Josh Adams, Development Chef for Sous Vide Tools, has reached the semi-final stage of the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competition and will be one of ten chefs in the first semi-final heat of the competition, to be held in Sheffield on June 12.
The competition is open to chefs, 24 years or older as of 1 February 2018, from all areas of the hospitality business including hotels, restaurants, pubs, contract catering, fine dining, private and public sectors. Adams is one of only two of the 40 semi-finalists to work in the development arena.
“For a lot of people its all about accolades and head chefs, and I understand that,” explained Adams, who spent his early years training at Tom Browns in Nottinghamshire, then in London at Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Lang’s Barbecoa under Sebastian La Rocca, before moving to the Alderley Edge Hotel in Cheshire. “But I had always wanted to be a development chef, to learn and understand the chemistry and biology in food. To push food innovation to new points, bring new ideas and fun for food back to the industry.”
This year’s expert panel of judges waiting to be impressed by Josh’s style of food is chaired by Gary Jones, executive head chef at Belmond Le Manoir, and includes David Mulcahy, Alyn Williams, Peter Joyner, Andrew Bennett, Russell Bateman, Phil Howard, Steve Scuffell, Sarah Hartnett, Gary Hunter and Willie Pike.
“We are delighted that Josh has made it all the way through to the semi-finals of such a prestigious competition,” says Sous Vide Tools managing director, Alex Shannon. “It is testament to his considerable talent, something that shines through when he is creating innovative and flavoursome recipes that translate so perfectly into sous vide cooking. We are lucky to be able to share his flair for food with our customers, demonstrating the huge advantages and flexibility of sous vide, and have our fingers crossed that he can pull it out of the bag on the day.”
