Compass awards title to the man from Eurest
The hospitality head chef at Legal & General Group in London has won the Compass Group Chef of the Year 2002 title. Thirty-three-year-old Martin Minchin, who works for the company's Eurest London & East division, took the title following a three-hour contest involving 18 other chefs.
The national final, sponsored by Caterplan, took place at Highbury College in Portsmouth and showcased the work of chefs representing more than 8,000 contracts in the UK.
His winning menu, prepared for four covers, comprised a starter of pancetta and sage-wrapped scallops with potato dauphine, orange, cardamom and balsamic dressing, followed by Goosnargh corn-fed duckling breast with Savoy cabbage ball, foie gras, Puy lentils and a rich berry jus, and a dessert of banana won ton with a chocolate and rum sauce.
The event was judged by Andrew Bennett, executive chef of the Park Lane Hotel, London, Peter Griffiths, salon director of Hotelympia, and Steve Scuffell, former chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs.
Minchin received a trophy and a cheque for £1,000. Runners-up in the event were Bernie Engelhardt from Circadia and Terry Wright from Eurest corporate accounts in London, who took second and third place respectively.
