Eight students from schools across England, Ireland and Wales will meet at Westminster Kingsway College, London on Saturday 19th April to compete in the national final of Rotary Young Chef. The competition, currently involving some 4,000 school-age students in more than 200 local competitions organised by Rotary Clubs, requires the students to cook a healthy three-course meal for two people in two hours with a budget of just £14.
The finalists are: Vicki Gardiner (South Shields); Thomas Souter (Helmsley, York); Emily Smith (Grays, Essex); Amy Jones(Dorchester); Melanie Duncalf, (Cirencester); Jason Ellis(Pwllhelli); Andrew McKee (Portyadown, Co Armagh) and Emily Shaw.,Charvil, Berkshire
Filippo Berio, the UK’s favourite Olive Oil*, is working with Rotary and Fifteen – the restaurant founded by Jamie Oliver – to support Rotary’s renowned Young Chef Competition and is acting as sponsor for the 2008 events.
Now in its eighth year, the Rotary Young Chef Competition was created to give young people across the UK and Ireland the chance to display their creative talents with food, while discovering the importance of healthy eating.
Filippo Berio and Fifteen are supporting the competition in various ways, supplying materials, olive oil, and prizes. The competition judges are Fifteen restaurant’s Senior Sous Chef,Trevor Howard, Cookery Editor of Good Housekeeping, Emma Marsden, Adam Leyland Editor The Grocer and Marketing Manager of FilippoBerio, Diana Anderson.
The winner will win a trip for two to Tuscany to visit Filippo Berio’s amazing olive groves and sample the delights of Italian cuisine, as well as being treated to a one-day cookery session inthe kitchen of Fifteen restaurant in London.
Rotary Young Chef is aimed at anyone who enjoys cooking or who wants to have a go, it’s not just for experienced young cooks. As Filippo Berio’s Country Manager, Walter Zanré,explains:
" Filippo Berio spends a great deal of time promoting the importance of healthy eating and simple cooking. The key reason we wanted to support Young Chef is that it was a truly ‘open’ competition that encouraged all young people to take part. "As we know only too well at Filippo Berio, great, healthy food doesn’t need to be fussy. With just a few, simple, healthy, ingredients and the right attitude you can create a feast!"
Rotary, Filippo Berio and Fifteen all agreed that the teaching of culinary skills to young people is now sadly lacking."How can we expect children to eat well and to grow up with a love of good, healthy food, if we don’t give them any grounding in cooking skills – skills which they could then pass on to others," states Filippo Berio Marketing Manager, Diana Anderson.
"We are delighted to be supporting Rotary’s efforts and to be the sponsor of Rotary Young Chef 2007 and 2008."
Trevor Howard of Fifteen agrees;"Everyone at Fifteen believes that young people should be encouraged to learn about food and to how to cook. This competition is a great opportunity to celebrate that and I am looking forward to tasting some wonderful food prepared by these young chefs."
Rotary organiser and creator of the Young Chef competition, Linda May (of the Rotary Club of Blaby meridian Leicestershire) says;
"Rotary Young Chef could be a stepping stone to a career in the food industry, but this is not the main aim of the competition- it is simply a good way for young people to have fun learning an important life skill.
The interest among students in cooking is tremendous and rising, they are really fired up by the TV chefs! As a result we now have Rotary Young Chef competitions taking place in all areas of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. We have had to organise ourselves into eight regions and winners from six of these regions will be inLondon.
In order to get here some of the students will have cooked in five previous rounds of the competition. This ensures a tremendously high standard. I have had a peek at this year’s proposed menus and they are mouth-watering! Be sure to be around at3 0’clock on Saturday to see the outcome!".
The event is being organised by Linda on behalf of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI). The President ofRotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, Allan Jagger,will be in attendance and many members of the national and district Rotary committees who have organised the local and regional rounds in advance of this final in addition to many parents and supporters.
The event is open to the public but during the cooking, for health and safety reasons, spectators will have to leave the kitchens.
16/04/08
