Hospitality Skills Academy

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I caught up with Rose Greene, our wonderful Young Chef of the year 2009.  Rose’s bubbly strong Irish accent bounced over the phone on her break at Le Champignon Sauvage as we discussed the competition, her passions and the future.  Here’s what she had to say….

Natalie: So how’s it all been since the competition?

Rose: Amazing, it has been such a buzz winning the competition.  I actually handed in my notice yesterday though…

Natalie: Really, why?

Rose:  Well it has been non stop since I left college as a chef and after our 2 week break over Christmas I won’t be coming back.  I want to take a couple of months off to work around the country and do some research in where I would like to be placed next.

Natalie:  It all sounds very exciting; will you be visiting any places in particular?

Rose:  I want to go to Scotland and generally around the country to some restaurants.  I’ll be back in Ireland for a while and I am going to Italy for 3 day culinary cuisine programme.

Natalie: Sounds amazing.  I feel that I have sidetracked slightly and delved into your personal plans, so I will get back to the questions now!

So you came 2^nd in the competition last year, did you re-enter straight away?

Rose:  No, it all happened quite suddenly.  One of the guys from ours got through and but he left as he got a job and so I got pushed to go through again.  It was a lot of hard work but its fun and I’m glad I went back again.

Natalie:  How did you feel going back through the heats again?

Rose:  They were held at Darlington again, so I was in familiar surroundings and I knew what to expect this time round.  I also knew what the judges were looking for more and so I tried to not overcomplicate things.

The day basically involved a paper to begin, which was multiple choice.  This was followed by 20 minutes to decide what 2 main dishes we would prepare with a rack of lamb.  We then did some skills which included pancakes with compote with sugar and cream.  There was also a warm trout salad, which had to be perfectly cooked and the right temperature.

Natalie:  Did you work with a commis in this round?

Rose:  We did have a commis but they were only allowed to fetch us ingredients, they weren’t allowed to prep.  You just have to think logically and focus, especially if you are working in a different kitchen.

Natalie:  What was the final day like?

Rose:  Well I tried to work on the feedback I got from last year, like I didn’t use my commis enough.  So this year I had planned the commis jobs before thinking of anything else, this allowed me to focus on the main ingredients whilst he did the prep.  I really learnt to take control and delegate tasks, as apposed to doing it all.

Natalie:  They say you are given a basket of ingredients on the day, did you know what was in there before?

Rose:  Last year we knew.  But this year we were just given the proteins the day before which were, red mullet and chorizo to start and then lamb and sweetbreads for main.  The day of the final we were given the vegetables and garnish with two A4 pages of ingredients we could use.

Natalie:  Did you have ideas of what to cook with your proteins before getting there?

Rose:  Yes, but I had a few so when some of the ingredients weren’t there I didn’t freak out.  You don’t want to over think it too much.  I preferred it this way as you couldn’t over think the food too much!

Natalie:  You were all paired up with a waiter, did you work together much?

Rose:  I was so lucky because I was actually paired with a friend Daniel from Scotland who I have previously worked with.  This made it so much more comfortable for both of us and really eased the nerves.  We worked with our waiters for about 15 minutes discussing the wine and menu. 

Natalie:  Is it hard working in a totally different kitchen than you are used to?

Rose:  Because the final was here last year it wasn’t too bad.  I was chef A last year and again this year so I had the same section, which gave me a lot of space and my own sink, zone, oven and electric oven.  So we were pretty kitted out.

Natalie:  How did you prepare for the competition?

Rose:  Well head chef of Le Champignon Sauvage, David, has had previous winners in the competition and he knows what the judges are looking for.  He did refresher skills training, like making a béarnaise sauce, its stuff you learn at college but you may not have made it in a few years.  We normally get our fish filleted but chef made us order it in whole and fillet it.

On my day off I would go to the local butchers every Monday for about 6 weeks prior to the competition.  We would work with whole animals.  It has really developed my knowledge in handling meat.  I also read lots of books to get ideas for flavours.

Natalie:  Were you worried about any particular area of preparation?

Rose:  I’m not the best pastry chef so I ran the pastry section at work and on a Friday before service David would give us a mystery basket to make a pastry dish from.

