Master of Culinary Arts finalists announced

Some of the UK’s top chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant managers have been named finalists in the 2013 Master of Culinary Arts, following tough semi-finals held over the last two months. The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts revealed the 17 finalists as follows:

CHEFS

William Best, Sous Chef ,Wiltons Restaurant

David Bush, Senior Chef de Partie, House of Commons

Robin D’Souza, Senior Sous Chef, Le Meridien Piccadilly

Jeremy Ford, Chef Director, Restaurant Associates

Frederick Forster, Head Chef, The Boundary, Shoreditch

Jeff Galvin, Chef Patron, Galvin Restaurants

Raj Holuss, Sous Chef, The Ritz London

Steve Love, Chef Proprietor, Love’s, Birmingham

PASTRY CHEFS

William Curley, Patissier Chocolatier, William Curley

Denis Drame, Executive Pastry Chef, Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa

Paul Williams, Senior Sous Chef Pastry, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE

Mourad Ben Tekfa, Restaurant Director, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Luigi Cagnin, Deputy Restaurant Manager, The Ritz London

Sergio Cappello, Restaurant Manager, The Travellers Club

David Galetti, Head Sommelier, Le Gavroche

Robert Rose, Restaurant Manager, Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road

Elaine Watson, Food & Beverage Support Services Manager, Gleneagles Hotel

The finals will take place on Saturday 21st September at Le Gavroche for restaurant management and service; Saturday 28th September at Westminster Kingsway College for pastry chefs; and Saturday 12th October at University College Birmingham for chefs. The winners of the MCA will be announced at a gala presentation dinner to take place at Claridge’s on Thursday 31st October.