Zest Quest Asia is back and bigger than ever, with Tilda Foodservice revealing that the seventh round of the Asian cookery competition will include an all-expenses paid trip to Italy for the Tilda ‘Best Use of Rice’ winning college.
Full time catering students will have the chance to join the rice people on the Tilda Italia Tour, spending time in the stunning Po Valley in Northern Italy and the cosmopolitan city of Milan. The two night trip will give budding chefs the opportunity to learn the story behind Tilda’s world famous Arborio rice, explore the paddy fields and have an exclusive tour of the rice mill. Discover the hidden gastro gems with a food safari in Milan, as well as enjoy some of the best and most exciting Asian inspired restaurants the city has to offer.
For one college, Tilda’s ‘Best Use of Rice’ category prize will prove invaluable to the winning students keen to expand their knowledge of Asian food and the role of rice in this exciting cuisine.
Speaking about the competition, Annette Coggins, Head of Foodservice, Tilda UK says:
“For 2020, we wanted to really reward the student chefs who discover the culinary possibilities of Tilda rice and work hard to take their Asian cooking to the next level. We are very excited to reveal this new prize for Zest Quest Asia and the opportunity to take one lucky college on a once in lifetime gastro tour of Italy. I can’t wait for February it’s going to be a thrilling cook off!”
Launched to inspire catering students across the UK to consider Asian cookery as a future career, Zest Quest Asia recognises outstanding talent, knowledge and understanding of the cuisine. Past winners have enjoyed trips to Mumbai, Colombo, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka, and Hanoi. The winners’ destination is a closely guarded secret, revealed only at the final cook off and spectacular gala dinner on Friday 7th February 2020 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
Tilda Foodservice – a gold sponsor of the competition – is encouraging colleges across the UK to enter for the chance to win their amazing Tilda Italy Tour prize.
Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala founded Zest Quest Asia in collaboration with the Master Chefs of Great Britain, to inspire students across the UK to consider Asian cookery as a future career. In doing so, the competition aims to help stem the skills shortage in Asian cuisine threatening the £4 billion Asian food industry, as well as encourage educationists to include classical Asian cookery in the curriculum.
To date, five colleges and universities have been crowned Zest Quest Asia champions: Westminster Kingsway College, Farnborough College, Milton Keynes College, University College Birmingham, and current champions University of West London, winners of the competition for two consecutive years.
For more information and to enter Zest Quest Asia 2020, colleges should visit www.zestquestasia.com. The deadline for entries is Friday 25th October 2019. The shortlist will be revealed in early December, with the final cook off and gala dinner to be held on Friday 7th February 2020 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
