Kayla Tuvey wins Chaîne de Rotisseurs' GB Young Chef of the Year 2018
Commis chef at the Deer Park hotel Kayla Tuvey has taken the title of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs GB Young Chef of the Year 2018.
At 19, Tuvey, representing the hotel in Honiton, Devon, is believed to be the youngest chef and the only female to win the 41-year-old contest.
Finalists were asked to cook a three-course meal for four in three and a half hours, using compulsory ingredients revealed before the event, as well as from a mystery box opened at the start of the cook-off at Lainston House's Season Cookery School, near Winchester, Hampshire.
Ibrahim Ahmad of the Royal Lancaster London hotel come second, while Zak Boudreaux of Chewton Glen in New Milton, Hampshire came third.
Tuvey's winning menu consisted of a starter of pan-fried mackerel with avocado purée and pickled beetroot; a main of roasted duck leg with asparagus, fondant potatoes, pan-fried bean sprouts and plum sauce; and a dessert of orange parfait with dark chocolate ganache and pistachio crumb.
She has won a stage at the Royal Lancaster London hotel, work experience at Anton Mosimann's London club, and a week at the Michelin-starred De Bloemenbeek hotel in the Netherlands. She will also represent Great Britain in the organisation's international finals taking place in Taiwan in September.
Tuvey said: "It is a very great honour to represent my country in Taiwan, and it will even more special as it falls on my 20th birthday."
The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950 and now has a network across over 80 countries.
Philip Evins, bailli délégué for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, said it is "vital" to support and develop skills and techniques to "futureproof" the hospitality industry.
He said the competition was developed to "support rising young stars and give them a platform to showcase their skill and passion for the industry" and also "gives them the chance to compete against their international peers" to help them "maintain a profile on a global stage throughout their career and support their broader development".
Vic Laws, who runs the competition on behalf of Chaine GB, added that every finalist had "demonstrated impressive technical ability and creativity".
Chaîne des Rôtisseurs names Young Chef and Young Sommelier winners >>
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