ACFWS

The Academy also announced that the winner of its student competition, Future Stars of Gastronomy, was student sommelier James O’Keeffe and student chef Jack Hone from Westminster Kingsway College, London.

Joint runners-up in the competition, which was open to chef and front-of-house students from any college or university, were student sommelier Adam Finney and student chef Enming Liang from University College of Birmingham and student sommelier Gareth Pugh and student chef Tom Allerton from Thames Valley University.

The winning college receives an Academy of Food & Wine training bursary together with the winning team’s personal prize of a 10-day trip, courtesy of Discover the Origin, to gain an insight and understanding into the history and provenance behind the products of the PDO campaign. The runner-up colleges will each receive an Academy training bursary.

The Gastronomy Team of the Year and Future Stars of Gastronomy competitions, now in their second year, are designed to highlight the importance of a good working relationship between kitchen and front-of-house staff and to encourage teamwork and innovation between the disciplines.
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This competition was open to chef and front-of-house students from any college or university.

The 2010 Future Stars of Gastronomy finalists were:

• Preston College – student chef James Green and student sommelier Sophie White
• Thames Valley University – student chef Tom Allerton and student sommelier Gareth Pugh
• University College of Birmingham – student chef Enming Liang and student sommelier Adam Finney
• Walsall College of Arts & Technology – student chef Stuart Morris and student sommelier James Boulton
• West Suffolk College – student chef Shaun Warner and student sommelier Blakenee Green
• Westminster Kingsway College – student chef Jack Hone and student sommelier James O’Keeffe.

The winning college will receive an Academy of Food & Wine training bursary together with the winning team’s personal prize of a 10-day trip, courtesy of Discover the Origin, to gain an insight and understanding into the history and provenance behind the products of the PDO campaign. The runner-up’s college will receive an Academy training bursary. The final judging for this competition has already taken place.

The Gastronomy Team of the Year and Future Stars of Gastronomy competitions, now in their second year, are designed to highlight the importance of a good working relationship between kitchen and front-of-house staff and to encourage teamwork and innovation between the disciplines.

About the Future Stars of Gastronomy competition

Entries were sought from pairs comprising a chef and a front-of-house student, waiter or bar person. The students had to be attending any college or university in the UK offering nationally recognised hospitality and catering qualifications. The college or university must have an in-house restaurant open to the public staffed by current students.
After the initial entry form the teams completed a multiple-choice questionnaire from which a number of successful teams were selected from five regions. The teams were then asked to submit a two-course menu, a starter and main or a main and dessert. All the ingredients used in the preparation of the menu had to be listed and the method of preparation fully explained as well as an overall description of the finished dish.
The sommelier or front of house team member was asked to state the ‘Discover the Origin’ wines chosen to match each course and supply a full explanation as to why these wines were chosen and how they complement the food.
Each of the six regional winning teams then prepared and served their two-course meal for a panel of visiting judges.
The six teams will be invited to attend the final awards ceremony on 19 July 2010 at Westminster Kingsway College, London, where the winning team will be announced at a drinks reception and presented with a framed certificate, trophy and details of their prize.

Please contact the Academy of Food & Wine on 0208 661 4646 for further details or if you would like to attend the Awards Evening.