Blanket Bay chef to represent New Zealand

A young chef is on the road to international culinary success after being chosen to represent New Zealand in the World Junior Chefs Challenge in 2010.

Twenty-one year old Joseph Clarke, a demi chef de partie at Queenstown’s multi award-winning Blanket Bay Lodge, won the 2009 New Zealand final of the Hans Beuschkens World Junior Chefs Challenge recently.

Eight young chefs from around New Zealand, along with two guest competitors from Fiji and Vanuatu, gathered at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on 9 May for a weekend of intense competition.

Kiwi hopes are high for Joseph – this is the second time in a row he will represent New Zealand at the international event. He previously achieved a ‘high silver’ medal at the 2008 event in Dubai and he says he’s determined to win this time.

“It’s a real honour to represent New Zealand and I’ll be doing everything I can to bring the gold home this time,” says Joseph.

“I’m lucky to have such a great team at Blanket Bay to learn from. They’re all really supportive and because they’ve won awards they understand the pressure you put yourself under to create the perfect dishes.”

Joseph is no stranger to winning awards – he’s currently the Southern Lights Commis Chef of the Year for the second time in a row.

Blanket Bay Executive Chef Mark Sycamore is very proud of his young chef.

“We’re all absolutely thrilled for him. It’s a huge achievement and I believe he can go all the way – he has a very bright future ahead of him,” he says.

He believes Blanket Bay’s policy of encouraging its chefs to enter competitions plays a huge part in maintaining a positive, supportive working environment and retaining staff.

“It’s a win-win situation because it gives our chefs the chance to further their own careers as well as ensuring we deliver a world-class culinary experience to our guests.

“The team thrives on creating fresh, innovative menus and learning from each other. We’ll all be pitching in to help Joseph achieve his goal next year.”

For more information, visit Blanketbay.com.