Moving forward to the final round are student chefs from Colchester Institute, Loughborough College, North Hertfordshire College, The Sheffield College, University College Birmingham, and Westminster Kingsway College.

The winners will be announced at the Zest Quest Asia 2022 Gala Dinner and Awards Night to be held on Friday, 8th April 2022 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, following the cook-off earlier in the day hosted by the hotel’s signature restaurant, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen.  

An educational and cultural trip of a lifetime awaits the overall winners, with the team of three students, accompanied by their tutor, immersing themselves in the cuisine and food traditions of an exciting Asian destination only revealed at the Gala Dinner and Awards Night.

Cyrus Todiwala said: “Once again we were bowled over by the quality of the entries, and we were pleased to see that the interest in Zest Quest Asia among the colleges and students was as strong as ever. This year the finalists will be challenged even further during the cook off, as they will be asked to demonstrate their use of technology and what they can do with some very interesting and innovative ingredients.

“We’re also pleased to announce that we have a new chairman of judges, with the sad passing of the great Andrew Bennett last year. Stepping into Andrew’s shoes is another brilliant chef, Steve Munkley, one of the best competition judges in the world. Steve has helped us to judge Zest Quest Asia for many years.

“Our finalists know that their performance in the competition will be held up to the highest standards. Good luck to them all, and I hope the parents, colleges, and every corner of the industry will join us at the Gala Dinner to celebrate these amazing young chefs!”

Tickets are now on sale for the Gala Dinner and Awards Night at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. Tickets are £90pp and £850 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mcculloughmoore/659878.