The semi-finalists come from a mix of foodservice sectors and backgrounds in the catering industry:
Sean Devlin, company development chef for the Haulfryn Holiday Group
Craig Floate, contract head chef
Mark Aust, head chef, Artizan
Ben Tamlyn, executive head chef, Sodexo Prestige
Richard Skinner, sous chef, Artizan
Christian Abbott, head chef, Brace and Browns
Gareth Ruck, sous chef, Lusso
Luke Smith, head chef, Ch&Co
These chefs will now get a chance to showcase their talent by creating their winning three course menu which secured them the place in the semi-finals. The event will take place on 14th August at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, founded by restaurateur and food critic Prue Leith.
The semi-finalists won their places by wowing the judges with a menu which featured seasonal ingredients and was visually appealing. Each entrant had to submit a career biography and photographs of each of their dishes.
The winning semi-finalists will secure a place in the finals on 7th November where celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli will be among a panel of expert judges. The winning chef will become Blue Arrow’s resident chef and company ambassador, giving him or her the opportunity to cook for some of the UK’s top chefs and win a gastro weekend getaway for two when crowned Blue Arrow’s first ever Chef of the Year 2013.
Sudha Saha, chef patron, Saffron, said: “It is indeed an honour to chair the judges for the Blue Arrow Chef of the Year competition. This is an outstanding opportunity to support the hospitality industry; it allows chefs from all sectors the chance to really showcase their talent, and it will be the ultimate test of skill with the opportunity to be crowned Blue Arrow Chef of the Year.”
Charlotte Rush, founder of the Blue Arrow Chef of the Year competition, said: “The standard of entrants was extremely high and we hope this competition will spearhead an exciting career for these chefs. There is an enormous talent waiting to be discovered in the UK and with this competition, we’re trying to give a new group of chefs a chance to showcase their talent and give them confidence and inspiration to find discover new career opportunities.
"Demonstrating this home-grown talent will hopefully also inspire the next generation of chefs to enter this industry. We know there is significant demand for new skills in the catering industry right now with plenty of job opportunities, we just need to match the right candidates with the right jobs.”
Panel of experts at the final are: Jean Christophe Novelli; Allister Bishop, executive sous chef at Harrods; Sudha Saha, executive head chef for Saffron Group; Jim Norris, director of food catering at MITIE FM; Andrew Bennett, executive chef and F&B manager for Starwood Hotels & Resorts including the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London.