Toroa College chefs on fire with second successive residential chef win
IN a change from the ‘‘homey’’ bulk cooking they are used to, inventive chefs from Toroa College have secured the University of Otago residential chef of the year title for the second successive year.
The annual competition was held recently in the university’s Link building.
Nine pairs of chefs from residential colleges competed to produce two courses using a venison back strap, salmon fillet or oysters, and an unexpected ingredient — liquorice.
Chef Tracey Leishman, of Toroa College, who was in the team that won the trophy last year, worked together with fellow chef Jonel Barcos.
Ms Leishman said in general they cooked comfort food and ‘‘homey’’ dishes for the college, including homemade burgers, wraps, pizzas and pastabased dishes.
There were about 10 chefs who cooked for the college, and chefs worked in teams of two.
Mr Barcos agreed the competition was ‘‘something different’’.
A lot of his family and friends came to support him on the night, and he thought they made up ‘‘half the audience’’.
Ms Leishman, a chef of 20 years, said it was impossible to really practise for the event, because the ingredients were a surprise.
However, liquorice was a relatively easy ingredient to incorporate into the meal.
She handled the dessert portion of the competition — liquoriceflavoured toffee apples, liquorice and walnut crumb, apple and rhubarb compote, and white chocolate, persimmon, lime and mint cream.
Mr Barcos prepared dinner, cooking venison, fondant potato with capsicum liquorice jam, cream cheese cucumber rolls and parmesan and kale wafers.
Tarin McGhee and Dylan Henry, of Te Rangi Hiroa College, were second, and Aquinas College chefs Mara Donovan and Brian Galvin third.
The dishes were judged by a panel of three, led by head judge Southern Hospitality national sales manager Mark Wylie.