PAKENHAM chefs Graham Paul, 23, and Stephanie Hall, 21, who both work at Boon Wurrung Cafe in Cranbourne had their cooking skills recognised last week when they went hat-to-hat at William Angliss Institute in the 2016 Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award cook-off challenge and took home a bronze medal.
Australia’s longest running culinary competition saw the region’s best up-and-coming young chefs step up to the plate over two days, Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 July, going all-out to deliver their best dishes.
Graham and Stephanie’s bronze winning menu included; main course of almond crusted two-point lamb rack served with juniper berry jus, carrot puree and a potato fennel and leek puree with creme polenta and a dessert course of a chocolate mousse sphere filled with caramel and served with a salted caramel ice-cream, almond brittle and coffee fudge.
The team-mates are new to the competitive culinary arena and entered the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award to see how they would stack up against other young chefs, saying: “We thought it would be an exciting adventure, and a great opportunity to cook against other young chefs like us.”
Australian Culinary Federation Competition Director, Deb Foreman said, “We applaud all the young chefs that competed. Putting yourself up to be judged on your culinary talent among your peers is tough and we know that they will all take a lot from the experience of competing, in honing their skills and gaining more knowledge.”
Taking part in the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award offers a great learning experience for young chefs looking to push themselves to the next level and advance their culinary careers by being judged to globally recognised standards on the presentation and overall taste of the dishes they create.
