Oriental Young Chef of the Year competition underway
The competition consists of two stages, a written entry including an oriental recipe of choice and a live cook-off at University College Birmingham (UCB) for selected finalists.
Chefs and catering students between the ages of 18 and 25 from the UK and Ireland are eligible to take part.
The winner of the cook-off contest held on 28 March 2018 will receive a trip to Hong Kong to get culinary work experience in some of the city’s top restaurants.
The Oriental Young Chef of the Year will be decided by a three-man judging panel of British Culinary Federation president Peter Griffiths, Michelin starred Chef Glynn Purnell and MasterChef finalist and Woky Ko founder, Larkin Cen.
Griffiths said: “For up and coming chefs this is an incredible opportunity to cook for a panel of well-known and credible chefs in the industry as well as gain experience and exposure through the live cook challenge.
“We’ll be looking for dishes that are creative, using modern techniques, authentic flavours that show a real wow factor.
“Now in its sixth year, this competition has grown from strength to strength, and has attracted a wealth of talented young chefs from across the UK.”
Last year’s competition was won by Aaron McLaughlin, a catering chef at Lincoln’s Inn.
“Young Chef has been an incredible journey for me,” he said. “The prize trip to Hong Kong was such an unbelievable opportunity and an experience I will never forget.
“Working in the city’s finest kitchens, such as the 3-Michelin starred restaurant Bo Innovation and the Hong Kong Jockey Club was incredible. I learnt some new skills and techniques from some of Hong Kong’s top chefs.
“It's a great competition where you can gain fantastic experience, meet great people, while competing for a brilliant prize. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this competition to all young chefs looking to progress in their career.”
To enter, applicants must submit an Oriental main course recipe of their choice with the chefs who come up with the “most imaginative menus” shortlisted and invited to the live final at UCB.