Saddles Mount White’s Nicholas Smith cooked up a storm to win the prestigious 2023 Brett Graham Scholarship.
The third-year apprentice wowed the judges at the 21st edition of the event, co-sponsored by TAFE NSW and the Hunter Culinary Association (HCA).
And, as a result of his deft skills in the kitchen, the youngster will now head to the 2 Michelin-starred The Ledbury Restaurant in London.
A record 12 participants from the region recently “cooked off” for a chance to take their career to new heights.
But, the three chefs who progressed to the finals were Smith, Tyler Swinkles (Emilios Warners Bay) and Lachlan Dowsett (Bistro Molines Hunter Valley.
The trio then battled it out in the Hamilton TAFE Cookery Restaurant Kitchen, preparing a three-course meal for almost 60 judges, food critics, media guests, dignitaries, sponsors, their employers and families.
Smith served up a superb menu of 63-degree egg with grilled asparagus, prawn cannelloni and a white chocolate mousse with green tea jelly to steal the show.
He follows in the footsteps of previous winners like Troy Rhoades-Brown, Joshua Gregory, Garreth Robbs, Chris Thornton and George Mirosevich to name but a few.
The $10,000 prize will also allow him to ply his trade under the scholarship’s patron, former Novocastrian Brett Graham, who heads up the famed Michelin-starred institution, The Ledbury.
TAFE NSW head teacher of commercial cookery Mark McManus praised all the apprentices.
“We had the best of the best on show here,” he said.
“Everyone should be proud of how they performed.
“There is so much work that goes into the preparation behind the scenes – and the experience they have gained is invaluable.
“As a chef, you need to be able to perform under pressure and think clearly in a high stress environment.
“It’s an exciting industry full of potential as you can travel anywhere and constantly learn and expand your skills.
“Our teachers have prepared them well and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Two other apprentices were acknowledged, too.
Ashton Stacey, from Brokenwood’s The Wood Restaurant, was named the Scarborough Wines Front of House Scholar for 2023.
Her $5,000 windfall will assist furthering her hospitality career.
Hunter Valley’s Jimmy Joans’ Raya Costello also attracted plenty of attention with her charisma and commitment to the industry at such a young age.
She collected the inaugural Hunter Culinary Association Front of House Rising Star.
“It seems like the future of our industry is in good hands, based on the calibre of talent we saw both in the kitchen and in the nominations for our new Scarborough Wines Front of House Scholarship,” HCA chair Gus Maher said.
“It was terrific to see, as we celebrated our 21st anniversary, a record number of entries.
“Most guests thought that the dishes presented were up there with the very best we have seen over the years.
“Well done to all the young talent involved… and best of luck to our winner Nicholas, who I’m sure we will be seeing more of.”
For more food and drink stories:
- Newcastle’s Best Brewery
- ‘Golden Arches’ South Cessnock bound
- Hunter brews have coffee-lovers rejoicing
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