The Young Chef of the Year final, which will take place on 12 June at the food services wing of Worthy Down Barracks, will see 12 chefs under 27 competing for the title by cooking a three-course meal using ingredients from a 'mystery market basket'. The winner will head to Berlin to compete in the international final of the competition run by the French gastronomic society.
Meanwhile 12 sommeliers will be competing for the accolade of Young Sommelier of the Year at the London showrooms of catering manufacturer Gaggenau on 14 June. The finalists will face three tests examining service skills, champagne service and food and wine pairing. The winner will also represent the UK in the international competition which for sommeliers is in South Africa.
Both competitions are designed to allow young chefs and sommeliers involved with Chaîne des Rôtisseurs' member venues to develop and demonstrate their skills.
The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ Young Chef of the Year finalists include:
- Neil Bell, Turnberry Resort, Turnberry
- Tim Butler, Christchurch Harbour Hotel, Christchurch
- Philip Cherryman, Millstream Hotel, Bosham
- Daniel Marshall, Imperial Hotel, Great Yarmouth
- Matthew Robinson, Old Deanery Hotel, Ripon
- Indalecio Sebastiao, Old Government House Hotel, Guernsey
- Michael Thompson, Marriott Grosvenor House, London
- Lee Warren, Charwells, Haileybury
- Ben Watson, Thornbury Castle Hotel, Gloucestershire
- Chris White, Lainston House Hotel, Winchester
The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ Young Sommelier of the Year finalists include:
- Loic Avril, The Fat Duck, Maidenhead
- Lukasz Kolodziejczyk, The Fat Duck, Maidenhead
- Stefan Neumann, The Fat Duck, Maidenhead
- Julie Baron, The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
- Roumain Bourger, The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
- Nerea Sorribes, The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
- Arnaud Baudary, The Maze, London
- Antonin Dubuis, The Maze, London
- Tobias Brauweilerm, Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham
- Peter Foulds, Lainston House, Winchester
- Tanguy Martin, Hotel Terravina, Woodlands