2016 will see Essential Cuisine once again backing the Craft Guild of Chefs Graduates Awards. The examinations, devised by Steve Munkley 14 years ago, aim to test and improve the skills which chefs have learnt at college and in their early careers, and take them to the next level. Chefs have to go through a rigorous entry process including a paper entry, heats and then a final examination. This comprises of a theory paper, butchery and fishmongery tests as well as creating a ‘mystery basket’ dish, classic main course and a dessert that will ‘wow’ the panel of culinary experts.
Testament to the calibre of graduates, former successes include the likes of Richard Edwards, executive chef at Lords of the Manor, who recently earned his first Michelin star in his own right. For 2016, former National Chef of the Year and head chef at Collettes Restaurant, Russell Bateman has taken over the reins as Chair of Examiners and is on the hunt for the culinary stars of our future.
This year The Stock People will be sponsoring the Wessex Salon Culinare Student Chef of The Year competition which will take place on 18th May 2016. The winner will win a cash prize of £250, with the runner up receiving £100. All competitors will have 45 minutes to prepare and cook two main course portions (of their choice) and their dish must be suitable for a Rosette standard with appropriate starch and seasonal vegetables.
Nigel Crane, Managing Director for Essential Cuisine, said: “These awards have garnered much respect since their inception 14 years ago and we are proud to be able to get behind chefs as they strive to climb the career ladder. It’s no mean feat passing the challenges involved and we wish each candidate the best of luck.”
A further addition to the 2016 event is the Pastry Graduate Awards. For the final exam of this competition the young chefs will be asked to create a dessert using a mystery basket of ingredients, as well as serving up their own interpretation of a classic dessert. Here at Essential Cuisine we feel the Pastry Graduate Awards is a fantastic competition for young chefs to take part in and explore the many facets of the catering industry. It also allows competitors to go back to basics where pastry is concerned and remind themselves of the many different elements and techniques involved in pastry.
Awards co-ordinator Steve Munkley said: “We’d like to thank Essential Cuisine for coming on board and helping us launch new, exciting elements, particularly in relation to the mentor day and social media surrounding the awards. We are now looking forward to seeing which chefs take on the challenge.”
To download an entry form, visit www.craftguildofchefs.org. For more information, [email protected] or call 0208 948 3870. For live updates, follow the Craft Guild of Chefs on Twitter @Craft_Guild #CGCGradAwards.