This time round I planned to make a dessert using the same mix to gain three components to the dish.

Natalie:  Do you cook much at home?

Rose: No we generally go out as most people go home on our days off so the rest of us go out for dinner; it’s nice to have a break and to get new ideas.

Natalie:  So what would you say your highlight of the competition this year?

Rose:  Meeting everyone and seeing two waiters from last year, it’s nice to catch up with everyone.

Natalie:  As well as the competition prize Michael Winner also gave you an extra £1,000 what are you planning to do with the money?

Rose:  I know it was so nice of him.  Well it’s just allowing me to take a couple of months off to decide where I want to go next.  It will help pay for my trip to Italy too.  I’m also looking to challenge and develop all of the time.  I did a semester on wine at college but I really want to develop my knowledge on cheese and wine.

Natalie:  Any more competitions planned for next year?  WorldSkills perhaps?

Rose:  I’m not too sure right now, but I will definitely look into worldSkills now you mention it!

It was so nice to speak to Rose who is only 23 and has accomplished so much already in her career as a chef.  I have no doubt that she will go far in the industry.  You never know, Miss Greene may be destined for WorldSkills?

The Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA) announced nine new Masters of Culinary Arts (MCA) for 2009 at the gala dinner held at Claridges yesterday.

French Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) remains the basis for which these rewards are based on and every four years industry seeks out the excellence and to praise chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant managers for outstanding craftsmanship.

Brian Turner, president of the ACA, said the judges were looking for candidates who delivered the highest standards under extreme pressure.

“This prestigious award is based on perfection,” he said. “It is for this reason that only the best and therefore only a handful of candidates ever achieve this standard. It takes real courage to enter the MCA and exceptional skill to reach the finals. This year we have seen some immensely talented and dedicated individuals.”

Finalists in the restaurant management and service category were assessed on their preparation and service of a four-course meal, while those in the culinary skills and pastry finals were tested on their ability to produce specific dishes during a limited time frame.

Michel Roux, joint chairman of the MCA Pastry judges, said “I know how exceptionally tough it is to achieve the level of skill shown by the finalists, it demonstrates what brilliant talent we have in the UK hospitality industry,” he said. “This is an event that brings together today’s new talent and a judging panel of distinguished experts including past winners of the award. You cannot do this alone – your peers are, as in all aspects of one’s professional life, essential for success.”

The Masters of Culinary Arts 2009 are:

In Culinary Skills
James Holah, The Ritz London
Michale Dutnall, White’s

In Pastry
Kofi Addai-Mensah, Nadell’s Patisserie

In Restaurant Management & Service
Francois Bertrand, Aubergine Restaurant
Joel Claustre, The Royal Opera House
Bradley Gent, Opus Restaurant, Birmingham
Jean Kessler, Clos Maggiore

I must admit that after talking with a young chef that will only refer to John Williams (Executive Chef at The Ritz) as ‘Chef’ I was slightly scared to barge into his office and ask him about WorldSkills.  However, it was clear from the start that ‘chef’ was raring to speak proudly of his young protégé.

Natalie:  So how did it all start with Adam?

John:  I knew a great lecturer at Birmingham college, Bill Farnsworth.  When I moved over from Claridges he sent me down three students, now Adam is the only one who stuck at it and stayed.  He was clean of habits from the outside world, he had no pre-conceptions.

Natalie:  How did you help Adam to prepare?

John:  He has been very fortunate to gain lots of exposure to certain competition- this is quite unique.  He has been working closely with Brian Turner as it is his role to help train the candidate for WorldSkills.  There are a lot of competitions that he hasn’t won and he did become disheartened- but it’s good, he has gained experience and skills from them.

But really its all down to Adam, he is the one who has put the house in and the hard work.  We have just been happy to support him all the way.

Natalie:  Did you have any advice for Adam before he left?

John:  “You’ve got the list of ingredients, you know what you have prepared for- you’ll come back with a gold”, oh and I asked him to be my sous chef!

Natalie:  Why do you think he won out of all the other countries competing?

John:  Young guys can loose confidence, they need to remember to cook to high standards and to make great flavours, the presentation comes after this.  Being at the Ritz there skills are engrained within him.  He didn’t crack because these skills weren’t alien to him.

