Chef Rodney Phillips made it three in a row after winning the top title for the third consecutive year at the annual Senior Lifestyle Cuisine cooking competition in Auckland.
Phillips, who works at Elderslea Rest Home in Upper Hutt, took part in the national culinary competition which aims to highlight the fast-growing trend towards offering innovative cuisine at aged care facilities. Set within the NZChefs National Salon 2017, the event showcased the culinary skills of nine chef competitors from around New Zealand.
During the live kitchen cookoff, Rodney had just 75 minutes to prepare and serve four covers of a main dish and dessert intended for the aged care market. Two portions of the dishes had to be served in an easy to eat format.
A team of top industry judges assessed competitors and their dishes against a range of criteria including: presentation of food, taste and texture, control of cooking process, professional practice and preparation.
Among this year’s panel of judges were some of the country’s top hospitality industry talents including national accounts sales manager for Southern Hospitality Mark Wylie, and Copthorne Oriental Bay executive chef Chetan Pangam.
Sponsors of the event were: Bidfood, Independent Fisheries, Nestlé Professional, ServiceIQ and vegetables.co.nz.
