Rise to the top

Next year two of the biggest events on the culinary competition calendar will be the place to be if you’re a young up-and-coming chef.
The Craft Guild of Chefs’ Culinary Academy is looking for talented individual entries for both the 2012 Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia and Wessex Salon Culinaire.
Fergus Martin, academy team manager, said: “Without a shadow of a doubt competitions are so vital in this profession, not least because of the fact they help chefs gain industry wide recognition and put into practice different skills from the ones they may use every day. The art of showmanship is certainly a string that all chefs should be adding to their bow.”
The two competitions offer great opportunities for all chefs. The Salon Culinaire is the beating heart of Hotelympia for all chefs. Held at Excel in London from 26th February to 1st March 2012, over 8,000 chefs from across the industry visit the event. Two weeks later, on the 13th and 14th March, the south coast is the place to be, as the Craft Guild of Chefs Wessex Salon Culinaire, one of the UK's largest Salons takes place at the Bournemouth International Centre.
Aside from the individual entries, the Culinary Academy is also looking for six members to make up its team for La Parade des chefs at Hotelympia. There will be around ten competing cooking for visitors and their guests.
 “We will be running a training camp at Wyboston Lakes in October aimed specifically at showing our younger members the ins and outs of a competition,” said Fergus. “We will cover everything from glazing, to making terrines, balancing food on plates and portion sizes. It’s our aim with the academy to spread our collective wealth of experience and share it with all our members.”
The likes of Michael Godfrey, Christopher Basten and Fergus Martin will be on hand at the training camp. Any members who want further advice in specific areas can contact Fergus Martin by email: [email protected] or by phone on 07917187077. He will ensure that any questions that are raised will get answers from the most knowledgeable source in that discipline from within the academy.
Success for members at events like these could eventually see places acquired on the Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary Academy team for the 2012 World Culinary Olympics, which will take place in Messe Erfurt, Germany.
For more information, please call 020 8948 3870, visit www.craftguildofchefs.org/culinary-academy.php, or follow @Craft_Guild on twitter. Also check out the Guild’s facebook page and blog respectively.