Lilly Boles, aged 19, a student chef at AUT, has impressed judges with her menu to secure herself a trip to Sydney, where she will represent the North Island in Australia’s longest-running and most highly regarded culinary competition for young chefs.
This was the first time for Boles to be competing in the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award and her first-ever culinary competition.
Boles said she decided to enter the competition because she wanted to take up every opportunity that came her way while training to be a chef.
“I trained three times a week in the lead-up to the competition to ensure that I had the menu perfected. From a young age, my Mum always got us involved in the kitchen. Some of my best times were spent eating good food surrounded by family,” said Boles.
To secure her spot in the grand finals of the 2023 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award, Boles produced a delicious main course of stuffed pork roulade with a CHEF Black Garlic Paste hummus, a carrot relish, grilled asparagus and jus. For dessert, she served up honey and thyme pannacotta, with white chocolate cream, strawberry coulis and honey snap.
The NZChefs judging panel rated each dish to globally recognised culinary standards, awarding Boles an overall silver medal.
Karl Seidel, Commercial Advisory Chef Nestlé Professional New Zealand said that Boles delivered on the day with a considered and well-executed menu that stood out from the rest.
“For close to six decades, we’ve proudly supported more than 7,500 chefs to advance their culinary careers across Australia and New Zealand. Being part of the Golden Chef’s Hat competition gives the next generation of chefs the opportunity to put themselves to the test, improve their cooking skills and connect with like-minded chefs as well as the broader industry,” said Seidel.
Boles is now one of 12 top chefs from across New Zealand and Australia gearing up to do kitchen battle at Fine Food Australia in Sydney in September, where one winner will be crowned Golden Chef of the Year.
The 2023 ultimate winner will be awarded with a two-week European culinary experience, valued at $10,000, to travel with the Australian Culinary Olympics Junior Team at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany. This unique opportunity will also include a culinary work experience stage in Europe. Plus, to enhance their kitchen tool repertoire, the winner will also receive a bespoke set of beautifully crafted KOI Knives.
In addition to the ultimate Golden Chef of the Year award, two $2,500 cash prizes for Best Savoury Dish and Best Dessert Dish are on offer, as well as Most Creative and Most Sustainable award equipment packages to the value of $1,000 courtesy of SOLIDTEKNICS.
