Finalists Unveiled for 2017 North West Young Chef Showdown

North West Young Chef of the Year

North West Young Chef of the Year

Standard Supplier 13th April 2017
North West Young Chef of the Year

Finalists Unveiled for 2017 North West Young Chef Showdown

The calibre of chef talent in Essential Cuisine’s North West Young Chef 2017 finals has demonstrated yet again that the region is the ‘one-to-watch’ when it comes to gifted young cooks.
Six chefs – including 2016 winner Daniela Tucci – have emerged from the newly revitalised format which now comprises of just two nail-biting semi-finals held over the past fortnight. Two outright winners, two runners-up and, for the first time ever, two wildcards – entrants deemed by judges as too talented to not be in the running – make up the final group.

The chefs will now go head to head in a final, held at Manchester College’s Fielden Campus on May 25th, creating three local and seasonal stand-out courses, in a bid to wow judges.

The finalists in full:

Cyril Gabriel, 22, Carden Park, Chester

Daniela Tucci, 20, The Art School, Liverpool

Ryan Lee, 21, Rothay Manor, Ambleside

Thomas Reeves, 22, L’Enclume, Cartmel

Kieran Gill, 22, The Art School, Liverpool

Mai Trising, 21, The Black Swan, Kirkby Stephen

Chairman of Judges Brian Mellor explains “We adapted the competition this year to find the best in the North West. And with the two semi-finals taken place, it looks like we’re achieving that. The quality and intensity of the cook off could have easily been the final, with the passion and dedication really shining through.”

Essential Cuisine Business Development Chef and judge, Jonathan Harvey-Barnes, comments: “Across the two semi-finals, each young chef impressed with their skill, meticulous menu planning and execution. In the end, we have six extremely worthy finalists. The margins between winners, runners-up and even our wildcards are so narrow that it is going to be very hard to call. I can’t wait to see the chefs in action again this May where there can be only one winner.”

Alongside the kudos of being crowned the North West Young Chef for 2017, the winner will receive £500 and automatically qualify for the semi-finals of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young National Chef of the Year competition, where they will square off against the best young chefs from the rest of the country.

Prior to the final, the six chefs will be treated to an inspirational masterclass with Chef Patron of Manchester’s The French, Adam Reid.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.