The competition is open to all chefs and cooks working in the care sector, from care homes, day centres, lunch clubs and meals on wheels services to local authorities and other care organisations, including hospices.
Neel Radia, national chair of the NACC, said: “We’re thrilled to launch NACC Care Chef of the Year 2019.
“This competition is a valuable and important platform for raising the profile of care catering and the fantastic opportunities the sector offers, which is very important in the current climate of uncertainty where we are all facing recruitment challenges.
“I urge all care chefs to enter the NACC Care Chef of the Year competition and reap the many benefits it offers. I look forward to watching this exciting competition unfold.”
The competition is designed to ‘showcase’ the innovation, specialist skills and specific knowledge of nutrition and dietary requirements required by care chefs, whilst challenging them and encouraging them to push the boundaries.
The competition ‘challenges’ entrants to create a nutritionally-balanced, two-course menu (main and dessert) that is suitable for service users in a care setting.
The combined food cost for both courses should be no more than £2.25 per head based on three portions and it must be nutritionally balanced. The menu must also incorporate one of the Premier Foods products listed in the competition entry brochure.
Participating chefs will have just 90 minutes to produce their dishes and the judges will be looking for clear nutritional understanding of the foods they are using and how they benefit their clientele, plus culinary flair through flavours, menu balance, execution and presentation.
All paper entries will be judged by a central judging panel and the successful entrants will be invited to compete at the regional heats in March 2019, where they will have 90 minutes to produce their dishes and demonstrate their skill set under the eye of the competition judges.
The two highest-scoring competitors from each regional heat will secure a place in the national final on Wednesday 5 June 2019 at Stratford-upon-Avon College.
For more information on the NACC Care Chef of the Year 2019 competition and to download an entry form visit www.thenacc.co.uk/events/nacc-care-chef-of-the-year-2019