Nadia Fundell from West Hatch High School in Chigwell, Essex cooked up the winning dish to please the palates of the judges at Rotary in London’s District Finals at Westminster Kingsway College – where celebrity chef Jamie Oliver trained. The district finals of the Rotary Young Chef competition took place on Saturday, 12th February, 2011.
Her winning recipe consisted of Handmade Ravioli stuffed with porcini mushrooms with pangritata, served with a side salad with strong balsam vinegar dressing; Sherry-infused Tiramisu
The RUNNER-UP was Jagjeet Bharth from
Chace Community School
His menu was called Rotary Surpise – Chicken Curry with Cumin Rice, with Mint and Chilli Yoghurt and Chapatti; Gulab Juman & Mango Ice Cream.
The judges were:
Gary Lee – Chef at the Ivy Restaurant, London
April Partridge – Trainee at the Ivy Restaurant, London and last years Rotary Young Chef District Winner
Barry Jones – Westminster Kingsway College
Lloyd Hardwick – Forman and Field
Paul Wayne Gregory – Chocolatier
The budding young chefs turned up the heat at Jamie Oliver’s old catering college - Westminster Kingsway College in Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PD when they took part in the London district heat of this year’s prestigious Rotary (RIBI) Young Chef Competition on Saturday, 12th February, 2011.
Twelve finalists from all over London took part. The 11 to 17 year old cooking enthusiasts were asked to prepare a healthy three-course meal for two people in two hours.
The young chefs, all winners of their local area competition, cooked a meal with the ingredients costing no more than £15.
The judges included Gary Lee from The Ivy and last year’s London winner 17-year-old April Partridge, who is now on a traineeship at The Ivy while studying at Westminster Kingsway College.
This year, the Competition received sponsorship from Caprice Holdings.
The winner and runner-up of the London finals will go forward to the regional heat next month.
The London finalists were:
Central Area
Alice dermody Palmer The St Marylebone C E School
Habiba Haque Mulberry School for Girls
East Area
Anthony Kyriacou Caterham High School
Odette Baber Straw Forest School
North East Area
Deanna Mathers and Nadia Fundell West Hatch High School
West Area
Nicole Baker and Emily Rhodes Northolt High School
Norht Area
Jagjeet Bharth Chace Community School
Laura Hamid Highlands School
South East Area
Ashleigh Knight and Yasmin Bessa-Ackaah Virgo Fidelis
Convent Senior School
More than 200 local competitions have been taking place across Great Britain and Ireland, with thousands of young people taking part.
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s (RIBI) Young Chef was created to give young people the chance to display their creative talents with food, while discovering the importance of healthy eating.
Shirley Kirk, Rotary in London Youth Opportunities Chairman, said: “Young Chef is aimed at anyone who enjoys cooking or who wants to have a go; it’s not just for experienced young cooks. It could be a stepping stone to a career in the food industry, but this is not the main aim of the competition – it is simply a good way for young people to have fun learning an important life skill.”
“We hope that these competitions will encourage more young people to eat well and to grow up with a love of good, healthy food and give them grounding in cooking skills.
The winner and runner-up will go on to take part in the regional final on Saturday 19th March 2011 at North Herts College, Hitchin, The national final, organised by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI), will take place on Saturday 30th April 2011 at Stratford-upon-Avon College, The Willows North, Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 9QR
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