A 19-YEAR-OLD pastry chef from The Art School restaurant has become the only female to make it to the final of the North West Young Chef Competition.
Daniela Tucci, who is more used to making the sort of crumbles and shortbreads you see in Sunday supplements, wanted to try her hand at meat and fish dishes. So she thought she would get a bit of practice by entering the annual competition which sees the cream of the region's young kitchen talents go head to head in a knockout contest.
And proving that practice, does, indeed, make perfect, she took the Merseyside heat by storm, according to organisers Essential Foods.
She took on five other chefs; Patrick McCarthy from Alma De Cuba; Harry Entwistle from the Fuel Station; Alexander Prescott from The Lawns at Thornton Hall Hotel; Lewis Roberts, from City Wine Bar, and Richard Gregory from The Racquet Club.
"All six chefs presented high skill and determination within their dishes; however Daniela took the trophy due to the added precision, presentation and consistency shown throughout her menu," said the judges, led by the venerable chef Brian Mellor, at the Wirral Met College cook-off this week.
Daniela said: "Paul Askew (owner of The Art School) encourages one of his young chefs to enter each year and this year it was me. At work I am a pastry chef so I thought the competition would be a fantastic way for me to practise starter and main dishes using fish and meat."
Callums Storeton Village lamb with liver, shoulder and cabbage parcelHer menu consisted of Wards local line caught Dover sole baked fillet with white crab, tartar, organic cider sauce and Peter Jones watercress salad. It was followed by Callum's Storeton Village lamb with liver, shoulder and cabbage parcel, Hooton new potatoes, Ormskirk heritage carrots and peas. She finished her trio with a Formby rhubarb, hibiscus panna cotta, white chocolate crumb and stem ginger.
On her win, Daniela added: "I really didn’t know what to expect but it’s such a great feeling to win. Competing against five other men didn’t bother me as I am one of the only girls in the kitchen at work.
"Paul was really helpful when preparing for the competition. He assisted me in planning my menu and practising over and over. For the final I want to push myself to practise further. I think I will produce similar dishes but hopefully make them even better. I will take into consideration the season in which the final is held for my ingredients too."
Daniela will now go on to attend a master class with an acclaimed chef before going on to compete against the other regional winners in the final of competition, which will be held at Manchester College on May 10.
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