ACFWS

Gastronomy Team of the Year

Gastronomy Team of the Year Competition

Sponsored by Discover the Origin

New for 2009 a competition devised to identify the gastronomy team of the year; uniting kitchen and service professionals.

GASTRONOMY TEAM OF THE YEAR 2009 - FIRST ROUND

~ The First Round of this Competition has now been closed.

Click here for the answers to the first round questionnaire ~

GASTRONOMY TEAM OF THE YEAR 2009

The Academy of Food & Wine is proud to launch the inaugural Gastronomy Team of the Year competition, sponsored by Discover the Origin and supported by the Academy of Culinary Arts.

This competition aims to award and reward the UK’s best chef and sommelier team. To win the competition, a chef and sommelier, waiter or bar person will need to combine their talent and imagination to create the ultimate 2 course ‘Discover the Origin’ meal and wine combination.

Entrants will be able to choose from the ‘Discover the Origin’ list of products (see terms and conditions for authorised list).

The Gastronomy Team of the Year competition aims to support learning and development within the restaurant industry and reward talent and creativity. The 2009 competition offers endless possibilities for innovative recipes and wine combinations.

In this, our inaugural year we are pleased to have secured ‘Discover the Origin’ as our main sponsor. ‘Discover the Origin’ is a campaign financed with aid from the European Union, Portugal, France and Italy to promote PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products: Parma Ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Burgundy wines, Port and Douro Valley wines.

Who can enter?
If you are interested in putting your skills to the test against industry colleagues, then entering the Gastronomy Team of the Year competition is a great opportunity to showcase your abilities and raise your profile, whilst learning more about the ‘Discover the Origin’ regions and produce. To enter you must be 18 years of age or older and currently employed in the UK within the hospitality industry. Entries will only be accepted by pairs comprising of a chef and a sommelier, waiter or bar person.

How do you enter?
Complete the entry form and questionnaire and return it to The Academy of Food & Wine by noon on 19th June 2009.

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The judges will then select a number of successful teams from each of the following regions; • The South • London • Wales & The Midlands • The North • Scotland. These teams will then be asked to submit the following:

Chef
Submit a menu featuring two courses. This can be a starter and a main or a main and dessert. List all ingredients used in the preparation of your chosen menu, fully outline methods used to prepare the dish and provide an overall description of the finished article. Please note, the menus submitted must not include courses cooked in wine. A photograph or illustration of what the finished article will look like should also be enclosed.

Sommelier / waiter / bar person
State the ‘Discover the Origin’ wines chosen to match the menu and supply a full explanation as to why it has been selected and how the wines and dishes complement each other. A mock-up of the menu with wine notes could be submitted or a promotional tent card etc.

A panel of judges will then review all the entries and the best team from each region will be awarded a Regional Winner Certificate. Each regional winner (5 teams) will be invited to attend the final ‘cook and serve’ on July 27th 2009 at Westminster Kingsway College. Here they will prepare and serve the 2 course meal they submitted to the judges and explain why the two matches were selected. The winner will be announced following the ‘cook and serve’ at Westminster Kingsway College with a drinks reception for invited guests. The overall winner will be presented with a framed certificate, trophy and details of the chef and sommelier’s individual prizes.

Judging Criteria
We encourage everyone to submit his or her dishes and wines for consideration. A team of industry judges will review each entry using a set of prescribed criteria.

Our judges will look at:
• The presentation of the entry (pictures/mock ups of menu/tent cards etc)
• The theory and reasoning as to why combination should work
• Uniqueness and thoughtful execution

Regarding the cook and serve, the food and wine match is the most important element of the judging and will thus the criteria will be weighted heavily in this direction.

Judges will take into account the reasoning given by the Sommelier as to why it has been chosen as well as the combination of flavours and how they work together in practice.

The remaining % will be made up from a combination of presentation skills, communication and appearance.

Prize
A 10 day trip courtesy of ‘Discover the Origin’ to understand the history and provenance behind the products of the campaign. For further information log on to www.discovertheorigin.co.uk , www.bivb.com, www.parmigiano-reggiano.it, www.prosciuttodiparma.com, or www.ivdp.pt.
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For more details and terms and conditions of the event, please click here. Alternatively, please contact the Academy of Food & Wine on 020 8661 4646 for an entry form or download by clicking on this link.

The closing date for entries is Friday 19th June 2009.