Gold medalist chef appointed skills champion

A leading Welsh chef who won a gold medal in this year's Global Chef Challenge has been appointed a skills champion for Wales.

Nick Davies has expressed his delight at being recognised by SkillsCompetition Wales as food preparation and cooking skills champion and is looking forward to mentoring talented young chefs to a world class standard.

Davies has competed in three Culinary World Cups, three Culinary Olympics, two Global Chef Challenges and the British and Welsh Chef of the Year finals. Highlight of his career as an individual competitor came in February when he won a gold medal and came within one point of winning the Northern European round of Global Chef Challenge in Ireland.

His role as skills champion will be to mentor and develop chefs identified by SkillsCompetition Wales to represent the nation in the WorldSkills UK final, with the ultimate aim of competing in the UK team at WorldSkills 2011 in London.

Backed by the Welsh Assembly Government and funded by the European Social Fund, SkillsCompetition Wales aims to find Wales' most talented vocational and trades people and boost their skills to world class standards.

Last month, Mr Davies and Arwyn Watkins, managing director of Cambrian Training Company, took a masterclass roadshow to six Welsh colleges where they addressed lecturers, trainers and learners.

The roadshow was organised to promote this year's SkillsCompetition Wales for food preparation and cooking, which will be held at the Welsh Chefs Conference at Cross Hands Food Park, Cross Hands on September 22 and 23.

"There are highly skilled young chefs within Wales and I see it as my challenge to mentor and develop them to world class standard," said Mr Davies. "To succeed they will need to be committed, passionate about producing top quality food and willing to learn because competing at the highest level does require top class skills.

Words: Maria Bracken

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