Auckland based chef, Emily Morgan, has taken out the top spot at the North Island regional finals for the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award.
Morgan has now secured her spot in the grand final, where she will battle it out against other regional winners from across Australia and New Zealand.
The North Island regional final was made up 15 junior chefs, considered the ‘cream of the crop’ of young culinary talent. With promising career prospects, the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award has become a launching pad for those entering into the culinary industry. The regional final was held across two days at Ignite College in Auckland.
Morgan's menu, which was specifically designed for the competition, consisted of a main course of Swiss chard and mushroom chicken roulade, MAGGI instant mashed potato mix, thyme gnocchi, and carrot puree. For her dessert course, Morgan presented a pear tarte tatin shortbread, Buondi coffee, and MAGGI Royal Couverture chocolate cremeux.
Her courses were assessed by a judging panel of leading industry adjudicators in accordance with globally recognised culinary standards. Nestlé Professional Commercial Advisory Chef Karl Seidel said that participating chefs also gain insight and skills from experienced judges who are accredited to global standards.
“Cooking off in a competitive environment and going up against other top culinary talent is a valuable learning experience.”
For her success at the regional final, Morgan was presented with a Solidteknics equipment package and a KOI Knife, as well as the opportunity to represent the North Island at the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award grand final in Melbourne, where she will cook off against the other regional finalists from Australia and Shayani Withange Don, the winner of the South Island regional final.
The overall winner of the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award grand final will secure a spot at the World Chef’s Congress 2024, including a work and travel experience in Singapore in October. Two New Zealanders, Sam Heaven and Gabby Sanders, have previously won the top award.
Now in its 59th year, the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award supports top emerging culinary talent from New Zealand and Australia to ignite their careers.
To read more about the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award, click here.
