Compass celebrates up-and-coming culinary talent with Apprentice Chef of the Year competition
The winner of the Compass Group UK & Ireland Apprentice Chef of the Year competition has been announced as Harvey Syrett, Chef de Partie, Levy. The final round of the prestigious contest took place at Compass’ flagship regional community skills and learning hub, Xcelerate with Edgbaston, as ten finalists competed for the title - celebrating and supporting culinary talent from across the business.
Second place was awarded to Aisha Joel, Restaurant Associates and third place went to Matthew Cruse, Chartwells Universities.
The event sees each finalist presented with a mystery box of ingredients, with the challenge to create a three-course meal in just two and half hours. This year, the ingredients included items such as wild venison, fresh hake and seasonal fruit and vegetables including rhubarb and asparagus. The apprentice chefs were given ten days to plan their menus, and were judged using a strict criteria, which included culinary skills, presentation, flavours, cleanliness, creating minimal waste and overall balance across the three courses.
The award-winning delicious menu created by Harvey included a starter of hake mosaic, popcorn mussels, leek and mussel velouté with parsley oil. The main course was wild venison wellington, with vanilla and celeriac puree, wild mushrooms and asparagus tips, Maderia jus and parsley oil. Dessert was white and dark chocolate fondant, orange crème, with caramelised sourdough crumb and orange gel.
The competition is designed to give apprentices an opportunity to learn, develop, network, and compete. This event follows heats, where finalists are selected to go through to the final. The competition was judged by Nick Vadis, Culinary Director, Compass Group UK & Ireland and Chef Ambassador to the NHS Supply Chain; Leanne Turk, Head of Culinary Development, Foodbuy; Mark Belford, Chef Academy Principal, HIT Training; Matt Lord, Regional Executive Chef, ESS and Nicola Harper, Group Executive Chef, ESS.
Harvey Said: "This has been a brilliant experience from start to finish, and I’m so proud to have been named Apprentice Chef of the Year. I was honoured to be cooking alongside such a talented and passionate group of Chefs, and I’ve learnt so much through the process. Huge thanks to my team and mentors for all the support. I couldn’t have done it without them!”
Nick Vadis, Compass Group UK&I, Culinary Director said: "This is always such a brilliant competition as the apprentice Chefs really throw everything into it. It’s a great opportunity for them to showcase what they can do and what they’ve been learning in the kitchen. They are the foundation to the future of our industry and they underpin everything we do. Well done to all of the finalists, they really did themselves proud and made the judges’ job as challenging as it was enjoyable!
“A big thank you to Luke Ford from our apprenticeship team who organised the brilliant event.”
Michelle Sanders, Chief Growth Officer, Compass Group UK & Ireland, who presented the winners with their trophies said: “The quality of what I have seen today has been fantastic. It is my first time at this event and I am so proud of everyone who has taken part. If this is the standard they are working to at this point in their careers, they have very bright futures ahead! Well done to everyone who took part.”
Compass is dedicated to creating learning and development opportunities through its Our Social Promise – a commitment to positively impact one million lives by 2030. Since the launch of Our Social Promise in 2021, the programme has supported over 500,000 people, both within and outside the organisation, enhancing employment opportunities and changing lives through job creation, education, training, and community engagement.
Compass currently has over 750 people enrolled on apprenticeships, covering more than 40 subjects with standards from entry to degree level.
Located at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, Xcelerate with Edgbaston has a crucial role to play in the delivery of Our Social Promise. The training facility boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure designed to provide a conducive learning environment. Equipped with 12 innovative cooking stations, a modern lecture theatre, practical training areas, and the latest industry-specific technology, the centre ensures a comprehensive and immersive learning experience. Alongside hospitality training Xcelerate is committed to fostering community engagement and hosts a variety of programmes, aimed at local people and those wishing to start out in the industry.
The 10 finalists were -
· Aisha Joel, Restaurant Associates
· Matthew Cruse, Chartwells Universities
· Amia Fishley, Levy
· Hannah Reed, Levy
· Brooke Hurrell, Eurest
· Jamie Kennerly-Bradshaw, ESS
· Emilijus Kregzede, Restaurant Associates
· Kieran Henry, Dine Contract Catering
· Nicole McLean, Chartwells
· Harvey Syrett, Levy
