Zest Quest Asia 2025 opens for entries

Zest Quest Asia has fired the starting gun on accepting entries for its 2025 competition.

The student cookery contest, created by restaurateurs Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala with the support of the Master Chefs of Great Britain, aims to elevate the profile of Asian cuisine and help fill a chef skills gap.

Zest Quest Asia is accepting expressions of interest from UK colleges until Friday 1 November.

The deadline for actual submissions for the competition’s 12^th edition is Friday 6 December 2024.

To encourage participation from colleges of all sizes, Zest Quest Asia is for the first time providing support towards the preparation of entries, with funding made available from the Savoy Educational Trust, the Antonio Carluccio Foundation and the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London.

In addition, a new semi-final phase will give teams the opportunity to finesse their entries for the final round and is expected to include a video presentation.

As in all previous years, the finals will consist of a live cook-off and presentation in the kitchens of the University of West London. The process should enable judges to score competitors in terms of both their practical skills and theoretical knowledge.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards night at the Hilton London Wembley on 4 April 2025.

Victors will receive a culinary trip to Asia, with the destination revealed at the gala dinner.

Current champion Sheffield College was awarded with a trip to India, where the students enjoyed food experiences and a visit to the Taj Mahal.

Cyrus Todiwala said: “This year we have redesigned the competition to pave the way for more colleges to enter. We have some new industry sponsors and we have secured pledges of funding from three of our industry’s esteemed bodies, the Savoy Educational Trust, the Antonio Carluccio Foundation and the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London. Now colleges can qualify for the semi-finals phase, widening the scope for colleges to qualify for the finals.

“I have never felt more confident about the future of our competition and urge everyone to buy early-bird tickets for our gala dinner and awards night. Mark your calendars and prepare to share the joy of our brilliant student chefs!”

Colleges should submit their expressions of interest in Zest Quest Asia 2025 to Cora Strachan at cmsevents@btinternet.com