Line up announced for Toque 2015

The six winning teams from the heats of the 2015 Nestlé Professional Toque d’Or® Competition have just been announced as: University College Birmingham, Blackpool and The Fylde College, Doncaster College, City of Glasgow College, Sheffield City College and Westminster Kingsway College.

All six will now be preparing for the grand finals in March – a unique programme of learning and development activities. The four-day event comprises of a series of unique twists and challenges that each year comes as a total surprise to contestants making no two years ever the same.

Building on existing relationships including Craft Guild of Chefs and CH&Co, this year Nestlé Professional Toque d’Or® has welcomed new partners from Loch Fyne Seafood and Grill, The Elephant, Arbutus, Firmdale Hotels and Corbin & King.

Each will play a unique role in the development and training of each Toque d’Or entrant throughout the heats and finals, providing money-can’t-buy access to insight and expertise that will carry them through their careers.

Famed for its innovative approach to student catering competitions Nestle Professional Toque d’Or® offers a balanced programme of initiatives for both aspiring chefs and managers. Front-of-house skills merge with back-of-house talent to evidence seamless teamwork and emphasise the importance of a superb ‘end to end’ dining experience for the consumer.

Speaking about the news that so many leading lights have signed up to this year’s competition, George Vezza, Managing Director of Nestlé Professional UK and Ireland, said:

“What a great testament to our industry that many of the biggest names in hospitality are willingly giving their time and energy to help shape this year’s Nestle Professional Toque d’Or® contest – driven by their desire to support next generation skills and encourage talent. We are talking about working with industry ‘heros’ for many of our students and it is an incredible opportunity for them – they are in for a real treat this year.

“A Toque d’Or candidate is a candidate that you immediately recognise as having something to offer ‘over and above’ expectation” concludes owner of Tanners / TV chef and Chairman of Judges, James Tanner. “It’s going to be a truly memorable Finals event that will be a life-changing experience for our student teams”.

If YOU have competed in Nestle Professional Toque d’Or® in the last 27 years – the Toque d’Or team would love to hear from you. Please contact toquedor@uk.nestle.com