Peter Gilmore named as Roux Scholarship president of judges
Acclaimed Australian chef Peter Gilmore will join the Roux family as honorary president of the judges at this year's Roux Scholarship.
Gilmore is executive chef of The Quay restaurant in Sydney, which has been included in the World's 50 Best Restaurants five times, as well as Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House.
He said: "The Roux brothers were already legends in the industry when I started my apprenticeship in the mid-80s. It's such an honour to be asked to be honorary president of judges for this year's Roux Scholarship. It cannot be underestimated the influence the Roux family have had on the culinary world. The Roux Scholarship is such an important initiative for promoting and uncovering young talent within the hospitality industry. For a young chef to be able to call themselves a Roux scholar means a great deal, not just in the UK but internationally."
Michel Roux said: "We are fortunate to welcome Peter Gilmore as the 2019 honorary president of the judges. Not only is he one of the most exciting and celebrated chefs in Australia, he is as passionate as we are about promoting and encouraging young chefs."
Alain Roux added: "As a world-leading chef and champion of Australian produce-to-plate cooking, I can't wait to welcome Peter Gilmore as honorary president of the judges. This is an outstanding opportunity to learn more about today's Australian culinary scene. It's such a fascinating blend of cultures, both Asian and Western featuring classic, fusion and modern styles of cooking, there are no limits. And of course, they are spoiled by the rich diversity and quality of its wines and produce, not least the incredible fish and shellfish. Like me, Peter is a gardener as well as a chef so shares a special love of ingredients and flavours."
The judges Gilmore will lead in the 2019 competition are: Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner, Andrew Fairlie (head scholar, 1984), Sat Bains (scholar 1999), André Garrett (scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (scholar 2003), James Martin, Clare Smyth, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett.
The deadline for applications is 31 January, with this year's competition seeing hopefuls asked to submit a recipe for four people using a saddle of hogget and four hogget kidneys. Regional finalists will then compete in Birmingham and London cooking their submitted recipes as well as a mystery basket desert recipe challenge. The final of the competition will take place on 1 April at Westminster Kingsway College, London.
The Roux Scholarship was founded by Michel and Albert Roux in 1984 to enable a new generation of UK chefs to train in the best restaurants in the world. The winner will receive £6,000 to support their career development and an invitation to cook and train in a three-Michelin star restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.
Full details of the competition, rules and the entry process visit www.rouxscholarship.co.uk
Picture: Nikki To
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