Promising young chefs cook up a storm in first cook-off
Uwe Hanssen (left) and Annelise Niemand are two top young chefs that compete this weekend to determine the Namibian participant for an international event in May.
This weekend, the first round in the battle for the title best young chef, starts in Windhoek. Saturday 26 January, hopeful young chefs, all under the age of 25, will gather at the Polytechnic Hotel School, to entertain the judges with what they regard as their best cullinary offer.
This first competition of the year is held under the banner of the Namibian Chef Association. It is the first stage in the bigger Namibia Under 25 Chefs of the Year Competition.
Honorary president of the Namibian Chef Association, Tom Mutavdzic said in a statement released earlier this week, the aim of this competition is to find the best young chef in Namibia to participate in other international events. “On Saturday the NCA will know who will be the U25 chef that will represent Namibia at the semi-finals for Africa and the Middle East at the World Wide Hans Bueschkens Challenge. The Hans Bueschkens Challenge, organized by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), is for chefs under the age of 25 and has been going on since 2003 with increasing popularity” he said.
“Interest to compete in this competition is huge from young chefs all over the world. This international event will be taking place on the 15th and 16th of May in Windhoek together with the semi-finals of the WACS Chef of the Year Challenges” said Mutavdzic.
For the Namibian Under 25 Chef of the Year Competition there are three top entries, in the persons of Edwine Beukes, Uwe Hanssen as well as Annelise Niemand who cooked in this event in 2011 in Abu Dhabi.
At the Polytechnic Hotel School training kitchen in Windhoek, the ideal location to host such a competition, the three will be cooking a three course meal for four persons in three hours which must include a starter of Angel Fish, Crayfish and Salmon, a Beef Fillet for the main course and a creation using Dilmah Tea for the dessert.
There are three judges who test the chefs on various criteria such as hygiene, cooking methods, waste in the kitchen, correct portions and a high emphasis on the taste and presentation of plates.
