Shayani Withange Don, a young Christchurch chef from Number Six Bar and Bistro, has impressed judges with her menu to secure herself a trip to Melbourne, where she will represent the South Island in Australia’s longest-running and most highly regarded culinary competition for young chefs.
Withange Don was among 12 top young chefs from around the South Island who faced off in the South Island regional finals at Ara Institute yesterday at the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award.
Her menu, specially created for the cook-off, comprised a main of garam masala spiced chicken with coconut curry sauce served with pilaf rice, pear chutney, and kumara crisps. This was followed by a dessert of chocolate orange brownie with Buondi coffee cream, mocha ganache, and orange pearls.
Junior chefs who are considered the ‘cream of the crop’ in their chosen field have entered the competition to battle it out against each other in a series of culinary cook-offs to find New Zealand’s best.
All the chefs, aged 16-24 years, entered the competition for a chance to fire up their culinary careers and went all out to win the coveted top award.
Competing chefs each created a two-course menu comprising a main and dessert dish – both of which were marked by a panel of leading industry judges according to globally recognised culinary standards.
Nestlé Professional Commercial Advisory Chef Karl Seidel said cooking off in a competitive environment and going up against other top culinary talent is a valuable learning experience. Participating chefs also gain insights and feedback on their cooking skills from experienced judges who are accredited to global standards.
Last year, Joosje Bouman and Lilly Boles won their respective regional heats in New Zealand and went on to compete at the Grand Finals held at Fine Food Australia in Sydney.
Reflecting on their experiences, both Joosje and Lilly said the rewards gained from competing were invaluable. Regardless of experience level, they say that every aspiring chef can shine at the event.
Withange Don, along with the winner of the North Island Regional finals, will go on to a kitchen battle against other top chefs from across Australia in the public arena at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne this September.
The 2024 Golden Chef of the Year winner will receive a World Chef’s Congress 2024 20-25 October travel and work experience in Singapore valued at $10K.
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. Two New Zealanders, Sam Heaven and Gabby Sanders, have previously won the top award.
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