MasterChef: The Professionals 2014 finalist Brian McLeish was at Aberdeen College to judge young chefs, aged between 12 and 16, as they tried to cook their way one step closer to the FutureChef National Final.

The title of best young chef for 2015 will be awarded at Westminster Kingsway College in London. Brian crowned Ross Maxwell, from North East Scotland College and Tara Grant, from Oldmachar Academy as the winners of this local final.

Both now go on to the Regional Final, the next leg in of this competition. Their winning menus were grilled sea bass with herb risotto and home-made ravioli with a seafood mousse.

Brian said: “The standards were exceptionally high and all the students performed extremely well.”

FutureChef is a nationwide culinary initiative organised by The Springboard Charity which helps young, unemployed and disadvantaged people improve their prospects in life through a career in hospitality, leisure and tourism. Research had found that although young people admire high profile and celebrity chefs, not many of them considered a career as a chef.

To address this Springboard designed the four-stage FutureChef competition, which is now celebrating its 15^th anniversary.
The local finals are judged by industry chefs with the winners paired up with a local industry chef mentor.

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They then work on their dishes for the Regional Final. Springboard has the support of over 180 different industry establishments and suppliers, all looking to inspire young talent into the industry. Springboard’s programme manager Graeme Strachan said “It’s great having Brian McLeish supporting the Springboard FutureChef initiative.”

Graeme continued: “It [FutureChef] inspires students to learn to cook, introduces them and their schools to well respected industry chefs, offers the opportunity to win fantastic prizes and gain anything from a valuable life skill to an informed career path into the UK’s leisure and hospitality industry.” Students who take part develop culinary skills, learn about food provenance, health & safety and food hygiene and also find out about entry routes to worthwhile careers in hospitality.

For more information about FutureChef, visit www.futurechef.uk.net

By John Guinn

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