Academy invites chefs and waiters to enter Future Stars of Gastronomy competition

The Academy of Food & Wine (AFW) is inviting all student chefs and wine waiters in the UK to showcase their talents and menu planning abilities in its new competition, Future Stars of Gastronomy.

The competition, sponsored by Discover the Origin, seeks to find the student chef and wine waiter team that plans and cooks the most impressive and well-considered two-course menu with matching wines. 

Judges will take into consideration the theory and reasoning behind the food and wine combination, the presentation of the entry and the execution of the cooking and serving.

Nick Scade, chairman of the Academy of Food & Wine, said: "The Future Stars of Gastronomy competition aims to support the learning and development of hospitality students and reward talent and creativity. The aim is to encourage learners and recognise excellence in teaching establishments."

Discover the Origin is the campaign to promote PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products. These include parma ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Burgundy wines, Port and Douro Valley Wines. The two-course menus must include the two Discover the Origin ingredients and wines must be PDO wines.

The winning Future Stars of Gastronomy 2010 will receive a 10-day, all-expenses paid trip, courtesy of Discover the Origin, to understand the history and provenance behind the products of the wines from Burgundy, the hams from Parma, the cheese from Emilia Romagna and the wines from Porto and Douro Valley.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the Academy's website at www.afws.co.uk. The closing date for entries is 4 January 2010.

Words: Maria Bracken

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