WELSH WONDER’S A-MAZING YEAR

Although the hospitality industry employs more than two million people, a figure which is expected to reach 2.5 million by the end of this year, there is still a skills shortage1. It’s, therefore, vital that new and existing talent is showcased to its utmost, which is why Essential Cuisine was proud sponsor of the cook-offs at the 11th Annual Skills for Chefs Conference at the University of Sheffield. Winner of the senior heat Gareth Evans is also firmly behind the mission to build up the industry’s skills base…

Clearly distinctive
Sous chef Gareth Evans not only gained confidence and recognition from his victory at this year’s Skills for Chefs Conference, he clinched a job with Gordon Ramsay on the back of it.

The 22-year-old starts at Michelin-starred maze in London’s Grosvenor Square later this year after impressing at July’s event designed to highlight the importance of skills in the industry.

He will work under Jason Atherton, Saturday Kitchen star and first British chef to complete a stage at Spain’s famous El Bulli restaurant, and who was also mentored by Pierre Koffman, Nico Ladenis and Gordon Ramsay as executive chef at Verre in Dubai.

maze’s award-winning formula is largely in the way cuisine is cooked. Much of it is sizzled on a charcoal robata grill, wood oven or on a plancha, while Jason also relishes the relatively uncharted territory of line cooking, a process favoured in top American kitchens.

As well as winning a Michelin star, maze was hailed Best New Restaurant at the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards 2005, Restaurant of the Year, Newcomer of the Year at the Harpers and Queen Restaurant Awards, Best Kitchen at the Tatler Restaurant Awards 2005 and Square Meal’s BMW Restaurant of the Year.

Most recently, maze was named Best Breakthrough Restaurant at the St Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, organised by Restaurant Magazine in April.

Securing a job at the esteemed restaurant is an unbelievable coup for Pembrokeshire-born Gareth, and it seems an eternity ago that he was washing up in the kitchen of Cwtch, meaning ‘safe place’ in Welsh, in his hometown of St David’s. It was, in fact, just a year ago.

Passing NVQ Levels 1,2 and 3 in Professional Catering with flying colours was undoubtedly key to his success. However, his unerring passion in the kitchen and desire to compete to test his skill and gain invaluable knowledge also had an enormous part to play.

“At college, I entered Junior Welsh Chef of the Year but narrowly missed out on that one. I persevered, however, and went on to win Pembrokeshire Chef of the Year in 2006, which was fantastic and gave me the competition bug,” he said.

Six short weeks after taking a job washing up at Cwtch, revered by the Good Food Guide 2008, he was promoted to commis chef, working under head chef Matthew Cox.

Proud of its honest, unfussy presentation and top-notch ingredients policy, Cwtch specials include asparagus with pea fritters, smoked sewin with marsh samphire and Pembrokeshire new potato salad, St Bride's Bay Seabass with sauce vierge, shoulder of spring lamb with puy lentils and red wine sauce, and for dessert, rich chocolate torte with blood orange sorbet and lemon posset with homemade shortbread and limoncello liqueur.

Whilst helping create such masterpieces, Gareth made the decision to further his career by entering the senior level cook off (over 21) at Skills for Chefs.

His plan of action was simple. “I didn’t want to make things too complicated by going for too many flavours. I knew the judges would have to taste a lot of dishes that day, so my objective was to create a clear taste they would really enjoy and remember,” he said.

Gareth certainly did that, serving up an exquisite duck breast rolled in a celeriac mousse and Carmarthen ham, accompanied by a crispy roll of confit duck leg, fondant potato, baby vegetables with a date sauce. (Click here for recipe).

Criteria included using a product in sponsor Essential Cuisine’s range of stocks, glaces, gravies and jus, designed to give discerning chefs an authentic, kitchen-made taste without the hassle of cooking from scratch.

Although, in the Cwtch kitchen, he makes his own stock, Gareth is no stranger to Essential Cuisine, using its Premium Chicken Jus on a daily basis. However, with just 40 minutes on the clock, he plumped for Essential’s Chicken Stock and Veal Stock for the desired result, a no brainer that had reaped previous competition success with help from both products.

Judges Andrew Bennett, executive chef at The Park Lane Hotel, and Nigel Crane, managing director of Essential Cuisine, said that, while it was a tough decision, Gareth stood out. “Gareth’s dish was truly something special, with a combination of flavours that worked fantastically together,” said Nigel. “It’s vital that Essential Cuisine, as a leading supplier to the industry, supports and nurtures such exceptional talent.”

A talent which happened to be noticed by a professional he met at Skills for Chefs, who agreed to put in a good word for Gareth at his place of work, maze.

“The whole experience was amazing, even though it was my first senior competition, which was nerve wracking in front of a live audience,” said Gareth. “Chefs learn so much from working alongside each another in this environment and it definitely inspired me. The icing on the cake was being offered a job at maze, where I really wanted to work.

“Looking forward, while I don’t have an out and out favourite chef, my ambition is simply to work with the best chefs I can find and Skills for Chefs helped me achieve this goal.”