Young Chefs provide inspiration for us all
A Spanish cook joined the fiesta at the Chester Food and Drink Festival on Easter Monday taking the young chef title.
Amador Parada, who was born in Majorca, beat off stiff competition on the Chester Taste Festival stage from two other young chefs. Amador, 23, sous-chef at The Morris Dancer, Kelsall, cooked pigeon with sautéed potatoes, vegetables and rhubarb.
Runners up were Neil Griffiths, sous-chef at The Green Bough Hotel, Hoole Road, Hoole and Daniel Griffiths, sous-chef at Peckforton Castle. Neil, 22, cooked pan-fried seabass over tossed shoots with roasted cherry tomatoes and Daniel, 24, cooked loin of Easter Peckforton rabbit wrapped in Cheshire ham, with pomme puree, red pepper pearls and black treacle jelly.
Amador will receive his award ‘Chester Young Chef of the Year’ at the Gala dinner and awards for Chester Food & Drink Festival at Chester Racecourse on April 15.
Amador, who had worked at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland and in Barcelona, said:
“I am delighted to have won. I have only been at The Morris Dancer since October, so to have won this competition is fantastic.”
Chairman of the judges, celebrity chef Brian Mellor, added:
“This was a terrific performance from all of the chefs. We are looking at cooking techniques and I applaud the ability to be able to cook, talk AND to be judged infront of all these people. When judging we are looking at an understanding of ingredients, what’s on the plate and how it tastes.”
The competition was also judged by Matthew Lloyd, Executive Head Chef at Doubletree by Hilton Chester, in Hoole. Pam Billington, of Visit Chester and Cheshire, helped to organise the competition.
Competitors had 15 minutes to cook and present their dishes. The young chefs had to be under 25, with less than two years paid experience in the food industry.
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