4 Kiwi Chefs Announced as Pacific Finalists for S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016

Orphans Kitchen, The Grove, Roots and Apero Food & Wine young chefs announced as Pacific semifinalists in S.Pellegrino’s search for the best Young Chef in the world

S.Pellegrino today announced the ten semifinalists from each of the twenty regions across the world of which four Kiwi chefs have been selected, from thousands of applications for S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.

Orphans Kitchen Chef / Co-founder, Tom Hishon, Roots restaurant Sous Chef, Christopher Walker, The Grove restaurant Sous Chef, Josh Barlow, and Apero Food & Wine Chef, Leslie Hottiaux, have been announced as Pacific semifinalists in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016competition.

Four Kiwi semifinalists in the Pacific top 10 is significant, and serves as further proof of New Zealand punching above its weight.

“To be chosen out of thousands of applicants is something really special,” says  Sous Chef at Auckland’s Grove restaurant, Josh Barlow.

Having never entered a competition ever before, Apero Food & Wine Chef, Leslie Hottiaux is looking forward to the challenge the competition poses,
“I’m so pleased to be selected as a semifinalist. I’ve never entered any competitions before and having just opened the restaurant last year, I thought I would enter to prove to myself that I could do it,” says Hottiaux.

Orphans Kitchen Chef and Co-founder, Tom Hishon has been selected as a semifinalist in the competiton for the second year running,

“I’m excited to go over and compete again. It’s amazing the opportunities that come out of participating in something like this and the people you meet, which was one of the highlights for me last year. It would be amazing to place this year and go over to Milan to compete on the global stage,” says Hishon.
Christchurch’s Roots Restaurant has been in the limelight before, winning Cuisine’s restaurant of the year in 2015. Sous chef Christopher Walker says he is, “excited to share what we do at Roots and the way we cook with the world.”


Photo courtesy of Lily & Louis

The Pacific’s 10 semifinalists are:

Tom Hishon, Orphans Kitchen, Chef and Co-founder
Signature dish: Aotearoa Black Foot

Christopher Walker, Roots, Sous Chef
Signature dish: Wild venison and its surroundings

Josh Barlow, The Grove, Sous Chef
Signature dish: Venison with Hay cooked Jerualem Artichokes, Wild Mushrooms, Crispy Kale, Venison “Haggis”, Burnt cream and Smoked Beetroot sauce

Leslie Hottiaux, Apero Food & Wine, Chef
Signature dish: Potato Gnocchi, Mushrooms, Pine nuts & Truffle

Joshua Gregory, Exp. Restaurant, Sous Chef
Signature dish: Beef cooked over hardwood with coastal plants and prawn head sauce

Olivia Meli, Montrachet, Chef
Signature dish: A Carrot, Down to Earth

Ved Navghare, Tonka Restaurant, Sous Chef
Tea smoked Duck korma, vanilla spice beetroot, garlic chutney

Zackary Furst, Ides Melbourne, Sous Chef
Lamb, roasted aubergine, shaved pine mushroom, pear and mustard puree kohlrabi dressed with lamb fat vinaigrette sauce and charred pear

Garreth Robbs, Bistro Molines, Chef
Schezwan and Maple Glazed Duck, Orange Emulsion, Sweet Potato and Mascapone Puree, Broccolini

Jeremy Metivier, Cottage Point Inn, Sous Chef
Snapper carpaccio with cucumber, tarragon & horseradish
 
For the Pacific region, phase III of the project will take place at Crown in Melbourne at the end of July, where the 10 semifinalists’ signature dishes will be judged by the regional jury based on the five Golden Rules: ingredients, skills, genius, beauty, and message.

The Pacific regional jury includes:
 

• Peter Gilmore, Executive Chef at Quay Restaurant in Sydney since 2001.
• Andrew McConnell, who established Melbourne restaurant Cutler & Co. in February 2009.
• Jacques Reymond received his 80th Hat, and with the timely handover of his eponymous restaurant, Jacques Reymond Restaurant to his sous chefs, whom have re-opened as Woodland House.
• Peter Doyle’s restuarant, Est. has retained 3 hat status since 2003 and 3 Gourmet Traveller stars since 2007.
• Adam D’Sylva launched Coda in Melbourne in 2009 and within the first year awarded One Chefs’ Hat.

 Come end of August, the twenty best local young chefs from each region of the world will be announced as the international official finalists. They will also be assigned a “Mentor Chef”, who will advise each of them on how to improve their signature dishes and prepare for the global finals. 

The twenty finalists will compete in the Grand Finale on October 13 in Milan, which will include two demanding days of cooking in front of the Seven Sages jury, composed by David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack, that will determine the winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016. 

The program was created by the world-famous sparkling mineral water, S.Pellegrino to reaffirm its commitment to the promotion ofemerging talents and toenhancing and diffusing fine dining culture throughout the world.