Finalists announced for Queensland Chef of the Year

Media release: 27 April 2022

Brisbane is set to host 28 of the best chefs in Queensland in a pressure-cooker contest that will pit these culinary professionals against the clock and each other.

This elite cooking contest is being held at Food & Hospitality Queensland, the first major food industry event to run for almost three years. It is running from 15-16 May at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and will have over 180 exhibitors and arrange of special events.

The previous winner Matthew Lee has moved from Brisbane to Malaga in Spain to further his career. But the three other finalists will be returning for a second shot. They are Grant Parry from Royal Pines Resort, Jason McCormick from Plate Art and Anthony Dunne from Ricky’s River Bar in Noosa.

Competition Director Peter Wright says “Queensland is well known for its excellent hotels and resorts and these are well represented by chefs such as Shaun Hudson from Hamilton Island, Amber Heaton from The Star, Yan Ng from W Hotel and Asanka Prabath from The Pullman”.

Queensland’s thriving restaurant scene will also be strutting its stuff with chefs including Leslie Williams from Ortem, Ryan Boyle from Argo Bar & Kitchen, Stacey Conner from Humble on Duke, Tom Hitchcock from The Long Apron, Lauren Kinne from Elska, Josh Marshall from Thomas Corner Eatery, Dayan Hartill-Law from Hota and Matt Wells from Marley’s Little Kitchen.

“In addition, there are chefs with different daily challenges such as Ross Deacon who is now catering for the workers at the Ensham Village Mine Site near Emerald. And we have three chefs flying down from Port Douglas and Palm Cove. They are Adam Pownall from HITIDE, Gabi Redai from Chefs on the Go and Dannielle Rimmington from Rattle n Hum”.

The judging panel will be headed up by Karen Doyle, a seasoned culinary judge who is also Program Manager at Le Cordon Bleu Australia. She will be joined by awarded chefs Dan Arnold, Paul Rifkin and Shane Keighley. Food personalities Glenn Flood and Tawnya Bahr will be providing the commentary.

Peter says the competition is a great leveller, as each chef is working with the same protein cuts to create an entrée and a main in one hour. Judges will give a score based on taste, presentation, technique and skills. The four highest-scoring finalists will compete in a Grand Final on Monday afternoon.

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“In the heats finalists can look forward to some excellent cuts of beef, pork and chicken from B&E Foods and a well-stocked pantry supplied by Bidfood. For the Grand Final they will be working solely from a mystery box which is a great test for any chef. The latest commercial ovens will be supplied by Unox and uniforms by Alsco”.

Judge Karen Doyle says “I encourage all chefs to come along and watch the action. It’s a perfect opportunity to get new ideas for ingredients and techniques, and to experience first-hand the sheer culinary talent Queensland has to offer.”

The competition takes place within the Food & Hospitality Queensland expo. This is the trade show where the entire food and hospitality industry come together to share new ideas and products. Organisers say it will be bigger and better than ever before.

Entry to the exhibition and competition is free, but you must be over 16 and work in a food or hospitality business. You also need to register online. For more information and free tickets visit the website at www.foodandhospitality.com.au

Finalists:

Ryan Boyle Head Chef Argo Bar and Kitchen Buderim

Stacey Conner Head Chef Humble on Duke Sunshine Beach

Ross Deacon Head Chef Ensham Village Mine Emerald

Anthony Dunne Sous Chef Ricky's River Bar Noosaville

Dayan Hartill-Law Executive Chef Hota Surfers Paradise

Amber Heaton Demi Chef Cicina Vivo at The Star Broadbeach

Tom Hitchcock Sous Chef The Long Apron Montville

Shaun Hudson Sous Chef Bommie Restaurant Hamilton Island

Michael Hutchings Head Chef The Cotton Club Cairns

Riley Jones Head Chef Gold Coast Tavern Bundall

Parag Kapile Head Chef Tarka Dining Spring Hill

Asanka Prabath Chef de Partie Pullman Hotel Brisbane Airport

Lauren Kinne Head Chef Elska Restaurant New Farm

Josh Marshall Head Chef Thomas Corner Eatery Noosaville

Jason McCormick Private Caterer Plate Art Burpengary

Amber Newitt Head Chef Our Famiglia Morningside

Yan Ng Chef de Partie W Hotel Brisbane Brisbane

Grant Parry Chef de Cuisine Royal Pines Resort Benowa

Adam Pownall Head Chef HITIDE by the Beach Port Douglas

Gabi Redai Catering Chef Chef On Go Cairns Palm Cove

Dannielle Rimmington Head Chef Rattle n Hum Palm Cove

Shannon Strange Head Chef Cafe Baleana Hervey Bay

Aaron Teece Executive Chef The Valley Estate Currumbin Valley

Stacey Teeling Chef de Partie The Jetty Kedron

Jommel Valdez Head Chef Palms Restaurant Sarina Beach

Matt Wells Owner Marleys Little Kitchen Stanthorpe

Leslie Williams Head Chef Ortem Toowoomba

Justin Zammit Executive Chef The Deck Ashmore

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Media Contact:

Kirsty Hunt

T 03 9999 5460

E kirsty@specialisedevents.com.au