compete against the other regional winners in the final of North West Young Chef of the Year Competition, which will be held at Manchester College on Tuesday, 10 May 2016.
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