Three chefs have triumphed in Elior’s Chef of the Year competition. David Brett-Lavelle (Elior sous chef at EE Hatfield), Stefania De Luca (Elior commis chef), and Tommy Yulhanson (Elior sous chef at London South Bank University) had the three highest overall scores in the competition. But only one will lift the title of Elior Chef of the Year.
Brett-Lavelle, De Luca, and Yulhanson will now each oversee one course – based on their highest scoring individual dishes from the competition – at the Elior Awards for Excellence in March. On the night, the chef with the highest overall score from the competition will be revealed as Elior’s Chef of the Year.
The winning dishes:
• Starter - David Brett-Lavelle - Confit salmon with lemon gel, basil and seaweed caviar
• Main Course - Tommy Yulhanson - Trio of lamb, Romanesco puree, Chantenay carrots, potato and onion crumb and a red wine jus
• Dessert - Stefania De Luca - Dark Chocolate and chilli delice, Passion fruit sorbet and mango coulis
Chris Sprague, Elior client relationship director, who was one of the judges on the panel, said, “What struck me most is the passion and pride our site chefs have in what they do. Not just in this competition, but every day. The standard of food produced was very high indeed, across the board. It’s fantastic to see such commitment and talent in the business. It bodes very well for Elior’s future.”
The Chef of the Year competition is open to all Elior chefs across the UK – with each finalist having been first handpicked from paper entries.