Local chef shines in comp
• Bridport Hotel chef Kate Brown placed in the top three for Tasmania in the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award with her raspberry and white chocolate dessert. Photos by Nic Betts.
By Daisy Baker
July 29, 2020
Bridport chef Kate Brown recently received a welcome surprise amidst what has been a tough time for hospitality staff and owners.
The Bridport Hotel chef placed in the top three in Tasmania for the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award.
The competition calls on young cooks, apprentices and chefs across Australia and New Zealand to put their culinary skills to the test.
This year, the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award looked a little different but it didn’t stop the entrants from giving it their all.
In a three-minute video, young chefs were asked to introduce themselves, provide a description of their dish and explain the components and techniques used in preparation.
Entrants were judged on their use of serving space on the plate, how appetising and pleasing to the eye the dish is, creativity, originality and cooking methods.
With a video made by Nic Betts, Kate placed in the top three in the state and narrowly missed out on the national final.
“The dish I entered was the flavours of white chocolate and raspberry and was made up of a white chocolate mousse, raspberry panna cotta, raspberry caviar, caramelised white chocolate crumb, white chocolate and raspberry soil and finished with raspberry coulis and mint,” she said.
“I finished second last year and wanted to see if I could improve on that while I’m still under the age of 25, and also to see how I stack up against other young chefs and learn new skills.”
Kate started out in the industry in late 2015 and completed her apprenticeship at Barnbougle.
She has been working as a chef at the Bridport Hotel since December last year.
“I love hospitality because being a chef you are able to put your creativity and talent on a plate, and to be able to see customers enjoying what’s on the plate,” she said.
The judges congratulated all entrants for putting their hat in the ring for this year’s Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award.
“We’re really impressed by each and every chef for stepping up and having the courage to give it a go, presenting themselves and their food to a high standard,” they said.
“We promised to stand by our young chef community and our judges have been truly impressed by the level of creativity demonstrated this year. It has been astounding.”