On Monday 18 March 2013, twelve aspiring young chefs gathered at Westminster Kingsway College to compete for the coveted title of Springboard’s FutureChef Winner 2013.
The young chefs were taking part in the charity’s annual cooking contest which was judged by leading industry chefs in a MasterChef style cook-off.
They had earned their place in the National final by mixing, stirring and chopping their way through local and regional heats held across the country, and had won their way through to the final from nearly 9,000, 12 – 16 year olds who entered Springboard’s FutureChef competition.
2 restaurant quality dishes in 2 hours
The finalists had to prepare two restaurant-quality dishes from a selection of fresh ingredients in just two hours. The pressure was on to impress the judges, who included Alain Roux (Chef Patron of the Waterside Inn), Adam Bennett (Head Chef from Simpsons, Birmingham) Joe Queen (Braehead Foods) and Mark Froydenlund (Head Chef Marcus Wareing Restuarants) with Head Judge David Mulcahy, Craft & Food Development Director from Sodexo.
The winner: Hayley Cancea from The Deepings School, East of England
Hosted by well-known celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE, FutureChef’s Chairman, it was Hayley Cancea, aged 14, who was announced as the deserving winner.
Hayley impressed with her enthusiasm, skill and menu choice of Mediterranean style roulade of pork with a sage and onion beignet and a wild mushroom and spinach pithivier, followed by a dessert of dark chocolate bavarois, raspberry sorbet and pistachios.
On hearing she was the FutureChef Winner 2013, Hayley explained how proud and thankful she was to her mentor chef, for the support during the contest. The winning prize includes a behind the scenes visit to Ascot and working with top chefs at the venue plus for the winner and family full hospitality at Ascot and a night stay in a top hotel.
The Runners-up
The Runner-up was Kieran Paterson, aged 16, from Lockerbie Academy, Central & Southern Scotland.
Katie Toms, aged 15, from Queen Elizabeth’s Academy, South West was Second Runner-up.
Amazing quality of work by the finalists
Anne Pierce, Chief Executive, The Springboard Charity commented: “Congratulations to all of our hard-working, committed finalists – they have all been part of a great FutureChef. It really is amazing to see the quality of work by young chefs improve year on year, the talent we see as a result of the FutureChef programme is remarkable and Hayley is a true winner.
To bring together Springboard’s network of experienced chefs, FutureChef alumni and our hospitality partners in this way ensures that we as an industry, continue to inspire young talent to learn about food and cooking as well as gaining valuable experience about career opportunities in this great industry.’’
Brain Turner, Chef and FutureChef Chairman added: “We’re very proud of what all those young people were able to achieve. FutureChef, as just one of Springboard’s programmes, gives young people a real opportunity to give cooking a go. We are reaching more students every year and they, in turn are acquiring the vital life skill of learning about foods and how to cook. We encourage even more teachers and parents to work with us next year to enhance young people’s learning and development.”
Applications for FutureChef 2014 are now open.
Springboard’s FutureChef
This is a nationwide culinary programme run by The Springboard Charity, helping young people aged 12-16 to learn to cook, explore food and develop a vital life skill. It develops culinary skills, educates about food provenance, health & safety and food hygiene, and informs about entry routes to worthwhile careers in hospitality.
The programme encourages the next generation of young chefs and, through its four stage national competition, each year crowns one talented participant as the Springboard’s FutureChef winner!
The Springboard Charity helps young, unemployed and disadvantaged people improve their prospects in life through a career inhospitality, leisure and tourism. Springboard provides a range of opportunities for sustainable employment, or vibrant careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism, equipping people with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their potential.
Springboard also works closely with the industry to help attract more talent and address skills shortages. In doing so, it has the support of over 180 different industry establishments and suppliers.
For more information about Springboard click here
For more information about Futurechef click here