P&O Cruises’ Pacific Jewel is host to more than 20 of the nation’s foremost executive chefs and industry partners for the announcement of the finalists for the inaugural Executive Chef of Year competition.
The brainchild of P&O Cruises Corporate Executive Chef Uwe Stiefel, who was named as one of the 20 finalists, and Executive Chef’s Club founder Mel Nathan.
The guest chefs enjoyed themselves onboard as they were given a tour of Pacific Jewel’s main galley and treated to a long lunch in the ship’s Salt grill restaurant, before enjoying a spirited round table discussion about catering for special meals in today’s kitchens. Shaun Presland, formerly of Sake restaurants also delivered a demo on kingfish preparation in conjunction with Hiramasa Kingfish.
Chef Stiefel said it was an honour to be named as one of the 20 finalists for the inaugural competition and to host his peers.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “It’s a been wonderful opportunity to show my fellow chefs a little of the work we do to deliver a great culinary experience at sea,” Chef Stiefel said. [/pullquote]
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The special meals discussion is particularly relevant to the cruise industry so it was great to be able to share our experience and hear how other areas of the food industry are managing it as well.” [/pullquote]
The Executive Chef of the Year competition is about accomplishment beyond the direct part of cooking. The first stage of competition required a brief testimonial outlining candidates’ qualifications, which were judged at award-winning Chiswick Restaurant last week. The final round, during which finalists must cultivate an eight-course Spanish tapas-style ‘Evolution Menu’, will be judged in Melbourne by celebrity chef Scott Pickett of Estelle Bistro next month. The victor will be given a specialised food tour of Spain, while two highly praised chefs will win a culinary odyssey to the Spencer Gulf, Australia’s seafood frontier.
