National Chef of the Year 2013 semi-finalists announced

The chefs, who work in all areas of hospitality, from pubs and bars to hotels and fine-dining restaurants, will compete in heats in Sheffield and London over the next two months to earn one of eight places in the final, which takes place at The Restaurant Show in London on 8 October. 

This year sees an extra four candidates added to the competition's semi-finals due to an increase in the number of entries and an increasingly high standard, according to David Mulcahy, organiser of the competition and vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs.  

“Everyone on the judging panel agreed that the overall quality of entries is getting better and better by the year and we are definitely going in the right direction," he said. "Recipe writing has improved markedly and the entry forms are more focused, partly because we have strived to better communicate what they should concentrate on in their entry; seasonality, provenance and sourcing, and making sure they have a well balanced menu."

Semi-finalists will be tasked with re-creating the menu outlined on their written entry within two hours. Mulcahy advised chefs to concentrate on producing exactly what they had detailed on their menu. 

He said: “It’s about practice, practice, practice, and bearing in mind that competitors will be in a kitchen they haven’t cooked in before. Ultimately, the challenge is to create a well balanced, exciting and tasty menu with skill and understanding of the ingredients, and doing your best on the day.”

Now in its fifth decade, the National Chef of the Year competition is designed to recognise and award one chef who stands out by having the skill and passion to succeed. Previous winners include Gordon Ramsay, Simon Hulstone, Mark Sargeant, Frederick Forster and Alyn Williams. 

The National Chef of the Year 2013 semi-finalists are:​

SHEFFIELD HEAT ONE​

Modern British / European​

• Jamie Park, junior sous chef - Historic House Hotels
• Andrew Wright, junior sous chef - Mallory Court Hotel
• Paul O’Malley, senior sous chef - The Butchers Shop Bar and Grill
• Dez Turland, group development chef - Brend Hotels
• Brian Canale, head chef - Heritage Portfolio
• Nicholas Evans, head chef - Middlethorpe Hall Hotel
• Adam Rasburn, sous chef - TM Catering
• Richard Knights, head chef - Southwold Pier, Boardwalk Restaurant
• Zoltan Szabo, head chef - Grand Central Hotel Glasgow
• Mark Stinchcombe, sous chef - Le Champignon Sauvage 

LONDON HEAT TWO​

Asian / Oriental & Rest of the World ​

• Sujan Sarkar, head chef - Automat
• Imithiaz Kadar, executive chef - Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour
• Premila Fernando, sous chef - Buddha Bar Knightsbridge
• Diane Kay, development chef - Reynolds Catering Supplies
• Joe McCafferty, head chef - Bone Daddies Flesh and Buns                   
• Saurav Nath, head chef - Guglee Restaurant
• Andrew Wong, chef - A. Wong                            
• Ashwani Kumar, head chef - Mango Lounge
• Saurabh Prabhakar, sous chef - Hilton Hotels
• Mark Aust, head chef - Artizian ​

LONDON HEAT THREE​

Modern British / European​

• Ben Williams, head chef - Read’s Restaurant with Rooms
• Russell Baterman, head chef - Colette’s Restaurant
• Peter Pickering, junior sous chef - Café Royal
• Scott Dineen, senior sous chef - BaxterStorey
• Adam Thomason, head chef - Wykeham Arms (Fullers Smith and Turner PLC)
• Alex Bond, sous chef - Auberge du Lac
• Ian Boden, development chef - M&B Innovation Centre
• Selin Kiazim, chef - The Kitchen Table
• Hayden Groves, executive chef - BaxterStorey
• Daniel Kerr, head chef - The Old Mill, Berkhamsted
• Wayne Thomson, chef-owner - No 9 Church Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon
• David Bush, senior chef de partie - House of Commons

LONDON HEAT FOUR​

Modern British / European​

• Leszek Karpinski, sous chef - Compass Group
• Paul Matthews, head chef - The Hunter S
• Dan Towell, chef manager - Elior UK
• Lahiru Jayasekara, senior sous chef - Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
• Keith Hooker, group chef (hospitality) - Restaurant Associates
• Matthew Thomson, head chef - Ribble Valley Inns
• Kyle Jenkins, sous chef - La Trompette
• Tony Stuart, head chef - Shearman and Sterling, Sodexo Prestige
• Chris Golding, head chef - The Ampersand Hotel
• Elisha Carter, head chef - Café Royal Hotel
• Simon Webb, head chef - CH&Co
• Allan Pickett, head chef - Plateau Restaurant