Culinary triumph for TVU student
Winning team
Catherine Soriano, a student from Thames Valley University (TVU), beat off stiff competition from aspiring students from the country's top culinary art schools and leading schools in France to win the Entente Culinaire Competition.
The students representing UK participants, TVU, Westminster Kingsway College, Bournemouth and Poole College, and Thanet College, were each partnered with a student from one of the French catering schools. The four Anglo-French teams then went head to head in the kitchens of TVU's School of Hospitality and Tourism in Ealing, West London, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this month.
Before the start of the cook-off, the students watched a professional demonstration by Elisha Carter, sous chef of the Landau Restaurant at London's Langham Hotel. He cooked three savoury dishes from the Landau menu, all using seasonal ingredients. He said: "The competition sounds like a great opportunity for the students."
The teams had two hours to each prepare a two course meal of braised sole and lemon tart with red berry coulis. Their finished dishes were blind judged by a panel of experts, which included John Williams, executive chef at The Ritz, and Philip Corrick, executive chef at the RAC Club.
The judges commended Soriano, a third year chef and restaurant diploma, NVQ Level 3 student at TVU, and her teammate Elodie Espeja from the Lycée Paul Augier in Nice, for the quality of their dishes, their presentation and their teamwork which grew stronger as the competition heated up.
Soriano, who is originally from the Philippines and now works part-time at Le Meridien hotel in London's West End as a pastry chef while she completes her studies, commented on her experience of the competition: "I feel very proud of myself and my teammate, Elodie. We were really nervous for the first 20 minutes in the kitchen but we settled down and worked as a team, shared the workload and managed our time really well. I've learnt so much from the competition and really value the experience it has given me. I've made a friend in Elodie and we will definitely keep in touch."
Michael Coaker, chef lecturer at TVU, said: "Competitions like this are a great experience for the students as they have to put their skills to the test in a high-octane environment, which is what a real, professional kitchen can be like. Catherine and Elodie proved they can cope extremely well under pressure and deliver to a high standard. We're really proud of them."
The competition, which is in its second year, is just one of the initiatives of the Entente Cordiale Culinaire, a charter signed by the eight UK and French catering schools in 2004, in honour of the centenary of the historic agreement between the two nations and with the aim of promoting educational, and culinary excellence. The schools belonging to the Entente Cordiale Culinaire also exchange research, students and tutors and organise work experience placements, giving UK students the chance to gain valuable experience in French restaurant kitchens and vice versa.
Words: Maria Bracken
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