Electrolux Appetite for Excellence finalists 2011

One of the reasons I have faith in our future, is that I am privileged to see the great young talent that we have in this country. Each year young chefs, waiters and restaurateurs compete to be named the best in Australia, but they’re all winners in my book. Over the last two days, I’ve had the privilege of sitting in and watching some of the judging for the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence awards for 2011, for the chefs Cook Off yesterday at Ultimo TAFE and the waiters work the floor for a lunch today at the Electrolux showroom.

There’s at least two reasons I’m excited. Our young talent has the benefit of fantastic mentors from some of our top restaurants -and they’re also nudging the top restaurants of the world, but also they are paving the wave for new techniques. Who’d have thought we’d be cooking with tweezers ten years ago. And I watched the stream of young chef contenders take their turns at the vacuum packing machine (for sous vide preparation) yesterday. Who’d have known? Here’s your peek behind the scenes and then the announcement of the last round of finalists.

The Electrolux Appetite for Excellence 2011 national finalists are:

Electrolux Young Chef National Finalists:
 Adam Sayles – Red Cabbage Food & Wine, Perth
 Brenden Gradidge – Urbane Restaurant, Brisbane
 Joshua Pelham – The Press Club, Melbourne
 Richard Ousby – Quay, Sydney
 Suthat Sathittanakun -The Silver Spoon, Perth
 Todd Moses – Circa, the Prince, Melbourne
 Victor Liong – Marque Restaurant, Sydney

Electrolux Young Waiter National Finalists:
 Anthony Moore – Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Sydney
 Ellen Fletcher – glass brasserie, Sydney
 Glen Mills – Jacques Reymond, Melbourne
 James Sexton – Sepia Restaurant, Sydney
 Kylie Hawkins- Brents Restaurant, Brisbane
 Ronald Gorman – Wasabi, Noosa
 Simone Spicer – The European, Melbourne

Electrolux Young Restaurateur National Finalists
 QLD: Brent Farrell, Brents Restaurant
 TAS: Iain Todd, Ethos Eat Drink; and Battery Point Steakhouse
 NSW: Clint Hillery, Time to Vino
 NSW: Belinda Stapleton, Restaurant Botanica
 WA: Scott O‟Sullivan, Red Cabbage Food + Wine

This talented group of national finalists will now advance to the final day of competition judged by an
awe-inspiring panel of judges including Mark Best, Lyndey Milan, Peter Doyle, Peter Gilmore and Luke
Mangan and ultimately by Australia‟s first multi-Michelin starred chef Shane Osborn from London‟s Pied a
Terre.