Young chef talent to do culinary battle in virtual grand finals

The Nestlé GOLDEN CHEF'S HAT AWARD is gearing up for the inaugural 2020 virtual grand finals, having sourced the top ten line-up of young chef talent from across Australia and New Zealand. 

In a year like no other, Australia’s longest-running culinary competition has responded with an exciting new format to ensure that culinary talent could still put themselves to the test and elevate their careers.

“We promised to stand by our chef community, and we’ve done exactly that - taking the competition to a new level with video entry. We were determined that lockdowns and travel restrictions wouldn’t stop us going ahead and the result is that we’ve attracted an outstanding level of chef talent who put themselves to the test and showcased their best dishes on camera,” Scott Stuckmann, Business Executive Officer Nestlé Professional.

Finalist Jamie Jackson

Finalist Josh Nickl

Taylah King's main course

The grand finals will be held next month on the 10th November, with a virtual awards ceremony to follow on 17th November. Each of the top ten finalists will compete in a commercial kitchen with two Australian Culinary Federation or NZChefs judges onsite to taste their food - and at the same time their dish creations will be livestreamed to a panel of remote judges to ensure that the same criteria is applied fairly to all competitors.

The 2020 Chef of the Year will be awarded an AUD$10,000 cash prize to further their culinary career.

“We wish all of our competitors the best of luck and hope they enjoy this landmark experience that they’ve all worked so hard to be a part of,” Mark Clayton, Executive Chef Nestlé Professional.