After taking bronze at the Culinary Olympics, Loughborough College’s Chef Lecturer Darren Creed is urging more colleges and student chefs to enter the Country Range Student Chef Challenge with just over 3 weeks to go until the deadline for entries.
The Student Chef Challenge, which is run in conjunction with the Craft Guild of Chefs, is in its 23rd year and has become the pinnacle for full-time hospitality and catering college students looking to showcase their culinary prowess and creativity, while developing “real life” catering skills and experience under intense pressure situations. The 2017 competition registration deadline is the 28th November. Visit here.
Darren recently added to Loughborough college’s astounding Olympic medal tally after winning a bronze medal at the Culinary Olympics in Germany.
With the college’s Rio Olympians and Paralympians winning a combined total of 14 medals this summer, Darren was presented with the opportunity to add to this after being selected by the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Culinary Team.
The Culinary Olympics took place in Erfurt, Germany, from the 19th -25th October and saw leading chefs from all over the world compete in one of the toughest international cooking competitions.
During the intense competition, Darren had to create and plate four different kinds of finger food and one five-course festive menu, which included a big wink to his home county with the stunning main course showcasing Slow-cooked Leicestershire veal loin, braised potato, baby turnips, heritage carrots, trumpet mushrooms, cress, star anise jus.
Darren was assisted in Germany by his Loughborough students Emily Bucknall, Daniella Bromley and Rebecca Brooks, who won the opportunity to compete with the Craft Guild’s team after winning the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2016.
A delighted Darren Creed commented on the win:
“To be offered a place in the Craft Guild team to compete in my first Culinary Olympics was an honour in itself but to have the girls assisting me and then winning bronze is truly amazing and something I will cherish forever. It would never have happened without the girl’s success in the Student Chef Challenge and their hard work so the medal is as much for them as me.”
Emily Bucknall said:
“The Student Chef Challenge win earlier this year and the whole process has been an incredible experience but the Culinary Olympics in Germany was another level of fantastic. It was amazing to test our skills and nerve against the best but to help Darren, who has been an incredible mentor to us, win a medal was just the icing on the cake.”