The winner of the senior heat of this year’s Skills for Chefs competition stood out so much that he has been offered a job at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant in London.
Gareth Evans, currently the Senior Chef at the Cwtch Restaurant in St.Davids, Pembrokeshire, is due to start at the Michelin-starred restaurant later this year.
He beat off competition from other talented chefs in a cook-off, which competition sponsor Essential Cuisine announced should make use of their Signature Beef Jus and a duck breast.
Evans wowed judges Andrew Bennett, Executive Chef of the Park Lane Hotel, and Nigel Crane, Managing Director of Essential, with his creation of duck breast rolled in a celeriac mousse and Carmarthen ham, accompanied by a crispy roll of confit duck leg. fondant potato, baby vegetables and a date sauce.
“While it was my first senior competition, which was nerve wracking in front of a live audience, it was a great experience and I believe chefs learn so much from working alongside each another in this environment,” said Evans. “Skills for Chefs definitely inspired me.”
Winner of the junior chef heat was Gordon MacGregor from Perth, who devised a dish of roast duck breast on a bed of braised red cabbage.
The Skills for Chefs competition seeks to showcase upcoming and existing British talent in an industry that currently employs over 2.5m people.