BaxterSmith scoops Euro challenge
BaxterSmith won this year's European Catering Association's Ready, Steady, Cook challenge to find the best fast-cook chef team in contract catering.
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| Ready, steady, cook: BaxterSmith pair Pike and Bonvini-Hamel in action |
The Buckinghamshire-based contract caterer's team of Madalene Bonvini-Hamel and Ross Pike just outscored Everson Hewett in a closely fought contest, with Avenance coming third.
Five other teams, representing HSBC Sodexho, Holroyd Howe, In-House Catering, Charlton House and the House of Commons contested the event, which was held at the Institute of Electrical Engineers in London.
A panel of three judges, headed by Andrew Turner of the Bentley, scored each pair over a 30-minute head-to-head cook-off that followed the TV show format.
Turner said: "The BaxterSmith team showed a greater consistency over both courses, and their use of seasoning probably had the edge. Overall it was a fantastic effort from all the teams."
Winning chef Bonvini-Hamel said: "We don't compete in competitions, so we just came here to have fun and we did." Bonvini-Hamel and Pike cooked pan-fried chicken supreme with saut‚d potatoes and bacon and a sauce vierge, followed by an assiette of berries with chocolate mousse.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 21 October 2004
