Blanket Bay junior chef among best in the world
Blanket Bay’s commitment to nurturing the creativity and skills of young chefs has delivered yet another accolade on the world stage.
Junior chef Joseph Clarke, already multi award winning at just 22 years old, added a bronze medal to his collection when he was awarded third place at The Hans Bueschkens World Junior Chef’s Challenge in Chile last week.
Employed at Blanket Bay as a junior chef at the luxurious Glenorchy property since late 2006, Clarke received his first major award in 2007 when he was named New Zealand Commis Chef of the year at the New Zealand Culinary Fare. Since then, he has picked up several accolades including the right to represent New Zealand at this latest global competition held as part of the biannual World Chefs Congress.
At the competition, the best Junior Chefs in the world (as judged by regional competitions) were faced with a three course mystery box challenge where the contestants were presented with a box of ingredients and had to devise a menu which they then cooked for the judges.
Clarke’s three courses were marinated Chilean sea bass for starters followed by pan roasted ribeye then molten chocolate fondant, all cooked and served within a challenging time limit and a tense kitchen atmosphere.
“It was 40 degrees in the kitchen and my dessert chocolate was melting, plus the four gas hobs we were supposed to be allocated were reduced to just two, and the oven was shared between two competitors. It was full on.”
Clarke described this competition as particularly important to him, not only because it is the currently the highest level of world competition offered to an individual junior chef, but also because he was operating completely independently with just some support from fellow chef, Sarah Primrose.
I’ve won awards before but this placing made me feel especially proud because I was doing it without the instruction or guidance of a manager,” says Clarke. “I have been fortunate that this is my second time competing in this competition – I placed 7th in Dubai ’08. To finish this year in 3rd place was fantastic. I’m very thankful for the support of several people and organisations including Blanket Bay management, Blanket Bay head chef Mark Sycamore, Vice President of the New Zealand Chefs Association Gary Miller, Sarah Primrose, Silver Fern Farms and of course the New Zealand Chef’s Association”.
Blanket Bay General Manager, Philip Jenkins said that it was wonderful to see Joseph get the recognition he deserves.
“He’s got such talent and it’s fantastic to watch his trajectory towards international culinary success.”
Mr Jenkins said encouraging chefs to compete plays a role in maintaining a positive, supportive working environment at Blanket Bay.
“It’s a win-win situation because it gives our chefs the chance to further their own careers while ensuring we deliver a world-class culinary experience to our guests.”
Seventeen junior chefs from their respective nations participated in the world final with chefs from Canada and Malaysia taking out first and second place respectively.
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