South Essex College named UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2014

16 June 2014 by
South Essex College named UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2014

Amy Hawthorne and Michael Balding from South Essex College were named UK Young Seafood Chefs of the Year 2014 which took place at Grimsby Institute last Friday.

The final saw nine teams competing in the 18th year of the competition which was founded in 1997 by the Grimsby Institute's Hospitality Department aimed at colleges to showcase the seafood skills of their students.

The teams were tasked with using the following species to create their menu: Starter - Salmon fillets and/or Coley fillets; Intermediate - Whole Plaice and or Whole Herring and Main Course - Whole Turbot and/or Whole Sea Bass.

"It was a shock to win, we we're really nervous. This is going to open up a lot of opportunities for us in our future lives. Fish is good to cook with and it can be really hard to fillet it properly," said Hawthorne.

Twenty-year-old Balding added: "Competitions like this gives you great experience, new ideas and the chance to work with new people."

Jean-Christophe Novelli, chair of judges and mentor said: "We are talking about one of the most important competitions for young people in the UK. There has definitely been a big change in the way people see chefs in this country over the past 20 years. Cooking is very special and people look up to chefs.

"Going to college is very important, whether you're 13 or 60, what students learn at college is the backbone of their education. The winners have done a fantastic job and they should be very, very proud of themselves today."

Supported by Young's and Seafish, the competition has gone from strength-to-strength, gaining more and more support from industry.

Paul Robinson, hospitality curriculum leader and organiser of the competition, added: "To have Jean-Christophe Novelli come to the Grimsby Institute and be part of our long-running competition was simply awesome. It gave the competition a real edge. All of the judges here today have such a passion for the trade and it is phenomenal and they are such an inspiration to the young chefs who competed".

The winners win a Thermomix TM31 and £1,000 Russums voucher for their College, £500 per team member, cookbooks a competition trophy and a Seafood competition medal and certificate

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