New skills awards for heats and national finals -three new categories for chefs and waiters
The Restaurant Association’s Young Chef Young Waiter competition is being launched this week with awards in three new skill categories for both chefs and waiters. The new awards will be given at the northern and southern heats as well as at the national finals.
“These awards take Young Chef Young Waiter to a higher level by recognising outstanding individual skills among our talented young professionals both in the regional heats and in the national finals,” says Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association. “So now there’s an even stronger reason for young people to enter and a much greater opportunity for their skills to be acknowledged.”
The new waiter awards are:
Best Barista
Best wine knowledge
Best cheese knowledge
The new chef awards are:
Best original dish
Best dessert
Best kitchen craft
Organised by the British Hospitality Association and The Restaurant Association, Young Chef Young Waiter is the premier competition for aspiring young talent and attracts hundreds of entries every year. It lists top chefs as former winners. This year’s competition is the 27th in its history.
Bob Walton, president of The Restaurant Association, said that the continuing long-standing support of the founder sponsors, the Savoy Educational Trust and American Express, as well other key supporters, including new sponsor Britvic, highlighted the importance of the competition in the industry:
“In a fast-moving industry, the new skills awards ensure that the competition moves on,” he said. “There are so many talented youngsters in the competition that we wanted to recognise their talent with new awards in particular skills.” he said. The northern chef heats will again be held at Darlington College on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 and the waiter heats at Rockliffe Hall, Darlington on Thursday, 8 September 2011.
The southern chef heats will be held at the University of West London, Ealing on Wednesday, 14 September 2011, with the waiter heat at Nestlé’s training centre, Rashleigh’s in Maidenhead, on Monday 19 September 2011.
The national finals will be held at Westminster Kingsway College, London on Wednesday, 19 October 2011 with the awards in the evening.
Bruce Poole (Chez Bruce, London) will again chair the panel of top-line chef judges which has included such celebrities as Angela Hartnett (Murano Restaurant, London), Phil Howard (The Square) and Chris Galvin (Galvins). Stephen Mannock, from the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, chairs the panel of waiter judges which includes Simon King (front of house operations manager, The Fat Duck), Simon Girling (The Ritz) and Jeremy Rata (Bovey Castle).
All 16 finalists win a three day trip to Champagne Laurent-Perrier. The winners of the national final win an educational trip provided by Matthew Clark and Hatch Mansfield to Louis Jadot in Burgundy and Jean-Luc Colombo in the Rhone Valley (this is also awarded to the waiter who demonstrates the best wine knowledge in the competition.) Villeroy and Boch are awarding a trip to their porcelain factories and a Michelin starred meal in Luxembourg to the first placed chef and waiter. Regional heat winners and national winners also receive cheques presented by the Savoy Educational Trust.
Other prizes include a set of wine glasses presented by Villeroy and Boch to all national winners, a day’s experience at one of Sodexo’s most prestigious contracts, and a guided tour of New Covent Garden Market and a voucher to spend on Wild Harvest’s extensive range of produce.
More information and entry downloads can be accessed on www.bha.org.uk/ycyw, you can follow us on @YCYWtweets or email philippa.brady@bha.org.uk – 020 7404 7744. They must be completed by July 1.
