O
N Saturday 1st February, The Rotary Satellite in Orpington, supported by Orpington Crofton Rotary and Maidstone Dawn Patrol Rotary, brought the South East England finals of the Rotary Young Chef of the Year to London South East Colleges’ BR6 Restaurant in Orpington, for a second consecutive year.
The competition, open to students in full-time education between the ages of 11 and 17, is designed to encourage young people to develop cookery and presentation skills, consider food hygiene issues and hone organisational and planning skills. The judging panel, which included LSEC Head of Hospitality Tania Summer, had the difficult job of selecting two young chefs who will go on to cook in the area finals in March, and hopefully, the Nationals at the NEC Birmingham in May. Two students from Darrick Wood Secondary School, Ella and Sam, were amongst the eight finalists, all of whom demonstrated impressive levels of culinary flair, with Ella finishing in silver medal position.
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Local young chefs rise to the challenge Sharon Baldwin, Executive Director of Orpington 1st, and one of the judges for the day, said, “The standard set by this group of young people has been extraordinarily high. To watch them hard at work all morning with preparation and planning, and then deliver such exquisite dishes has been really inspiring. The importance of the hospitality sector is growing within town centres and it’s great to see a wealth of young and enthusiastic talent.”
Orpington’s Ella with her runner-up trophy 30
The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2020
