Semi finalists announced for the Craft Guild of Chefs’ National Chef of the Year 2010

2nd August 2010, 3:39pm

The countdown has begun for the final of the Craft Guild of Chefs 2010 National Chef of the Year (NCOTY) contest.

The judges have whittled down the overwhelming number of entries and the semi finalists are now set to compete in a series of four cook offs at Westminster Kingsway College on Monday, September 13, and Thursday, September 16.

Each heat will concentrate on one of the new categories: Asian/Oriental; Modern British/Irish; European (Continental, Central and Eastern, Scandinavian and Mediterranean); and African, the Americas and Australia.

The change in format of the competition, initiated to encourage entries across all ethnicities, has created an outstanding selection of talent specialising in a host of different cuisines, says the Craft Guild.

David Mulcahy, director of competitions for the Guild, comments: "We've been thrilled with both the number and quality of all the entries received this year. Demonstrated by the number of entries that fell into the different categories, and the great names we've seen entering from such a diverse audience, the new format has certainly been embraced.

"We're all too aware how the economic downturn we're experiencing has impacted on each and everyone of us, and we're delighted that competitions such as this are still able to focus the mind and enable chefs time to concentrate on what they love – cooking. If we can allow chefs the opportunity to push themselves to their limits, and beyond, we're fulfilling our commitment to supporting them and encouraging them to learn and aspire to be the best."

Stephen Scuffell, the Guild's co-ordinator of NCOTY and one of the key judges at this initial stage, adds: "It goes without saying that the level and commitment of those that enter National Chef of the Year is always high, but I was astonished at the quality and skill that this year's entries have shown and it was an extremely hard task to agree on the semi finalists.

"Whether this is due to the different cooking styles we've tapped into, only the semi finals will tell, but it's been an honour to read the entries that have been submitted this year. I wish all those that have got through to the semi finals the best of luck; and for those that didn't, enter again next year as it really was a tightly fought race."

The finalists from the four heats will go through to compete at the live final at the Restaurant Show, Earls Court, London, on Monday, October 11.

The semi finalists for this year's National Chef of the Year title are:
Simon Atkinson, unit caterer, Royal Marines
Mark Aust, head chef, Artizan
Christopher Bell, head chef, Heathcotes
Adam Bennett, head chef, Simpsons Restaurant
Lee Bennett, executive chef, Le Pont de la Tour
Ian Boden, area development chef, Wilsonvale
Mark Budd, executive head chef, Stafford Hotel
David Bush, House of Commons
Brian Canale, head chef, Heritage Portfolio
Simon Christery-French, sous chef, Pearl Restaurant
Clark Crawley, head chef, Restaurant Associates
Hrishikest Desai, brasserie head chef, Lucknam Park Hotel
Richard Edwards, senior sous chef, Lucknam Park Hotel
Frederick Forster, head chef, 44 Restaurant and Lounge
Justin Galea, executive sous chef, Turnberry
Chris James Golding, sous chef, Zuma Restaurant
Hayden Groves, executive chef, Lloyds of London
Jim Hamilton, head chef, Fairyhill
Dean Heselden, head chef, London Clubs International
Imthiaz Kader, head chef, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge
Selin Kiazim, senior chef de partie, The Providores
Palash Mitra, curry chef, The Cinnamon Club
Robert Oberhoffer, restaurant owner, The Dove Restaurant
Christopher Oddie, head chef, Mitie Catering and The Irish Club
Grzegorz Olejarka, head chef, Brooklands Hotel
Sudha Shankar, executive chef, Saffron
Hansel Sheldon Fonseca, sous chef, Gordon Ramsay Holdings
Kuldeep Singh, sous chef, Benares Restaurant & Bar
Ashley Spencer, lecturer in culinary arts, Westminster Kingsway College
Robert Stordy, corporate chef lecturer, University of Derby (Buxton Campus)
Lionel Strub, head chef/owner, Fennel Restaurant
Dez Turland, group development chef, Brend Hotels
Simon Webb, head chef, Restaurant Associates
Nick Whatmough, head chef, Restaurant Associates
Andy Wilcock, head chef, Cucina Restaurants
Andrew Wong, chef, Bumbles Restaurant
Terry Wright, head chef, Compass Group
Vadivelloo Yogaeshwaran, sous chef, Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel

For further information, visit www.craftguildofchefs.org and click on the link to National Chef of the Year or contact Clair Bowman on 01293 610329 or email ncoty@william-reed.co.uk

Related Articles:

• 12 Oct 2010 - Hrishikesh Desai triumphs as 2010 Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year

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