Recently the Craft Guild of Chefs revealed that five chefs have achieved its Kitchen Award and three passed the Pastry Exam. The announcement was made at a prestigious 20th anniversary lunch at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London in front of the finalists, examiners, sponsors, the media and industry friends.
Graduate Award achievers have gone on to win competitions such as Young and Senior National Chef of the Year as well as securing exciting promotions and making a name for themselves.
Steve Munkley, chairman of the Graduate Awards, said: “At the start of the millennium, I had a dream, to set up an initiative that recognises the skills of young chefs in our industry. Working with the support of the Craft Guild of Chefs and partners, I set about making that dream a reality and 20 years later the Graduate Awards accreditation has been achieved by over 80 chefs.”
“The educational trips also include mentoring and a masterclass in elements of the final exam allowing for a clear understanding of what is expected in order to meet the final grade. To pass the final exam the young chefs need to achieve 86% over the six elements of the exam, which are all based around technical skills and their personal development in the culinary arts.
“As chairman of this initiative, I am truly grateful for the support that many chefs have given me in making the Graduate Awards the immense success that it is. Compiling this book has been a highlight of the journey, and I hope you enjoy celebrating our Graduates’ success and cooking their amazing dishes.”
Each recipe contains an image of the submitted dish alongside a method, ingredients list and a short biography about the chef who created it.
Some of the recent chefs to pass the Graduate Awards include Charlie Knight, George Baldwin-Edie, Theo Hadjitofi, Stephen Naylor, Ranna Ameer and Kate Mudge. These young chefs enjoyed a trip to Lyon courtesy of Grande Cuisine where they visited the Paul Bocuse Market, specialist chocolatier Sandrine Chappaz and the Athanor factory.
Matt Owens, national chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, added: “We are extremely proud of all that have taken part in the Graduate Awards and look forward to the next 20 years of chefs to take on the challenge. It’s in our DNA to ensure we are here for the chefs and to help guide them to progress in their culinary journeys.”
If you are interested in purchasing the Graduate Awards recipe book, fill out the document below.