Competition round-up
Mwakulua adds chef of the year title to contract catering accolade. Dennis Mwakulua is on a winning streak. The Avenance chef, who recently won British Meat's annual title of Contract Catering Chef of the Year (Caterer, 27 March), has now carried off the organisation's overall Chef of the Year accolade.
He beat the six fellow chefs who had gone through to the final after winning their individual industry categories in the 2003 British Meat Awards (see below). The winning dishes were reconsidered by a panel of judges, headed by British Meat's development manager, Richard Fagan, before the final decision.
"The judges felt that Dennis's dish stood out as the clear overall winner for several reasons," commented Fagan.
"He had obviously taken a great deal of care devising the dish - using a lesser-used cut of meat which offers real value for money, making it ideally suited to the contract catering sector. He'd also made a special visit to the farm where his butcher sources his meat, so he was confident about its origin. As a result the dish was of a very high standard, combining a superb quality of ingredients with fresh and unusual flavours."
Mwakulua, directors' head chef at Avenance's Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw contract in the City of London, said: "The competition was a real challenge - I practised my dish again and again before [the contract catering final] and am delighted to have won the overall title as well."
A cash prize of £2,000 was presented to Mwakulua at an awards dinner at London's Connaught hotel last week.
British Meat 2003 Chef of the Year Awards
Contract Catering Chef of the Year, overall winner: Dennis Mwakulua, Avenance, London
Pub Chef of the Year: Anthony Williams, the Williams Arms, Braunton, Devon
International Chef of the Year: Graham Harris, Belgo Noord, London
Hotel/Restaurant Chef of the Year: Marc Wilkinson, Pennyhill Park hotel, Bagshot, Surrey
Student Chef of the Year: Andrew Lester, Percy's Country Hotel & Restaurant, Virginstow, Devon
Development Chef of the Year: Steve Love, Nestl‚ UK, Rugby, Warwickshire
Public Sector Chef of the Year: Robert Strachan, Southampton General Hospital
It's all go for the new Junior Chef of Wales
There was no time for 23-year-old Ifan Dunn to rest on his laurels after winning the Junior Chef of Wales.
The sous chef of Cardiff's Da Venditto restaurant (AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales in 2002) then had to reproduce his winning three-course menu for 60 guests at a special award dinner at the Imperial hotel, Llandudno, Caernarfonshire.
On the menu was a starter of lemon sole soufflé with pea and Parma ham sauce, followed by a main dish of salt marsh lamb accompanied by truffle risotto, Savoy cabbage and celeriac sauce. Dessert was caramelised apple tart, Granny Smith apple sorbet and apple crisp. "The lamb dish has similar combinations of flavours to those we use in the restaurant - and I chose the souffl‚ because it's a demonstration of skill," said Dunn.
As part of his prize, Dunn is due to travel to South Africa in August for the World Cooks Tour for Hunger, aimed at raising money to help alleviate the effects of droughts in Southern Africa by bringing together chefs from around the world.
Winning entry to be June Dish of the Month
Anne Marie Bracken from Covent Garden's Chez Gérard brasserie in London has won the final of the third French Guinea Fowl Chefs' Challenge, organised by the Comité Interprofesionnel de la Pintade (CIP) and open to all Chez Gérard chefs.
Her winning guinea fowl warm salad of artichoke, courgette, tomato and red onion relish - served with Fitou Château l'Espigne 1998 - earned the top prize of £1,000.
The competition to execute a dish using guinea fowl as a light main course that would fit in terms of style and price into a Chez Gérard menu was held on 12 March at the group's Southbank branch.
The dish will appear across the chain in June as dish of the month.
