The Institute’s Head of Professional Development Sam Coulstock FIH and Head of Membership Sales Isabel Hargreaves MIH, attended the annual event to celebrate the winners and present one-year IoH student membership to the eighteen talented young chefs who took part.
The 230 guests were welcomed with a Thai canape reception prepared by outgoing Zest Quest Asia champions University of West London (UWL), complemented by Don Papa Rum and Edinburgh Gin cocktails. This was followed by a 3-course supper prepared by Zest Quest Asia co-founder Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL FIH and friends, featuring a taste of the Sichuan, Hakka, Hunan and Hainan influenced cooking of India.
Earlier in the day, UWL had hosted the competition’s live cook-off phase in the training kitchens of the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism. It was then that The Sheffield College trio, supported by their tutor Andy Gabbitas, truly impressed the judges with their execution of a menu comprising an amuse bouche of Portobello Mushroom Sisig in a Croustade basket; a Tapsilog starter (a Filipino ensemble traditionally made of fried egg, beef tapa and garlic fried rice); a main course of Chicken Adobo with caramelised soy green beans, banana ketchup and annatto peanuts; and a dessert of Turon with ube ice cream and Don Papa caramel sauce.
Apart from taking home the first prize, Phoebe, Beth and Joe were cited for the Best Use of the Panasonic Accelerated Combination Oven, winning the oven for The Sheffield College. As part of their prize, they were also awarded a bespoke all-day class and Dashi journey in Japanese Kaiseki. Overall runner-up, University College Birmingham, won an educational trip to France courtesy of the Grande Cuisine Academy. The team also won the awards for Least Wastage and the Best Use of a Halide Processor.
Other winners on the night were:
Special guest speaker Alistair King DL, expressed his support for Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala and the competition the couple set up in 2013 with the support of the Master Chefs of Great Britain.
Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL FIH, who co-founded Zest Quest Asia with Pervin Todiwala, said: “Congratulations to The Sheffield College, for drawing inspiration from the Philippines, a country that your fellow Sheffield College students visited only two years ago. This is what our competition is all about – students who have experienced and learned first-hand the cuisine of different Asian cultures by getting involved in Zest Quest Asia then pay their knowledge and experience forward. This way slowly but surely more and more budding chefs can be inspired to appreciate and cook Asian food. Now our winning team from The Sheffield College is going to discover the tastes and flavours of one of the world’s oldest civilisations,” concluded Cyrus.
A huge welcome from everyone at the Institute to the eighteen talented young chefs who have joined us and congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s competition.
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