North West Young Chefs face the final

The county heats of the Essential Cuisine-sponsored North West Young Chef of the Year are now wrapped up, with finalists from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria and Cheshire ready to pit their talent against each other at MANCAT in June.

The finalists follow:

Greater Manchester – Adam Smith, aged 25, sous chef at Abode, Manchester
Lancashire – Stephen Smith, aged 21, chef de partie at Farington Lodge Hotel, Farington
Merseyside – Tom Lee, aged 22, chef de partie at London Carriage Works, Liverpool
Cumbia – Martin Frickel, aged 19, chef de partie at Castle Green Hotel, Kendal
Cheshire – Chris Rawlinson, aged 23, restaurant owner and chef at The Red Cat, Chorley

To make the final, the talented young chefs were challenged to cook up a winning three course meal for two using local North West produce costing up to £25.

They will now have to use their passion, flair and knowledge of regional produce to create a new set of winning dishes for the final, where they will face a judging panel made up of masters of the trade, regional producers and food writers.

These include competition organiser and British Masterchef Brian Mellor (Chef 'n' Farmer, Wirral), John Benson-Smith (North West Hospitality), Steven Doherty (chairman Ramsay Scholarship) and Nigel Crane (chef and managing director of sponsor, Essential Cuisine, based in Cheshire).

Whoever wins North West Young Chef, due to be revealed at a post cook-off awards ceremony at Manchester's Malmaison, will receive a week long bursary in a top European restaurant. He will also win a weekend for two at a luxury hotel and set of Global chefs' knives.

Nigel Crane from Essential Cuisine said: "These young men have had different experiences in their careers so far, with an eclectic mix of role models and aspirations. Some take competing in their stride more than others. What they do all have in common, however, is enormous promise. For the final, they need to clear out any cobwebs, pay attention to detail and look to fine tune their skills and techniques to impress some of the best chefs and food experts in the region.

"Winning North West Young Chef not only means critical acclaim and a way to make your CV really light up, but the fantastic chance to experience the art of cooking abroad and all the exciting opportunities this presents. We wish each one of them all the best."

North West Young Chef aims to give chefs the opportunity to increase their chances of achieving long term goals, demonstrate skills to a professional audience and get invaluable feedback.

Words: Maria Bracken

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