The Culinary Championships comprised 14 entries in various categories from nine competing chefs, who come from Compass Scotland’s partner brands ESS Energy and Restaurant Associates, as well as students from South Lanarkshire College.
David Hay, Managing Director of Compass Scotland, said: “Compass Scotland was proud to be the headline sponsor of the Scottish Culinary Championships at ScotHot 2023 and even prouder of our participating chefs. It was a brilliant opportunity for them to show off their outstanding talent at a national level.
“Our ethos at Compass Scotland is underpinned by a commitment to people, food, sustainability and close partnerships, and this has all been demonstrated by the talent on show at this year’s ScotHot. A huge well done and thank you to everyone involved.”
The Championships provided the opportunity for the chefs to display their skills to an audience in a competition setting. Criteria including presentation, skill set, hygiene, seasonality, innovation, and sustainability were all assessed. Awards went to:
- Gold for ESS’s Rachel Michie in the gastronomique category
- Gold for Edward Perrett in the chicken category
- Gold for Ruaridh Patrick in the chicken category and bronze in the lamb and vegetable preparation categories
Silver awards were claimed by duo Jennie Aitken and Rae Harkin in the Street Food (Team of Two Competition); Chris Macleod in starters; Nayeli Clemente Alcazar in lamb, as well as in three appetisers; Shona Sutherland in dessert; and Lisa Marie McCuaig in five-course gastronomique.
Graham Singer, culinary director for ESS Energy and Compass Scotland, added: “There was some amazing talent on show in Glasgow. The chefs demonstrated fantastic innovation centred on sustainability, and their creativity and skill was second to none.
"Amazing results were achieved and it was a fantastic showcase of teamwork. I know the chefs will have made memories to last a lifetime competing in a competition like the Scottish Culinary Championships.
“As a mentor for this competition, I had the opportunity to support these individuals. Through my role, I get to share my experience, knowledge and passion with the younger generation of aspiring chefs, which is something that I consider an honour and fantastic to see our talent develop, to be the best they can be.”