Craft Guild's Graduate Awards competition finalists revealed
The finalists set to take part in this year's Graduate Awards competition have been revealed.
The competition, set up by the Craft Guild of Chefs to find and celebrate young talent in the industry, consists of separate kitchen and pastry divisions - with all chefs completing skills challenges and showcasing their style of cooking. Competitors will only compete with themselves as they look to achieve the 85% pass mark at the Westminster Kingsway College final on Thursday 29 August 2019, following on from intensive heats held last week in Birmingham and London.
Steve Munkley, founder and vice-president of the Graduate Awards, said: "So much work goes into planning the two-day mentor experience but it's absolutely worth it as we aim to make being part of these awards as memorable and valuable as possible.
"Whether the chefs achieve the pass mark or not they will all take so much away from the heats, mentoring and final exam experience. Those who do pass, will go on to test their cooking against the UK's best young chefs in the Young National Chef of the Year competition in 2020. Each year we look to develop and grow the Graduate Awards and our mentoring trip is an important part of our mission to improve culinary skills in the UK."
The highest achiever of this year's award will automatically be seeded into next year's Young National Chef of the Year final with all graduate achievers being offered a place in the semi-finals.
The eleven kitchen graduate finalists:
George Birtwell, TRUEfoods
Theo Hadjitofi, de Banke Group
Rhys Inman, Shears Yard
Ieuan Davies, The Manor House hotel
Joshua Rooney, Petrus
Ashleigh Hellowell, the Royal Garden hotel
Reece Kallah, Galvin at Windows Restaurant & Bar
Thomas Pymer, the Magdalen Arms
Nathaniel Berney, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Angelica Kainth, Fenchurch restaurant
Faye De Souza, Deloitte Restaurant Associates
The four pastry chef finalists:
Thomas Bayliss, Le Gavroche
Kit De'Ath, Compass Group, Chartwells, De Montfort University
Charlotte Bonham, the Pig
Kate Mudge, Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa
