NSCnews Online September, 2016 | Page 72

Prestigious chefs’ competition Claudia Zuercher (left) and Niccole Winfield T OWNSVILLE RSL chef Niccole Winfield, 21, won a silver medal in a North Queensland cooking competition recently. Teamed with Claudia Zuercher, 22, who works at Peppi Peppi, they competed in the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award cookoff challenge at TAFE-NQ. It is Australia’s longest-running competition and the region’s best up and coming chefs were pitted against each other. Claudia and Niccole’s silver winning menu included a choice of marinated lamb rump with potato croquette, spinach and saffron polenta, minted yogurt and a red wine jus or a rosemary-infused lamb rack with carrot hummus, spiced cumin tuile and a red wine jus. For dessert, they offered espresso panna cotta with dulce de leche, juniper berry chocolate crumb, apricot coulis, coconut sponge, salted almond brittle and banana and coconut ice-cream. Claudia and Niccole entered the competition to test their skills against their peers. “It was a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and gain more experience and confidence as well as to meet and network with other young chefs,” Niccole said. Australian Culinary Federation competition director, Deb Foreman said the young chefs participating deserved to be applauded. “Putting yourself up to be judged on your culinary talent amongst your peers is tough,” she said. “They will take a lot from the experience of competing, in honing their skills and gaining more knowledge.” Taking part in the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award offers a great learning experience for young chefs to push themselves to the next level and advance their culinary careers by being judged to globally recognised standards on the presentation and overall taste of the dishes they create. news NSCONLINE nscnews.com.au Be sure to shout out to all your mates... the more clicks the merrier! 72 | SEPTEMBER 2016