Helen Wins PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition
The PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition, held at the Tarong Mine Wine and Food in the Park Festival, provided a food and wine loving audience with one of the most exciting and entertaining culinary displays in the cook-off's six year history.
Eight chefs charged into battle for the top prizes, and as expected the panel of judges had a difficult time choosing the winning dishes, as the scores were separated by the smallest of margins.
The judging panel consisted of Channel Ten’s Ready Steady Cook resident chef Alastair McLeod and the Courier-Mail ‘Fossicking” food writer David Costello.
Competition co-organiser and Team South Burnett Captain Jason Ford (*pictured above, front-right) said, “The high standards of this year’s chef’s were outstanding and unprecedented”.
“Every single dish that left the stage could have been sent straight into a dining room of any expensive a la carte restaurant anywhere in the country, and you would not be able to tell they were prepared in the middle of Memorial Park in Kingaroy”.
The coveted grand prize of ‘Best Overall Dish’ was awarded to Team South Burnett Chef Helen Pratt (*pictured above, far-right) from the Kingaroy Hotel, for her spectacular dessert based on the exotic Dragonfruit, which was grown at a plantation in Nanango.
Local chef Karen Ford won the category of ‘Best Food and Wine Match’; after she amused the crowd with humorous repartee while preparing a dessert of Peanut and Kahlua Pie with Crane Wines Late Harvest Frontignac.
And, Chef Ben Best from SB Food Service Distributors took out the PCA’s hotly contested ‘Most Innovative Use of Peanuts’ category with a delicious main course of Bendele Farm Organic Duck Breast with Peanut, Pear and Chili Salsa.
Encouragement prizes were awarded to TAFE Hospitality student Lance Webb, Bell Tower Restaurant Apprentice Chef Matthew McMurdy and Kingaroy Hotel Apprentice Chef Margaret Powell.
Margaret received a prize of one weeks work experience with Alastair McLeod at his award-winning Brisbane restaurant, Brett’s Wharf.
Those who unfortunately missed this year’s culinary competition will shortly be able to view all the chefs’ competition dishes and recipes on the Peanut Company of Australia’s website.
Eight chefs charged into battle for the top prizes, and as expected the panel of judges had a difficult time choosing the winning dishes, as the scores were separated by the smallest of margins.
The judging panel consisted of Channel Ten’s Ready Steady Cook resident chef Alastair McLeod and the Courier-Mail ‘Fossicking” food writer David Costello.
Competition co-organiser and Team South Burnett Captain Jason Ford (*pictured above, front-right) said, “The high standards of this year’s chef’s were outstanding and unprecedented”.
“Every single dish that left the stage could have been sent straight into a dining room of any expensive a la carte restaurant anywhere in the country, and you would not be able to tell they were prepared in the middle of Memorial Park in Kingaroy”.
The coveted grand prize of ‘Best Overall Dish’ was awarded to Team South Burnett Chef Helen Pratt (*pictured above, far-right) from the Kingaroy Hotel, for her spectacular dessert based on the exotic Dragonfruit, which was grown at a plantation in Nanango.
Local chef Karen Ford won the category of ‘Best Food and Wine Match’; after she amused the crowd with humorous repartee while preparing a dessert of Peanut and Kahlua Pie with Crane Wines Late Harvest Frontignac.
And, Chef Ben Best from SB Food Service Distributors took out the PCA’s hotly contested ‘Most Innovative Use of Peanuts’ category with a delicious main course of Bendele Farm Organic Duck Breast with Peanut, Pear and Chili Salsa.
Encouragement prizes were awarded to TAFE Hospitality student Lance Webb, Bell Tower Restaurant Apprentice Chef Matthew McMurdy and Kingaroy Hotel Apprentice Chef Margaret Powell.
Margaret received a prize of one weeks work experience with Alastair McLeod at his award-winning Brisbane restaurant, Brett’s Wharf.
Those who unfortunately missed this year’s culinary competition will shortly be able to view all the chefs’ competition dishes and recipes on the Peanut Company of Australia’s website.
*Photograph courtesy of PCA and Clive Lowe
posted by Unknown at 6:52 AM
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