From 21-23 March, Richmond upon Thames College’s (RuTC) students Valdino De Souza, Frankie Brant, Oskar Kosta and Darian Nabaz alongside catering teachers James Unwin, Neal Hook and Daniele Giraud competed in the International Salon Culinaire at ExCeL London.
The prestigious competition is a platform for chefs of all levels, from the talented young chefs to those who are well established in their careers. This year the competition took place as part of the London Hotel and Restaurant Show and continues to be regarded as one of the world’s top competitions for chefs for over a century.
RuTC Catering Level 3 student, Valdino De Souza, won the silver medal for the ‘Pub Chef of the Year’ competition with his winning dish of roasted pork fillet wrapped in Parma ham, scotch egg, triple cooked chips and red wine sauce.
Chef Lecturer in Culinary Arts at RuTC James Unwin alongside students Frankie Brant, Oskar Costa and Darian Nabaz won the bronze award for ‘Chef Team of the Year’, which was awarded by celebrity chef Michel Roux Jr.
Alongside James, Frankie, Oskar and Darian, Catering lecturer, Neal Hook and student Yasmin Gibb won a bronze medal for their entry in the ‘Mystery Basket Challenge’.
Student Darian Nabaz was also awarded a second bronze medal and Oskar Costa a merit for their meal preparation for the Chicken for Sauté competition.
James Unwin was impressed at how well the students performed at the competition, explaining: “This was the first International Salon Culinaire in two years so most of our students had not experienced a competition like this before. I was blown away by their professionality and ability to work under intense scrutiny with ease. Their medals, merits and certificates are a reflection of their hard work and incredible talent.”