A Sheffield College catering student has won a top industry competition and mentoring from a celebrity chef.
Talented trainee chef Oliver Herrington, 20, is the winner of this year’s Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge announced this month, and has won an exclusive masterclass with celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
This week, Oliver was presented with a certificate and prizes including chef knives, a chef’s jacket and Tilda food, at a ceremony held on Monday, April 12th, 2021.
The Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge 2021 is a virtual spinoff of Zest Quest Asia, the national student culinary competition founded by restaurateurs Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, with the Master Chefs of Great Britain, to recognise outstanding talent, knowledge and understanding of Asian cuisine. Headline sponsored by Tilda Foodservice, the competition’s finals were livestreamed, involving 12 students from 10 colleges on March 31st.
Andrew Gabbitas, Catering Lecturer, The Sheffield College, who mentored Oliver, said: “I am so proud of Oliver. To win this national competition backed by top industry experts is an incredible achievement, particularly given the challenges of the pandemic. It’s great to see all the hard work pay off.”
He added: “We have been determined to ensure that our students continue to benefit from competitions, industry experts and guest speakers, with adaptations made online, to ensure our students go further and get the skills that catering and hospitality employers need.”
Oliver, who is completing the Professional Chef’s Diploma at the College’s City Campus on Granville Road, said: "When I found out that I had won the competition, I was shaking with excitement. It was an amazing feeling!
“What I have most loved about the Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge is that it isn't just a cooking competition - it's so much more than that. You dive headfirst into the cultures and history of a dish, which gives more meaning to the dish you create and provides you with a greater understanding of the ingredients.
“Thanks to the support of Mr Gabbitas, I have learned how to make a dish to a high restaurant standard and discovered things I never would have thought to make myself, such as rice noodles.
“Studying at The Sheffield College was the best choice for my career. The knowledge from all the lectures has helped me massively in the competition. As my time at the College draws to a close, I can honestly say it has been an amazing four years where I have learned and grown so much as a chef."
Competitors had to showcase their skills, knowledge and cooking techniques in a range of Asian cuisines in a live cook off, held in the kitchens of their respective colleges, on March 31st, 2021.
Oliver was inspired by a Japanese dish created in 1899 and prepared a Nagasaki Ramen-marinated glazed pork belly served with langoustine, mussels and kamaboko, fried wood ear mushrooms with garlic and ginger broth, and handmade basmati rice noodles.
The judges felt the dish went ‘above and beyond every part of the criteria’ with its creativity, good flavour, texture and skill. The final was judged by Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, Murray Chapman, Steve Munkley and Jo Witchell from Tilda Foodservice.
Celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala said: “Oliver is a worthy Zest Quest Asia - Tilda Challenge champion. His winning dish was outstanding on so many levels and reflected everything this competition was about – his fantastic use of Tilda rice, the research he undertook to learn more about an Asian culture and its cuisines, and the talent and ambition he displayed in creating and executing a superb award-winning dish."
