Elhrabi is Compass’s Apprentice Chef of the Year

The winner of Compass’s annual Apprentice Chef of the Year competition has been announced as Mohamed Elhrabi, a commis chef from ESS. Second place was tied between Roselle Wu and Harvey Syrett, who are apprentice chefs for ESS and Levy UK respectively. Third was taken by Chloe Mathews, apprentice chef for Restaurant Associates Group.

The winning menu concepts created by Elhrabi included a main of lightly barbequed guinea fowl, caramelised celeriac puree, pickled wild mushroom and grilled shallots served with Madeira sauce. As the winner, he will now lead the chef brigade made up of all competitors in the competition to cook his winning dishes at the annual Apprentice Chef of the Year VIP dinner.

'An incredible journey'
Elhrabi said: “This competition has been an incredible journey and I can’t believe I have won! Being an apprentice chef is all about learning and development, and this platform has given me just that. What a great bunch of talented chefs to compete alongside and a big thank you to my mentors.”

Chef and restaurateur Ollie Dabbous, who helped judge the event, added: “I love seeing fresh talent in this kind of environment. It’s such a brilliant opportunity for them to thrive and show off what they can do. The final this year did not disappoint – standards were incredibly high and these people are the future of our industry.”

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