The duo launched the Zest Quest Asia competition 11 years ago as they had dreamt of a student culinary competition that focusses solely on Asian cuisine. They are aiming to raise £15,000 to find out more or to donate, visit here.
The competition was created for two key reasons:
- To help young chefs learn more about Asian cooking and cuisine - something not many colleges to this day offer on the curriculum - to the point where they might a career in Asian food and hospitality.
- To make sure that there would be enough chefs in the future equipped to produce Asian food and cook Asian dishes.
Competitors must have permanent residency in the UK, be full-time students and must be part of a team of three supervised by their college tutor. So far, the competition has been won by teams from eight colleges across the UK.
A spokesperson for Zest Quest Asia explained why they need extra support: “So far, we have been able to afford to send, through sponsorship and the proceeds of ticket sales to our awards dinners - as well as by keeping costs as low as possible - students to Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines where they have cooked with top Asian chefs, visited food markets and attended masterclasses at notable Asian restaurants.
“In most, if not all cases, such an experience would have been beyond our young chefs’ imaginations. We so want these experiences to continue, but because of the current economy, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure sponsorship or to raise enough funds through ticket sales alone. These are our two main sources of revenue.”