Young Chef Young Waiter 2021 semi-finalists announced

The 20 semi-finalists for the 2021 Young Chef Young Waiter UK competition who will be competing in Dubai next month have been announced.

The 10 chefs and 10 waiters will compete at the Aloft Dubai Creek on the 15-16 November and the winners will be announced at the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on the evening of 16 November.

The finalists submitted a video entry and questionnaire thatt was assessed anonymously by the panel of judges including head chef judge Adam Handling and head waiter judge Simon King. Judges also included the likes of Theo Randall, Jason Atherton, Tom Kerridge, Claude Bosi, Emily Roux, Ruth Hansom, Ollie Dabbous, Brian Turner, Tom Aikens, Jeff and Chris Galvin, Jennifer Santner and John Williams.

The competition, established in 1979, was relaunched by the Nth Degree Global in 2019 in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association to promote hospitality as a career of choice. The event is supporting the Springboard Charity’s FutureChef and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School programme.

Robert Walton, chairman of Young Chef Young Waiter, said: “Young Chef Young Waiter was designed to nurture the next generation and we hope this opportunity can boost the careers of all our participants through this experience.”

Sean Valentine, managing director of Young Chef Young Waiter, said: “I am so amazed at the quality of submissions for this year’s competition, a truly remarkable undertaking against a backdrop of what has been a very challenging year for all. My admiration goes to all our contestants who have worked so hard in getting to the final and I wish all of our finalist the very best of luck.”

Handling said: “The quality of the Young Chef semi-finalists this year has been so impressive. The way they carried themselves and spoke about their passions in the video interviews was really inspiring, and I’m very excited to see what they cook up in the final."

King added: “I’m thrilled to be involved in this years competition as it’s going to be bigger and better than ever before. I’ve been delighted not only with the calibre of the entrants but also the great representation throughout the whole of the UK. Looking forward to everyone showcasing their passion and talents on the big stage.”

The semi-finalists for Best Young Chef of the Year are:

• Luke Simmons, Above at Hide, London
• Daniel Ibbotson, Etch by Steven Edwards, Hove
• Fabrizio Cozza, Fiume, London
• Liam Rogers, Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
• Emma Rooke, the Cow Shed, Fife
• Kenny Markham, the Four Pears, Northampton
• Liam Smith, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• Miltan Masha, the Monarch Theatre, London
• Ali Halbert, Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling, Cornwall
• Connor Blades, Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling, Cornwall

Semi-finalists for Best Young Waiter of the Year are:

• Aliya Raphael, Above at Hide, London
• Ruhit Abdul, Hide, London
• Max Daglish, Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
• Julien Peigneux, Shangri-La at the Shard, London
• Hellie Honney, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• Martin McRae, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• George Smart, the Newt in Somerset
• Sophie Heyer, the Promenade at the Dorchester, London
• Giacomo Monti, the Ritz London
• Lorenzo Riglioni, the Ritz London

Any judge who is connected to an entrant is not permitted to judge that specific entry, including anyone working directly with a judge at their current establishment or organisation.

Pictured: Simon King, Robert Walton and Theo Randall