A powerhouse collaboration between 11 Rotary Clubs and 6 regional colleges has officially launched this year’s Generation Chef Competition. The contest, spanning 10 hospitality campuses, is designed to propel Northern Ireland’s top student talent into the upper echelons of the professional food industry.
Students from SERC Level 2 and Level 3 Professional Chef courses, as well as from the Level 2 Hospitality and Tourism (Food and Beverage Service) course took part in the competition. Students worked in campus-based teams comprising two chefs and one waiter each and had two hours to prepare and serve a meal for judges to taste and rate. The judges for the competition were John Clark, Head Chef of Bryansburn Inn Bangor, and Ben Fleming, Guest Services Manager at the Merchant Hotel Belfast. Judges rated the team's food based on presentation, menu knowledge, kitchen hygiene, preparation skills, communication skills and service skills, along with the taste, flavour, texture, balance and seasonality of the food itself.
Out of the Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards teams, Newtownards came out on top with the highest score from the judges, winning the heat. The Newtownards team members, Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Abbie McCormick (18, Newtownards), Level 2 Traineeship in Hospitality & Tourism (Food & Beverage Service) student Beth Thomas (18, Bangor) and Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Sydney Wallace (16, Bangor) received first place certificates.
Certificates of Excellence were also presented to other campus teams, which included:
Bangor Team:
- Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Chris Rea (16, Newtownards)
- Level 2 Traineeship in Hospitality & Tourism Team Member (Food & Beverage Service) student Anna Jordan (17, Ballygowan)
- Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Alex Fawcett (16, Ballygowan)
Downpatrick Team
- Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Oscar Manley (22, Killough)
- Level 2 Traineeship in Hospitality student Faye Hanna (17, Crossgar)
- Level 2 Traineeship in Professional Chef student Thomas Kelly (18, Downpatrick)
Lisburn Team
- Level 3 Diploma in Professional Chef student Jameson Cheuk (22, Moira)
- Level 3 Diploma in Professional Chef student Ben Allsopp (19, Lisburn)
- Level 3 Diploma in Professional Chef student Matthew Beech (20, Dunmurry)
The Newtownards team are now through to the NI national final of the competition, which will take place on Thursday 30 April, at Southern Regional College Newry East campus.
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