21 Hospitality Group took park in the annual North East Chef of the Year Awards organised by NECTA. Big thanks to our sponsors Hodgson Fish and Delifresh for providing our ingredients for the event.
21 Hospitality Group Trainee of the Year
Our trainee chefs, coached by their mentors, went head to head, each with their own take on a sea bass dish.
They have been forming and practicing their dishes with the help of their mentors in the 21 Hospitality Group kitchens ready for the competition.
On the day, the chefs had 45 minutes to cook and plate their dish. They all dealt with the time pressure well, on top of getting used to equipment they had not used before.
Below is the list of our participants, their mentors, and their chosen dish.
Cori Smith mentored by Alex Walker – Fillet of Sea Bass with Scallop Mousse, English Asparagus and Jersey Royals – Butter Sauce – The Broad Chare
Sophie Southall mentored by Danilo Sabellico – Pan Fried Sea Bass with Asparagus, Razor Clams, Golden Artichoke and Buttered Potatoes – 21
Joe Kennedy mentored by Arron Hassan – Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass with Calamari, Clams and Gem Lettuce – 21
Daniel Simpson mentored by Tiziano Guerico/Andy Luck – Steamed Sea Bass with Stuffed Corgette Flower, Asparagus and Lemon Verbena – Café 21 Fenwick Newcastle
Ethan Clark mentored by James Horner – Grilled Sea Bass with Jersey Royals, Asparagus, Clams and Beurre Blanc – Saltwater/Porterhouse
Declan Chambers mentored by James Hayter – Grilled Sea Bass with Lardo, Pea Puree and St George’s Mushrooms – Saltwater/Porterhouse
All chefs finished and did 21 Hospitality group proud with such fantastic dishes cooked to a high standard and plated beautifully.
Our winner this year was Joe Kennedy. Second place went to Daniel Simpson. Third place was awarded to Ethan Clark. With such high quality across the competition, all of our trainee chefs should be proud of what they achieved. They all pushed themselves and met the high standard expected of 21 Hospitality. Creating your own dish means you must consider many factors: time, complimentary flavours, plating and more.
Original Dessert – A Classical Dessert
We also had a trainee chef in the Original Dessert Category, Frankie Page mentored by Megan Armstrong (representing 21). These chefs had 35 minutes to create their dishes which they had also worked on with the help of their mentors.
Frankie’s dessert was a Hazelnut Soufflé with Madagascan Vanilla Chantilly Cream.
Frankie also won his category, making us here at 21 Hospitality very proud. With such a blank canvass of a category it can be daunting to come up with a dish and have to make sure it meets the cost requirements. With the help of Megan, Frankie showed just what he was capable of with a fantastic dessert.
The competition pushed our chefs to show what they are made of. This is a real challenge and cooking under pressure for a competition feels different to getting a dish done in the restaurants.
All of their final dishes are a testament to how far the young chefs have come since they started their traineeships as well as the fantastic tutorage of their mentors.
Well done to everyone who competed and their mentors who should all be immensely proud of themselves, and thanks again to Hodgson Fish and Delifresh for sponsoring our event and providing our ingredients.