Rockliffe Hall has launched a competition to find the most aspiring chef in the North East in a bid to help nurture young catering talent and bridge the skills gap.
Chefs from the five star resort are inviting catering students from Darlington College to create an aspirational three course banqueting lunch menu, inspired by the North East of England.
Students studying Level 2 Professional Cookery will be asked to create a starter, Level 3 students will be invited to design the main course while Level 2 and Level 3 Patisseries and Confectionary students will take care of the dessert.
Dishes need to feature local produce and will be judged on their suitability for a banquet of up to 120.
Entries for the competition close on Friday 14th December and judging will take place at Darlington College in the week commencing 14th January 2019. The dishes will be judged by a team of chefs from Rockliffe Hall which boasts three unique restaurants including the 4AA Rosette Orangery.
As their prize, the winner of each category will then be asked to re-create their dish at a winners’ luncheon at Rockliffe Hall’s Festival of Food on February 9th 2019.
Paul O’Hara, Executive Chef at Rockliffe Hall’s Clubhouse restaurant, says: “All the chefs at Rockliffe Hall are delighted to be teaming up with Darlington College to search for the most aspiring chef of 2019. We’re all passionate about helping develop future chef talent and this is a fantastic way of inspiring the next generation. The winners will be given the fabulous opportunity to showcase their skills to industry professionals at the winners’ luncheon at our Festival of Food next year.”
Angela Doran, Rockliffe Hall’s Human Resources Manager, says: “An increasing shortage of skilled chefs in the hospitality industry is well documented. We’ve identified this Aspiring Chef of the Year competition as a way to nurture talent and protect our future chef development because chefs are such an important part of Rockliffe Hall – we couldn’t function without them.”
Maria Harrop, Curriculum Manager, Enterprise Services and Sports at Darlington College, says: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a prestigious, top hotel. We feel very privileged to be able to offer our students the chance to gain a valuable experience alongside top chefs, which helps to prepare them for industry.”
www.rockliffehall.com – 01325 729999
