Eastleigh College learner, Rishiram Chaudhary has achieved a place in the final of the Major International Chef’s Culinary Challenge. Rishiram studies Level 3 Advanced Professional Catering, and will attend the competition final in March at the Excel centre in London.
Rishiram’s success follows an opening heat hosted at the college’s East Avenue restaurant. Learners from Eastleigh College and Highbury College took part. Learners were tasked with creating a main course from scratch in fifty minutes, including preparing, cooking and presenting a two-course plated dish. Eastleigh College’s Level 2 Professional Catering learner Amy Brimfield also won the Front of House heat, and a further fifteen medals were awarded to Eastleigh College learners.
Major International’s annual Major Series is one of the longest running young chef competitions in the UK and gives learners of varying skill levels the chance to experience the competition arena for the first time. Five more heats will take place between now and March’s final, which will be judged by four judges in each heat. Judges usually include; a development chef from Major International, a chef from the local area, a previous winner of the event and a representative of the Craft Guild of Chefs acting as head judge.
The grand final will take place as part of the HRC (Hotel, Restaurant and Catering) event, one of the country’s leading culinary shows, from 21-23 March 2022. Ten candidates will compete at the Excel International Convention Centre in London in front of a live audience. The event is likely to be a prime networking opportunity for learners, who will be rubbing shoulders with senior chefs and industry professionals.
Rishiram Chaudhary was delighted with making the final shortlist: “I’m so pleased to have won the regional heat, I practiced a lot and it gave me the opportunity to create a dish from scratch. These competitions allow me to build my skills for the future but I couldn’t do this without the guidance from my amazing lecturers at Eastleigh College. They have always supported us as students to do our best.”
Greg Cheeseman, Hospitality Lecturer at Eastleigh College, said: “I’m so proud of Rishi. He has practised hard and always comes in with new flavours to his dishes. We look forward to seeing him in London representing Eastleigh College on the national stage.”
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