Rioja challenge for sous chefs
The Rioja Sous Chef Bursary is inviting all sous chefs of all ages to take part in its sixth challenge to find the leading sous chef in the UK for 2001. The bursary, which was created by the Rioja Wine Exporters and Wines from Spain, rewards skill, creativity and professionalism.
To enter, applicants must submit a three-course menu for two people, choosing dishes that reflect an international style and complement the competitor's selection of a white, rosado or red Rioja wine to be served with each dish. One course must include Rioja as an ingredient.
Ten sous chefs will be chosen from the paper entries to join the Rioja Wine Exporters and Wines from Spain at a cook-off at the Heart of England Salon Culinaire at Hospitality Week in Birmingham's NEC next January, where they will be asked to prepare, cook and serve their menus to a panel of judges chaired by Peter Griffiths, salon director.
First prize is a trip to the vineyards and bodegas of Rioja and a week's work experience in one of Spain's leading restaurants. Second- and third-placed chefs will receive £400- and £200-worth respectively of Marks & Spencer vouchers. This year's winner, Jérôme Barbançon of Charlton House hotel in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, has recently returned from a week's work experience at the 17th-century Echaurren hotel and restaurant in the mountains near Logroño, northern Spain.
Entries should be sent by 30 October to the organisers of the event, c/o Spear Communications, 36 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QZ, telephone 020 7409 0494 or e-mail claire@spear.uk.com.
