Zest Quest Asia welcomes new format

Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala have welcomed the return of their celebrated competition, Zest Quest Asia in 2021. Headline sponsored by Tilda Foodservice, Zest Quest Asia is back with a spin-off to the annual event that has inspired young chefs to discover the exciting world of Asian cuisine for the past seven years.

The Zest Quest Asia – Tilda Challenge 2021 is a new and exciting individual chef competition that sees the contest go virtual for the first time, in response to Covid-19, with a live streamed final. With the winner receiving an exclusive Todiwala Masterclass, trophy, chef knives and jacket, as well as Tilda goodies, college lecturers and their students simply need to post their Asian-inspired dish using Tilda rice on Facebook or Instagram before 17th February 2021. Six finalists will then be chosen to compete at the Covid-safe final taking place on 31st March from their college kitchen.

Annette Coggins, head of foodservice for Tilda UK, said: “Zest Quest has always been a big event for students in the competition calendar and with the ongoing challenges of Covid, we were determined for the competition to go ahead. In such difficult times we are even more excited to continue partnering with Cyrus, Pervin and Murray Chapman for the Zest Quest Asia – Tilda Challenge.  It’s always been important to Tilda Foodservice to inspire the next generation of chefs and support Zest Quest Asia with promoting what is an incredibly exciting cuisine for students to get to grips with.”

Entrants are asked to take inspiration from today’s hottest food trends from plant-based to one pot recipes and create recipes that are authentic, flavourful and celebrate the best of regional Asian cuisine. All the details on the competition and the criteria are available at www.zestquestasia.org.