Supplier press release: Rogan's Young Charge Finishes Third in Hunt for UK's Best Young Chef
The 18 year-old commis chef - an integral part of the brigade at Simon Rogan's Rogan & Company in the Cumbrian village of Cartmel, secured his place at the finals after blowing judges away in the regional northwest heats, sponsored by Essential Cuisine. The nail biting, two-and-a-half hour live cook-off at the Restaurant Show in London saw him pitted against seven of the hottest prospects in the business, with Ben Champkin from the Michelin-starred Elephant in Torquay emerging as outright winner and The Ritz's Ruth Hansom posting second.
Nigel Crane, managing director at Essential Cuisine, commented: "Congratulations to Daniel. The local lad is flying the flag for the northwest region and didn't disappoint in a cook-off that was as tense as it was laden with skill. The Essential Cuisine team is extremely proud of his achievements and also know how much it means to his brigade.
The support and encouragement he receives, not only from Simon Rogan but also from his head chef Danielle Barry - who sat attentively in the front row throughout the two-and-a-half hour cook off - says to us that he is being developed in just the right way. We look forward to seeing his career blossom."
Daniel made his bid for the crown with a three-course meal for two that included Tortellini, turbot and bakewell for dessert.
Just as he did when he won the regional competition, he chose to use locality and seasonality to his advantage - impressing judges yet again with a keen sense of balance and flavour developed through his tutelage with the Rogan team.
For more information on the next North West Young Chef of the Year competition, call 01606 541490. There is also a Facebook page and you can follow events on Twitter ( @NWYoungChefComp).
Founded in 1995, Essential Cuisine is a British producer of premium quality stocks, jus, gravy, demi-glace and glaces, offering the most comprehensive range in the UK. The company's products unleash the creativity of chefs across all sectors offering the taste, texture and performance of kitchen-made stock in minutes rather than hours.
