Six colleges will compete in a live cook-off next month to decide who will be the new Zest Quest Asia champions.
Moving forward to the final round are student chefs from Colchester Institute, Loughborough College, North Hertfordshire College, The Sheffield College, University College Birmingham, and Westminster Kingsway College.
The winners will be announced at the Zest Quest Asia 2022 Gala Dinner and Awards Night to be held on Friday, 8th April 2022 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, following the cook-off earlier in the day hosted by the hotel’s signature restaurant, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen.
Founded in 2013 by restaurateurs Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala in collaboration with the Master Chefs of Great Britain, Zest Quest Asia has grown in prestige to become a fixture of the college competition calendar. An educational and cultural trip of a lifetime awaits the overall winners, with the team of three students, accompanied by their tutor, immersing themselves in the cuisine and food traditions of an exciting Asian destination only revealed at the Gala Dinner and Awards Night. To-date, Zest Quest Asia champions have experienced the sights, sounds and tastes of Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.
There are also a number of additional prizes at stake, offering winners the chance to experience master classes, sponsored tours, and other immersive activities where they can learn more about the techniques and produce found in Asian cookery and cuisine.
Cyrus Todiwala said, ‘Once again we were bowled over by the quality of the entries, and we were pleased to see that the interest in Zest Quest Asia among the colleges and students was as strong as ever. This year the finalists will be challenged even further during the cook off, as they will be asked to demonstrate their use of technology and what they can do with some very interesting and innovative ingredients.
“We’re also pleased to announce that we have a new Chairman of Judges, with the sad passing of the great Andrew Bennett last year. Stepping into Andrew’s shoes is another brilliant chef, Steve Munkley, one of the best competition judges in the world. Steve has helped us to judge Zest Quest Asia for many years. So, our finalists know that their performance in the competition will be held up to the highest standards. Good luck to them all, and I hope the parents, colleges, and every corner of the industry will join us at the Gala Dinner to celebrate these amazing young chefs!”
