Guernsey triumphs in first Channel Islands Chef of the Year contest

Ashraf Elsergany, of the Hotel Hougue du Pommier in Guernsey, has scooped the Senior Channel Islands Chef of the Year title.

His winning menu included fresh local scallops, pan-fried and rested on asparagus and shallot relish, with white crabmeat croquette, cauliflower puree and steamed and marinated fillet of lemon sole, served with hollandaise sauce.

Judge Stephen Scuffell said there were a number of reasons why the panel chose Elsergany as the winner: "The amount of work he put in was impressive. There were a lot of elements to his menu and it came down to taste, overall. But we did take into consideration the way he worked, the temperature of his food when it came out, his timing. He was the person who had three complete plates of food. He made the most of the time he had."

Runners up in the senior category were Tony Weetman from the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, Guernsey, followed by Rene Bisson from The Pavilion, Guernsey.

In the junior section there were 17 entries and 10 finalists, including seven from Jersey. This category was open to any chef in full time/apprenticeship education over the age of 16 who is studying towards a recognised hospitality and catering qualification. James Piprell was named Junior Channel Islands Chef of the Year. Runners up were Daniel Meacock of Highlands College, Jersey, and Abdil Hassanein, an apprentice at Les Cotils.

The brand new event, judged by the Craft Guild of Chefs, showed off some of the island's brightest talent, both experienced and new to the industry.

The competition was the brainchild of College of Further Education programme manager Steve Bacon, chef Tony Leck of The Pavilion and Craft Guild of Chefs' vice-president Stephen Scuffell, who was one of the three judges.
The other judges were Matt Owen, one of the world's top pastry chefs and a guild member, and chef Wayne Child, who represented event sponsor Nestle Professional.

Chefs throughout the Channel Islands were invited to take part. The first stage of the competition required all entrants to submit a written menu, with as much information as possible about presentation, techniques and ingredients. There was a heavy emphasis on using as much local produce as possible and the final dishes contained a variety including bream, sea bass, scallops, spinach, mushrooms, leeks, potatoes, beef, pork and goat's cheese.

There were 12 entries for the seniors, which was whittled down to seven finalists, of which six represented Guernsey restaurants. To qualify they had to be over 18 and in full-time employment and in the final stage they had to cook and present their three-course menu in two-and-a-half hours.

La Barbarie manager Andy Coleman, who is a member of Good Food Guernsey, which backed the competition, said: "It's great that this has been put on in Guernsey. There are so many great restaurants here and this is a testament to that. Having competitions like this keeps pushing up the standards and encourages the development of skills."

"The young people who have taken part are the future of the hospitality industry. They've done a wonderful job, and it's fantastic that the Craft Guild of Chefs has lent its support. It's an honour that they deem it fit to come over and judge."

Words: Maria Bracken

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