Young National Chef of the Year finalists revealed following return of live semi-finals
The Craft Guild of Chefs has announced the 10 talented chefs through to the final of Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY), following the much-anticipated return of live semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
The London heat at Capital City College Westminster took place yesterday, following last week’s opening semi-final at Sheffield College, with chefs across both cook-offs competing for a place in this year’s final.
Inez Roggema, chef de partie from The Ledbury and Alex Williams, chef de partie at Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa were seeded straight to the final after achieving top spots in the Graduate Awards and British Culinary Federation’s Young Chef of the Year respectively. A place in the final will also be awarded to the highest achiever in the kitchen category of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards for Excellence.
Following the cook-off, Chair of YNCOTY, Tom Shepherd, confirmed the following chefs have also secured their place in the final:
Ben Cleary, The Forest Side Hotel
Dylan Evans, Henrock by Simon Rogan
Lewis Nicholas, Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Hope Ryall-Thurlow, Henrock by Simon Rogan
Zach Shaw, The Peat Inn
Eno West, Northcote
Toby Whitehead, Woven by Adam Smith
Competitors were challenged to demonstrate strong technical skills starting with a butchery test using a whole Gressingham duck before serving up their own duck main course using a Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce or Char Siu Sauce. This was to be followed by a refreshing pre-dessert using at least one fruit puree from Les Vergers Boiron. The chefs had to impress an incredible panel of judges which included Tom Shepherd, Cherish Finden, Gary Jones, Kenny Atkinson, Luke French, Hrishikesh Desai, Sarah Frankland, Josh Angus, Miller Prada, Ali Howard, Paula Stakelum, Andrew Gravett, James Mackenzie and Cal Byerley.
David Mulcahy, competition director and Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “It was so good to see the young chefs back in a live semi-final where they faced the challenge of a new environment to cook in, the pressure of a two-hour time limit and some of the top chefs in the UK watching their every move. The judges were impressed with the high standard across both heats. To reach the final is a significant milestone in any young chef’s career. I would particularly like to thank the judges involved this year for adding their expertise and engaging so positively with the young chefs throughout the competition.”
Tom Shepherd, chair of judges, added: “The level of cooking across both heats made selecting our finalists difficult but I’m confident we’ve got a very exciting final ahead of us in October. As judges, we were looking for chefs who have strong technical skills, who can create delicious flavours and showed a real understanding of the brief that I set. All finalists demonstrated their talent, and we’re excited to see them step up again in the final.”
The Young National Chef of the Year final will be held at Le Cordon Bleu on Tuesday 6th October where the competitors will compete for the most prestigious title for young chefs in the UK.
Young National Chef of the Year is sponsored by Bonemasters, IMS of Smithfield Ltd, Allan Reeder, Chef Works and Bragard UK, Churchill, HIT Training, Lee Kum Kee, Les Vergers Boiron, Sodiaal UK, Gressingham Duck, Evolve Hospitality, Worshipful Company of Cooks and Flying Fish.
