The six college teams who competed alongside six apprentices in the Grand Finals of Nestlé Professional® Toque d’Or® 2019 are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Toque d’Or® 2019 College winner. The college team grand finalists are:
- City of Glasgow College
- Southern Regional College
- University College Birmingham
- University of Derby (teams 1 and 2)
- Westminster Kingsway College
The results will be revealed at a glamorous VIP awards lunch at the Royal Lancaster London on Friday 14th June 2019, in a ceremony hosted by Mark Durden Smith and Angellica Bell.
The challenges
The college teams were put through their paces during an intense four-day Grand Final at the beginning of May, taking on a set of challenges designed to stretch their knowledge in sustainability, wine, front of house and back of house, all the while working alongside high profile industry experts and chefs, including Simon Hulstone and James Tanner.
The Grand Final challenges included:
Day One: Hosted by The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, the finalists completed the WSET Level One training and exam, followed by a tour of the vineyards and wine cellars at Denbies, plus a wine tasting.
Day Two: Under the guidance of chef James Tanner, the teams took on the lunch and dinner shift at Smiths of Smithfield, working in The Grill and No.3 during their shifts.
Day Three: The finalists worked as a team to recreate and deliver a three-course fine dining dinner menu developed by Chef Simon Hulstone, served to the judges and guests of Nestlé Professional® at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel
Day Four: Watts Farm hosted the finalists where they were tasked with harvesting their own vegetables to produce a dish to tantalise the judges’ tastebuds.
Interested in taking part next year?
Many young chefs agree that taking part in Toque d’Or® is the highlight of their year, and in 2020 we would like to see even more up and coming talent join in the competition. Please share details of this year’s event with your college lecturers and students to show them the benefits competing brings and to encourage them to take part next year.
Follow @NestleToquedor on Twitter for videos, stories about the finalists and more.
Register your interest here: www.nestleprofessional.co.uk/toque-dor-2020-interest
The competition
Now in its 31st year, Nestlé Professional® Toque d’Or® is one of the UK’s most influential industry competitions, bridging the gap between the theories of the classroom, work-based learning and the exciting reality of the industry. With over 400 registrations, this year’s competition received record levels of interest. A key focus for the competition this year was sustainable futures to raise awareness around the future of the UK foodservice industry, covering menu and operational sustainability as well as protecting long-term careers in foodservice.
Nestlé Professional® Toque d’Or® 2019 is sponsored by CHEF®. Producing high-quality products for kitchens across Europe for over 40 years, the CHEF® range consists of scratch-made stocks, sauces, pastes and liquids, created by chefs for chefs. The CHEF® mission is to support kitchen craftmanship and enable chefs to create great dishes they are proud to serve. It is this dedication to high standards which makes CHEF® honoured to partner with Nestlé Professional® Toque d’Or®. Encourage your customers to ask you more about how CHEF® could be an ally for their aspirations in the kitchen.
Share your support on social media:
Congratulations to the college teams who competed in the Grand Finals of #toquedor2019. Good luck for the awards! www.nestleprofessional.co.uk/toque-dor-2020-interest
Key to include: #toquedor2019, @NestleToquedor