Appetite for Excellence Young Chef finalists named

The Appetite for Excellence program has announced its Young Chef finalists for 2017.

Now in its 12th year, the annual Appetite for Excellence program is broken up into three categories: Young Chef, Young Restaurateur and Young Waiter. It gives participants the opportunity to take part in educational masterclasses, produce tours and industry networking events, before a winner in each category is announced.

Finalists will be mentored by some of the industry’s most well regarded members, with judges including Peter Gilmore, Christine Manfield, Nick Hildebrandt, Dave Pynt, Sam Christie and Lisa van Haandel.

The Appetite for Excellence Young Chef finalists will come together in Sydney next week to meet the category’s judges and have one of their dishes critiqued and to gain feedback and tops from chefs including Burnt Ends’ David Pynt, Africola’s Duncan Welgemoed, est. Restaurant’s Peter Doyle, Stokehouse’s Richard Ousby & Muse Restaurant’s Troy Rhoades-Brown.

The 2017 Electrolux Australian Young Chef finalists are: 

1. Adrian Hart – Bennelong, NSW
2. Alanna Sapwell – Saint Peter, NSW
3. Alicia Englefield – InterContinental, SA
4. Anthony Hales – Thomson’s Reserve, QLD
5. Ben McShane – Kiyomi, The Star, QLD
6. Ben Thies – Clarke’s of North Beach, WA
7. Brendan Anderson – Stokehouse, VIC
8. Cameron Tabe – Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, SA
9. Charley Snadden-Wilson – Embla, VIC
10. Clement Vachon – Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, QLD
11. Daniel Cooper – Garden State Hotel VIC
12. Daniel Garwood – Sixpenny, NSW
13. Daniel Murphy – St Hugo, SA
14. Daniel Plain – Longyard Hotel, NSW
15. Elliot Platz – Homage Restaurant, QLD
16. Floyd Armstrong – East Bar and Dining, VIC
17. Jonathon Outred – Tickety Boo, WA
18. Josh Raine – Urbane, QLD
19. Khanh Nguyen – Cirrus Dining, NSW
20. Matthew Lee – Cutty Sark Bar & Restaurant, QLD
21. Matthew Bugeja – The Dolphin Hotel, NSW
22. Matthew Hammond – Woodland House, VIC
23. Matthieu Miller – Terrace Restaurant, VIC
24. Mehrish Malik – Tonka, VIC
25. Minho Han – Appellation, SA
26. Ryan Dolan – La Fettuccina, QLD
27. Shui Ishizaka – Bennelong Restaurant, NSW
28. Thomas Gorringe – The Gantry Restaurant, NSW
29. Tim Goegan – Supernormal, VIC
30. Timothy Chittenden – Georgie Bass Café & Cookery, VIC
31. Tom Jack – Coast Restaurant, QLD

The Young Waiter state finalists and Young Restaurateur national finalists will be revealed next week.

In 2016, the Young Waiter of the Year award was presented to Andrew Day from Akiba in Canberra, Cameron Cansdell from Bombini in Avoca took home the Young Restaurateur of the Year award and the Young Chef title went to Aaron Ward from Sydney’s Sixpenny (pictured above L-R).