La Chaine des Rotisseurs organises a cooking competition for young chefs under the age of 27, sponsored by a professional Chaine member.
The purpose of this competition is to encourage and promote the culinary expertise of young chefs in the tradition of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, by exposing them to a competitive environment with their peers. This competition offers the opportunity for the Jeunis Commis to showcase their talents and creativity in an international arena. The goal of the competition is to encourage cultural difference in food presentation and preparation using a traditional approach.
The competition is a 'black box' competition, where the competitor does not know the ingredients he is to cook with until his arrival at the competition. He then has 30 minutes to write a menu and three-and-a-half hours to prepare a three course dinner for four people.
The mandatory items in the black box were 900gr mutton chunks, 800g yellowtail, one tin anchovies, 200gr white cheddar cheese, 250gr leeks, three sweet bell peppers, 500gr semolina, four oranges, six pears, 500ml beer. There was also a short list of non-mandatory items, such as herbs, red/white wine, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and a few miscellaneous items.
Competitions are held at regional, national and international levels in countries around the world. Experienced professionals who are Chaine members are selected to serve as judges. To ensure complete secrecy and objectivity, contestants are identified by number only, rather than by name. Dishes prepared by the contestants are judged on taste, presentation and originality. In addition, scores are given for cleanliness and organisation in the kitchen.
A candidate must be nominated by their employer, who must be a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and accepted by the Competition Commitee.
One of the 14 judges at the contest was Emile Nel from Fynbos Gourmet Restaurant in Mossel Bay. There were nine contestants:
* Leonardo Minnaar from Mymering Guest Farm - Ladismith
* Dale van Deventer from La Locanda - George
* Khomotso Leluma from Hyatt Regency Oubaai
* Jacques Buys from Flava Cafe, Wilderness
* Dylan Frost from the Plettenberg Hotel - Plettenberg Bay
* Xander Barnardt from Kwandwe Private Game Reserve - Addo
* Lorenzo Adams from Hyatt Regency Oubaai
* Kyle Conradie from the Plettenberg Hotel - Plettenberg Bay, and
* Jacques Fourie from Simola Hotel - Knysna.
The prizegiving and dinner function was held at Kafe Serefe in George, where the overall winner, Jacques Buys from Flava Cafe, Wilderness, was announced. He will take part in the international final, which is to be held in Istanbul.
Francois Ferreira, Jacques Buys, David Hyman and Lizelle Stolz at the Jeunes Chefs Rotisseurs competition.
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: NADE WELCH
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