THE FIRST annual Cornwall Master Chef competition is set to cook up a storm.
Sixteen of the county's best junior chefs will be put through a series of heats to determine an overall winner, who will walk away with a trophy and £1,000.
Hosted by hospitality business development company Delicate Trade, the four-week contest will celebrate emerging talent from local hotels and restaurants.
Competitors will have to create three-course menus for the quarterfinal, semifinal and final heats in just four hours to cook up every element of each menu.
They will be in unfamiliar kitchens cooking for some of the industry's most respected chefs and representatives.
The lead judges will be Stephen Marsh, head chef at The Wellington Hotel in Boscastle, who has held two rosettes for almost a decade, and Phil Thomas who has recently been awarded 2 rosettes by the AA, at Rosewarne Manor.
Guest judges will also pitch in throughout the competition including Lee Trewhela from the Cornish Guardian, West Briton, and Cornishman newspapers, Jo Rees, editorial director of Food Magazine and the Trencherman's Guide, some of Cornwall's most accomplished chefs.
Many of the competitors are expected to be supported and mentored by their employers in a way that should help each one develop their skills, confidence and careers.
They will be judged on their ability to create and cost menus, work safely and cleanly, food quality, dish presentation and working as a team under pressure.
The competition is due to begin in October with the final being help in November but venues are yet to be confirmed.
For more information on how to enter please got to www.cornwallmasterchef.com or call Ben Stevens on 07976 108633.
