Top Culinary Award Winners Announced

Top Culinary Award Winners Announced

Auckland Restaurant scoops Chef of the Year – Twice!

Chefs and hospitality staff from all over New Zealand descended on Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre last weekend for the ‘NZChefs National Salon’, New Zealand’s premier culinary and hospitality competitions.

Auckland Chef, Himanshu Shaun Tiyagi from Chikos Restaurant took out top honours, winning the Chef of the Year title and the grand prize of the Moffat digital electric convection oven.

Himanshu follows in the footsteps of 2014 Chef of the Year winner and fellow Chikos colleague, William Mordido.

Their boss, mentor and Chikos Restaurant owner, Roberto Manuel says he’s “extremely proud” of his chefs winning the title two years in a row. “They are both so enthusiastic and so passionate about what they do. I’m just here to support them and to give them the opportunity to grow”

“We worked pretty hard to prepare another chef to win the title” he adds.

In an extremely close contest for Commis Chef of the Year, Joelle Snook from Aoraki Polytechnic scooped the top award with Blake Haines from Dunedin’s Bracken Restaurant, 1st Runner Up.

The major event on the National Salon timetable was Saturday’s International Global Chefs competition. The three Kiwi chefs battled in the kitchen against the clock and representatives from Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu and Guam for the Global Chef, Global Pastry Chef and Hans Bueschkens Young Chefs titles.

However after a gruelling six hours in the kitchen, the Australians came out trumps. Jenni Key took home the Global Pastry title, while Chris Malone and Matthew Weller won the Hans Bueschkens Young Chef and Global Chef titles respectively.

The Curry Cup proved to be the most popular event with this year’s Salon audience. Visitors who made a gold coin donation to Ronald McDonald house were able to sample the curries and vote in the ‘People’s Choice Award for their favourite.

While the inaugural ‘Senior Lifestyle Cuisines’ competition had the highest number of chefs entered, reflecting the changing nature of New Zealand’s population.

Also in its first year, was Kids Can Cook, a competition for year one to eight students with the goal of encouraging children into the kitchen to learn to cook and eat well. It was such a success that NZChefs plans to roll out the competition around the country via its eight regional branch offices in 2016.

Remuera Intermediate’s Thomas Murray, won gold and the Kids Can Cook first prize with a rack of lamb dish that the judges described as being “cooked to perfection”.

TOP NZ CULINARY & HOSPITALITY AWARD WINNERS

NZ Chef of the Year Himanshu Shaun Tiyagi, Chikos Restaurant

Commis Chef of the Year Joelle Snook, Aoraki Polytechnic / Fusion Restaurant

Pastry Chef of the Year Su Jung Anita Chung, Pullman Hotel

Service IQ Apprentice of the Year Peter Dann, Copthorne Hotel

Bartender of the Year Pedrag Jonahovic, NZMA

Service Professional of the Year Meng Ly, Pullman Hotel

Barista of the Year Leanne Waite, Cerebos Food Service

Training Establishment of the Year NZMA, part of the ACG Tertiary & Careers Group

Secondary School Excellence Award St Johns College, Hastings

ENDS



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