[28
SEP 00] CITY
CENTRE COMPANY NEWS
Many Cooks Heat Up The
Broth
Aprons
are being pressed and woks seasoned as city chefs prepare to compete for
the title of Coventry Chef of the Year.
The
competition, which will take place on Saturday in the city centre is part
of the City Centre Company's annual International Food Festival.
Local
chefs will compete against each other under the watchful eye of a judging
panel, which will include TV celebrity chef and local lad Toby Tobin plus
international chef Bernd Schumacher.
The
six competitors for this year's title are:
Tom
Brooks, Head Chef at the Forte Posthouse Hotel; John Clinton, Head Chef
from the Courtyard by Marriott; Charlie Brain, Executive Sous Chef at the
Coventry Hilton; Ian Gibbs, Head Chef at the Windmill Village Hotel,
Darion Smethurst, Head Chef at Millsys Café Bar and Bistro and finally,
Richard Carrington, Commis Chef at the Village Leisure Hotel.
City Centre Company's Gillian Lawless with (from left) Darion Smethurst of Millsy's, Tom Brooks of the Forte Postehouse and John Clinton from the Courtyard by Marriott.
The
challenge is to produce a delicious dish in only forty minutes.
The
competition, which was won last year by Iqbal Ahmed, is part of Coventry's
annual Food Festival and has proved so successful that applicants actually
had to be turned away this year.
The
festival also includes a three day French market with 30 stalls of cross
channel delights to tickle the local tastebuds.
Gillian
Lawless, Events and Promotions Manager of the City Centre Company said:
"The
market means that the event lasts for three days and will hopefully
attract people to the city centre for the main event on Saturday which
promises to be a real gastronomic treat."
"All
eyes on Saturday will certainly be on the chefs as they battle for the
prestigious title of Coventry Chef of the Year.
“We
can rest assured that no fork will be left unturned, and no egg unbeaten
in the race to prepare the most sumptuous dish for the panel of
judges."
Contestant
Tom Brooks is looking forward to the competition and to meeting other
local chefs.
He
said:
"I
am looking forward to meeting the other contestants, the shifts that
chefs work make it difficult for us to meet up and I am looking forward
to exchanging ideas with them.
"I
have participated in a couple of competitions like this and I really
enjoy them.
It is
important for the industry to get people in the local area interested in
cooking and I would love to see more competitions and events like
this."
Celebrity
judge Toby Tobin, will also be showing off his culinary skills at the
festival, which is a bit of a home-coming as he was brought up in Priors
Marston and had his first taste of kitchen life at the Butcher's Arms in
Priors Hardwick.
He
trained as a chef at Stratford College and has since visited the college
on a number of occasions to take tutorials.
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