On the opening day of Hotelympia 2018, Compass Culinary Team was announced the winner of the Cook and Serve challenge, sponsored by The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO). The competition took place in the Live Theatre, as part of the International Salon Culinaire at ExCel, London.
The team consisted of Executive chef at Freshfields, Terry O’Riordan, James Cousins and front of house, Nichols Arrouette.
Matthew White, Chair at TUCO (pictured right) said, “Congratulations to all award recipients for the Cook and Serve challenge this year. All competitors pulled out all the stops and delivered some exceptional dishes for the judges. The creativity behind the meals delivered real results.”
The seven teams took to their stations, each consisting of one chef, one commis and one waiter to battle it out for the win. Their challenge was to prepare, cook and serve a three-course meal for four covers within 90 minutes. Two of the covers were presented to the judges and two were served to diners of TUCO’s choice at a laid table.
The Compass culinary team worked exceptionally hard to impress the judges, creating appetising dishes, showing good interaction with the diners, and their overall teamwork was highly praised.
Jane Eve, Head of Contracts at TUCO Ltd and chosen diner, said, “Lucky enough to be eating lunch prepared by the winning team. A very accomplished team. A well thought out menu. Excellent produce perfectly cooked.
'We started with a cocktail flavoured with rhubarb which was a perfect precursor to the bread and hummus followed by a mackerel starter. We had a delicious venison Wellington for main course and a beautifully presented chocolate dessert.
'All the accompaniments were beautifully prepared and earned their place on the plates. Excellent wine pairings with a port which worked well with the chocolate. We were well looked after throughout lunch with a comprehensive description of each course. It came as no surprise that this very talented team won the event.”
Previous Hotelympia’s, recognised as the UK’s largest foodservice and hospitality event, welcomed more than 26,000 attendees, recording a massive 15% surge in numbers over four days.