Natalie:  What advice would you give to chefs going in for industry competitions?

John: Remember you’re cooking for chefs, they say they want flare and for the plate to look good, but the real scoring comes from putting the flavours together.  Flavours are the key, they should be a chefs ethos.

I believe in competitions, this is a great acknowledgement for him, it has made him very tough and he is an exceptional young man.  He has the right mentality, he works very hard.

Natalie:  What would you say to other businesses that would like to put their chefs forward?

John:  The Ritz has backed Adam with time and you can loose a lot of man hours, finding the balance is key.  Adam has a great infrastructure here, but a chef from a small establishment would need a great support.  Send someone with the understanding of cuisine, taste, technique, confidence and drive.  Money should be the smallest factor in putting someone forward, it is the value that's important.

Natalie:  How do you think skills training is developing in the industry?

John: It is first class in moving things forward. We’ve just had another apprentice from Bournemouth.  I like the overall idea of an apprentice; we have had about 10 now.  I believe what’s involved in them and they are very beneficial to the industry.

WorldSkills 2009 has recently finished in Calgary and Adam Smith deservedly brought home the Gold for the cooking skill and out of 33 countries competing for the title it is great to know that the UK is making a mark in the industry. 

Talking to Adam behind the scenes of the Ritz was quite surreal and especially in the staff canteen.  Adam came across quite shy at first but as soon as I started asking about the competition he revved up a gear and the passion shone through.  I actually asked him his age half way through as I couldn’t believe the maturity and dedication he exuded.  So without delay here’s what our WorldSkills 2009 Gold medal winner had to say.

Natalie: What was it like going over to Calgary?

Adam: Daunting.  There was a lot of hype, the team in the UK really ‘bigged’ it up; they were preparing us for the worse.

When we got there we were working in really small corridors with other competitors coming in and out.  The other side of the work area (about a metre) away were judges and spectators; we could hear people’s comments, good and bad.  It was pretty off putting but I just kept my head down.

Natalie: What was the best part of the experience?

Adam: Definitely the closing ceremony- the atmosphere was amazing.  I just sat there hoping my name would be called.  When the chef from Germany and then Korea were called I heard my name, and after four days of competition and one day waiting to find it was so tense and it was a complete relief when my name was called.

It would have been awful to come home with nothing; I would have been so embarrassed.

Natalie: How did you prepare for the competition?

Adam: I went through a selection process.  I went for WorldSkills last year and had been through a two year process prior to the competition.  Due to another member of the team being at the maximum age it would have left him unable to compete again, so I saved myself for this year.  Out of the selection there were three of us left until June, when we completed four selection events and had the final.  From June until august I was working five days a week in the kitchens here and then the other two training.

I also went to the Landsdowne and the Emirates Academy in Dubai for four days which was a great experience.  Chef (John Williams) was my mentor at work and was quite scary at times, but when I did well I got a pat on the back. 

Natalie:  What did you prepare for you dishes?

Adam:  There wasn’t just one dish! There were 6 modules, including 3 types of canapés- 10 of each with specific key ingredients, scampi, chicken and vegetables which had to be produced within 2 and a half hours.  I enjoyed the main best; I produced a spinach crusted saddle of lamb with a char truce of polenta, green beans and pumpkin.

Natalie:  Was it tough to create your menu?

Adam:  well we have a list of main ingredients with a selection of others that we can add to the dish.  It was a challenge to work for different pallets, you want your food to appeal to 33 judges from around the world, and you don’t want to be offensive with your flavours.

Natalie:  Has John (Chef) as I now know he is known, helped you develop for the competition?

Adam:  Chef has been great; I have had complete support from the team and have had help in perfecting my dishes.  When asked to be the Sous Chef a day before leaving it really showed that I was ready for the competition. 

Natalie:  What do you think the UK needs to do to prepare for WorldSkills in the future?

Adam: I think people need to realise the benefits for the competitor and the businesses they come from.  There should be more publicity on the event, we came 7^th in the world out of all of the teams which is a great success- it would be great if people could see this and be encouraged to get involved.

Natalie:  Any tips for young chefs?

Adam: keep your head down and stick at it, you’ve got to have the right attitude to succeed.