Pub chefs in Graduate Awards semi-final
James Toth, commis chef at Michelin-starred site the Cross, Kenilworth, Warwickshire and Daniel Catalano, sous chef of Peach Pub Company site the White Horse in Harpenden, Bedfordshire, are set to compete against 18 other contenders at a regional cooking test in front of a panel of judges on Friday, 5 June.
If the chefs pass they will be rewarded with a mentoring day featuring masterclasses from industry figureheads to prepare for the upcoming final, which will consist of butchery and fishmongery tests, a mystery basket challenge and the creation of a main and dessert.
Steve Munkley, awards coordinator, said: “Some of the semi-finalists have already won some fantastic awards this year, but this is the chance to pit their talents and skill against themselves, which involves a whole different mentality.
“We wish them all the best in making it to the final and achieving something that is a real boost for the CV and very often a turning point in a chef’s career.”
Bocuse d'Or
The Cross, which is a Charles Wells lease, is no stranger to culinary acclaim: head chef Adam Bennett led Team UK at the self-styled “culinary Olympics”, the Bocuse d’Or earlier this year.
New guild role
The Craft Guild of Chefs (CGC) also has announced the appointment of a new director of operations.
Vice president Andrew Green, who previously worked for Compass Group and as group manager for school caterers the Brookwood Partnership, will take the helm of the organisation from outgoing CEO Martin Bates.
Christopher Basten, national chairman of the CGC, said: “With Martin leaving it was the ideal opportunity to review our management structure and we felt a more office-based leader would be the best way to take the guild forward.
“Andrew is the ideal candidate, bringing with him a wealth of working knowledge, a passion for quality and an almost forensic detail to the way he works.”
