Zest Quest Asia 2022 open for entries

Zest Quest Asia is returning in its original format, with colleges and student chefs invited to submit their entries for the 2022 competition.

Founded by restaurateurs Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala of Café Spice Namaste with the involvement of Master Chefs of Great Britain, the culinary competition recognises knowledge and understanding of Asian cuisine, and the talent and skill to design an impressive menu of Asian dishes.

The competition is open to full-time students with permanent residency status in the UK. Colleges are invited to field teams of three students (plus their tutor) who vie for a first prize consisting of a seven to ten-day cultural tour of an Asian culinary capital.

Students from University College Birmingham who were crowned Zest Quest Asia champions in 2020 will soon be embarking on a belated prize trip to Bangkok. Other colleges to produce Zest Quest Asia winners before the coronavirus pandemic were Westminster Kingsway College, Farnborough College, Milton Keynes College and University of West London. Among the cities visited by the winning teams (accompanied by their tutor) were Mumbai, Colombo, Manila, Tokyo, Osaka, Hanoi and Bangkok.

Cyrus Todiwala said: “It’s great to be able to launch Zest Quest Asia in its traditional form, as a live event followed by a dinner which we hope will be widely attended by everyone who has a stake in the growth of Asian cuisine in this country. I hope to see many entries this year from talented and ambitious students. Superb prizes await!”

To submit expressions of interest and for details on how to enter Zest Quest Asia 2022 colleges should visit www.zestquestasia.org or contact Cora Strachan at cmsevents@btinternet.com in the first instance.

The deadline for entries is Monday 24 January 2022. The shortlist will be revealed on Monday 31 January 2022, with the final cook off and awards dinner to be held on 18 February 2022 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.