Six colleges reach Zest Quest Asia 2022 final

Six colleges will compete in a live cook-off next month to decide who will be the new Zest Quest Asia champions.

The finalists are student chefs from the Colchester Institute, Loughborough College, North Hertfordshire College, Sheffield College, University College Birmingham and Westminster Kingsway College.

The winners will be announced at the Zest Quest Asia 2022 gala dinner and awards night on 8 April at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. The final will follow a cook-off earlier in the day at Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen.

Zest Quest Asia was founded in 2013 by restaurateurs Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala in collaboration with the Master Chefs of Great Britain. The competition has grown in prestige to become a fixture of the college competition calendar.

The winners, a team of three students, will receive an educational and cultural trip, accompanied by their tutor, to immerse themselves in the cuisine and food traditions of an Asian destination, which will be revealed on the awards night. Past Zest Quest Asia champions have experienced Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

Cyrus Todiwala said: "Once again we were bowled over by the quality of the entries, and we were pleased to see that the interest in Zest Quest Asia among the colleges and students was as strong as ever. This year the finalists will be challenged even further during the cook-off, as they will be asked to demonstrate their use of technology and what they can do with some very interesting and innovative ingredients.

“We’re also pleased to announce that we have a new chairman of judges, with the sad passing of the great Andrew Bennett last year. Stepping into Andrew’s shoes is another brilliant chef, Steve Munkley, one of the best competition judges in the world. Steve has helped us to judge Zest Quest Asia for many years, so our finalists know their performance in the competition will be held up to the highest standards.”

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