Food and DrinkNews

Riso Gallo Young Risotto Chef of the Year 2021 Now Open for Entries – Winner to Work with Heston Blumenthal!

Italian Grain Experts Riso Gallo are keeping open the entries for the fourth Young Risotto Chef of the Year competition, aimed at budding chefs aged 18 -23 years old through until the 30th October, 2020.

It has been an unprecendeted year with Catering colleges finishing early in 2020, and reopening with some lectures on a virtual basis, hence the reason to keep the competition open for entries, longer than usual.

The winner will receive an all expenses paid three day work experience at Heston Blumenthal’s renowned Fat Duck Restaruant in Bray.

The runner up will win a three day cooking experience with Executive Chef and Professional Masterchef finalist Danilo Cortellini at The Italian Embassy in London.

Both winners will also visit the Riso Gallo rice mill in Italy, to understand more about how the rice is grown and produced.

Entrants are asked to produce and photograph their dish, and young chefs from each region – North, South, Midlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland – will be selected to compete in the final.

Entry closes 30th October 2020.

For the regional heats, our young chefs will be asked to recreate their entry, from scratch, to camera, as if being observed in person. Regional judges will select two finalists from each region for the Grand Final in London.

Eight finalists will be invited to cook for the judges on 25th January 2021 at Westminster Kingsway College, where the winner will be named the Riso Gallo Young Risotto Chef of the Year.

The final judging panel will include; Consultant Chef Paul Gayler MBE; Danilo Cortellini, Executive Chef at The Italian Embassy; Adriano Cavagnini, Executive Chef at the Bulgari Hotel; Frances Atkins from the Yorke Arms; Fabio Pisani from Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan and Davide Degiovanni, Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Union Street Café.

Mariusz Jasinski, aged 22 from London was crowned Young Risotto Chef of the Year 2020, with his Celeriac Risotto with Chestnut and Trumpet Mushrooms.

Mariusz spent three days working with Jeff and Chris Galvin at the award winning La Chapelle in London.

Jason Morrison, MD Riso Gallo UK commented; “For over 165 years, Riso Gallo has supplied many of the top chefs across the world with Italian rice of the highest quality. We understand their passion and commitment to their craft, and the years of training they undertake. We launched this competition to help foster and reward the next generation, who can inject personality, passion and creativity into their own vibrant, exciting risotto dish. Our Young Risotto Chef of the Year has gone from strength to strength each year.”

For entries and Terms & Conditions visit www.youngrisottochef.com