16th Nov 2011 - 00:00
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Abstract
Rice specialist Tilda is once again encouraging culinary creativity with its support of a major award for chefs at the hospitality industry’s biennial exhibition, Hotelympia, at ExCeL in London from February 26 to March 1.
Now running for the fourth time at Hotelympia, the prestigious Tilda Chef of the Year competition, in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, will be part of the Salon Culinaire in the Live Theatre – a series of cooking competitions taking place in the cooking arena at the show. Aimed at encouraging chefs to be more adventurous in the way they use rice in the kitchen, chefs will have one hour to prepare, cook and present three portions of a main course dish and dessert using rice in both recipes from the following range of Tilda's rice: original basmati, easy cook basmati, brown basmati, Thai jasmine, Arborio risotto, and basmati and wild. The winner will receive the Tilda Chef of the Year trophy and a prize of two nights accommodation for two at a Marriott Hotel of their choice. Current champion, Dean Heselden, who triumphed at Hotelympia 2010, now runs his own restaurant in Brighton. He said: "Winning the Tilda Chef of the Year inspired me and gave me the self belief to open my own restaurant." Steve Munkley, vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs and head judge at the event, said: "We are looking for chefs who can show creativity in terms of the way they use rice and who embrace its versatility and practicality. "Rice can be used to complement a huge range of dishes and we want to see that versatility put into practice. Creative chefs who harness the product characteristics of different varieties of rice can provide inspiration for caterers to be more innovative in the way they use it." • To enter the Tilda Chef of the Year, visit the Salon Culinaire page on www.hotelympia.com for more details. Closing date for entries is December 1 2011.