Media release: 27 May 2019

Chef of the Year announces stellar judging team

With just one week to go until entries close, Competition Director Gary Farrell has announced a stellar lineup of judges for Chef of the Year, to be held at Foodservice Australia 23-25 June.

Head Judge John McFadden returns to lead the core judging team, which also includes Mark Normoyle and Deepak Mishra. In addition there will be guest judges each day of the competition, and revered chef Peter Howard, one of Australia’s first ‘celebrity chefs’, returns as competition MC, assisted by author and food journalist Dani Valent.

Farrell says the guest chefs joining the judging panel include Sascha Randle from Meatsmith, Tom Milligan from Le Cordon Bleu, Daniel Soto from Holmesglen, Daman Shrivastav from Box Hill Institute and Bas Van Uyen from The Lucas Group.

“This is a highly regarded and also highly competitive event,” adds Farrell. “We have received entries from chefs all over Australia and most are at a senior level and keen to pit their skills against the best in their field.”

Anchor Food Professionals is supporting Chef of the Year for the first time and supplying its world-class dairy products. They join Unox and Australian Pork as Gold Sponsors.

Produce will be supplied by PFD and uniforms by Alsco. Equipment will also be supplied by Simco, Sous Vide Australia and Ecolab.

John McFadden says chefs are judged not only on the finished dishes, but also their technique, hygiene, food safety practices and benchwork. “I think this is a remarkable opportunity for chefs, it’s all about your technical ability being applied in a tight timeframe, it really pushes your boundaries.”

Entries for Chef of the Year close Sunday 31 May.

Foodservice Australia 2019

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Open 10am-5pm for three days only:

Sunday 23 June, Monday 24 June, Tuesday 25 June.

For more information on the show, exhibitors, special events and registration visit www.foodserviceaustralia.com.a... or call Specialised Events on 03 9999 5460.

This is a trade only event, entry is restricted to those over 16 who work in the food or hospitality industry.

John McFadden is one of the great all-rounders of the hospitality industry. From fine dining, hotels, QSRs, caterers and busy club spaces, to consulting to suppliers and industry, McFadden is a highly-motivated chef whose attention to detail is well known industry-wide.

For the past 15 years McFadden has been at Group Executive Chef level overseeing multiple operations and teams nationwide. Currently he is managing Business Development for Select Fresh Providores in Sydney.

Mark Normoyle is Executive Chef with MN Consulting, and until recently was Executive Chef at Melbourne’s prestigious RACV Club. Initially he led the kitchen team for the opening of the 501 Bourke Street premises, then was promoted to Executive Chef, a role he held for 10 years.

Through his career Normoyle has worked with The Australian Club, Hotel Sofitel Melbourne, Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast and Sheraton Ayers Rock.

Deepak Mishra began his career training and working in some of the top five-star hotels in the Asia Pacific region.

Most recently Executive Chef at The Langham Melbourne, he previously delivered outstanding guest experiences at Pan Pacific Hotels, Fairmont Raffles Hotel Group, Stamford Hotels, Oberoi Rajvilas, The Windsor and The Grand Hyatt Melbourne.

[ends]

Media Contact:

Kirsty Hunt

T 03 9999 5460

E kirsty@specialisedevents.com.au