The deadline for the Country Range Student Chef Challenge (CRSCC) 2023 has been extended until Friday 16th December 2022 to allow colleges and students extra time to devise and finalise their menus for the prestigious competition.
The CRSCC, which is organised in collaboration with the Craft Guild of Chefs, has been running for over 25 years and has become a launchpad for student chefs looking to forge a career in the industry.
With competition-standard judging and vital feedback offered to the students throughout the process, the Challenge truly tests the core skills and techniques that they are taught at college, while providing them with valuable experience of what life in a fast-paced kitchen is really like.
Commenting on the deadline extension, Emma Holden, Country Range Group Head of Marketing and Challenge Organiser, said:
“We’ve been thrilled with the number of colleges who have registered an interest and submitted applications so far but due to many college and student timetables being jam-packed around this time of year, some have been struggling to finalise their menus in time. A key part of the Challenge is that we are inclusive and reach as many colleges and student chefs in the UK and Ireland as possible so we thought it was only right to extend the deadline to allow those more time to enter.”
Discussing the benefits of the Challenge, Emma Holden continued:
“I’ve been involved with the Country Range Student Chef Challenge for many years now and I’ve seen first-hand how the competition can help prepare culinary students for a future career in the industry and provide them with all the tools they need to be a success. As the Challenge is designed in line with the NVQ syllabus that the students are taught at college, it’s almost an extension of their day-to-day learning but with the added pressure of cooking in front of a live audience under competition conditions. Our industry is facing a severe skills shortage so I believe competitions such as the CRSCC are vital to show aspiring chefs the benefits of a career in food and drink and the accolades available if they put the work in.”
For more information on the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2023 and details on how to enter, visit www.countryrangestudentchef.co.uk.
The Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2023
Run in collaboration with the Craft Guild of Chefs, who provide competition-standard judging and vital feedback to the students throughout the process, the Country Range Student Chef Challenge has been running for over 25 years and is the greatest test for teams of three full-time hospitality and catering students.
The Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2023 focuses on the essential core skills and techniques that culinary students are taught in college and has been carefully designed in line with the NVQ syllabus to assess both classical and modern cooking techniques.
Teams of three full-time student chefs studying hospital or catering courses must use their culinary nous, knowledge of flavour and teamwork abilities to devise and produce a great-tasting and skill-showing three-course, four-cover meal. This year’s theme is ‘Around the World’ encouraging students to research different countries and be inspired by various ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques from different cultures and cuisines.
Each course focuses upon a different cuisine:
Starter – Mexico
Main – Africa
Dessert – Australia
Four portions of each will need to be produced in the live heat and final stages of the competition, if the teams are successful in reaching those stages. The dishes need to be prepared, cooked and presented to a high standard within 90 minutes.
The deadline for entries has been set for the 16th December 2022 and application forms are available to download. A paper judging stage will take place in December with regional heats beginning in January 2023.
The Country Range Student Chef Grand Final will be held at Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show at Excel in London on Tuesday 21st March 2023.
The victorious team will win a Flint & Flame knife, an overnight stay and meal at a Michelin star restaurant, and a stage working with the talented team and learning what Michelin-level cooking is all about at the same restaurant.
For the triumphant college and lecturer, winning the title will help them boost their profile as leaders when it comes to catering courses, whilst also providing them with fantastic national and regional publicity. The winning lecturer will also receive a set of Flint & Flame knives.
The 2022 Winners
Following an enthralling live final at the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) Show at Excel in London on March 22nd, Sam Paoli, Maria V Carbone and Paulo Dela Cruz of New City College were crowned winners of the prestigious Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2022.
Competing against seven other colleges from around the UK, the trio of chefs, under the guidance of lecturer Jeff Mason, triumphed under the watchful eyes of the Craft Guild of Chefs judges in intense competition conditions with their inventive and flavoursome menu, supreme cookery skills and tremendous teamwork.
Comments are closed.