Compass Apprentice Chef of the Year winners revealed

Compass Group UK and Ireland held its annual Compass Apprentice Chef of the Year competition recently. The event saw six apprentice chefs from across the business battling it out for the coveted title and the opportunity for their dish to be cooked at the annual Apprentice Chef of The Year VIP Dinner for Compass executives later this month.

Each competitor created three courses, cooked within a three-hour time limit at Compass HQ in Chertsey. ESS Government Services Apprentice chef Agnieszka Bernaciak took first place, followed by Nathan Racey of Levy UK and Restaurant Associates’ Dylan Patel.

Bernaciak said: “I’m still in shock, but am so happy with what I’ve achieved in this competition! I really didn’t expect to win, so to be named as the winner was just amazing. I love creating beautiful plates of food, obviously taste is key, but after that, presentation is the most important thing for me.”

Marcus Wareing, who judged as well as presenting the awards, added: “It takes a very brave chef to enter into a competition; when you spend your time working in teams, especially at apprenticeship level, to compete on your own can be hard. All I can say is wow! What an amazing achievement. Every single finalist has improved so much in such a short space of time – you’ve gone home and studied your menus and that really showed.”

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