BCF Chef of the Year awarded to Restaurant Associates, Merrill Lynch chef
Webb fought off competition from chefs from across the industry including Sheldon Fonseca, The Dorchester, Colin Layfield, Paramount Restaurant and Michael Tweedie, Lucknam Park Hotel, Bath.
Speaking to BigHospitality after being named as the winner and clutching his certificate and a cheque for £2,500, Webb said he had been 'quietly confident' about his chances.
"I've been doing competitions for a long time now and I kind of thought this is my time. I cooked my heart out today and what I produced was really, really good. I knew I was in with a shout but you never know but at the end of the day it was a great result. I would have been gutted with any other result," he said.
Aubrey Allen beef
Ten chefs competed for the BCF accolade at the Live Theatre of the Salon Culinaire area of Hotelympia with all contestants tackling a three course meal including a tweaked starter and sweet from the semi-final at University College, Birmingham and a main using a cut of beef chose by butcher Aubrey Allen.
Webb's three-course menu which won him the BCF Chef of the Year prize consisted of:
- Flame-grilled mackerel with Cornish crab
- Slow-cooked suckler rump beef with parsnips, blue cheese, buckwheat and bonemarrow
- Heritage apple and honey cake with beurre noisette ice cream and vanilla cream
The finalists had to battle challenge conditions to win over the team of judges which included Raymond Blanc from Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Ashley Palmer-Watts from The Fat Duck and Dinner and Alain Roux from The Waterside Inn. At one stage in the two hours the chefs had to cook their entries the power to the kitchens was lost.
The judges were looking for chefs who could demonstrate precision in preparation, inventiveness in presentation and could produce an astounding taste using British ingredients.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Richard Emslie, assistant vice president and supplier manager for corporate food services for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said the company was very proud of Webb who works as a hospitality chefs through Restaurant Associates.
"Because we have been so busy with hospitality at work he hasn't had the opportunity to practise as much as he would like for this specific menu but I think today his skills have shone through. It just shows what an accomplished chef he is," he said.
Webb joins an elite list of former winners of the title that includes Luke Tipping and Matt Cheal from Simpsons; Michelin-starred chefs Simon Hulstone and Richard Turner; and Adam Bennett, who recently represented the UK in the Bocuse d’Or.
