The Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year title has been awarded to Archer Houghton, an apprentice chef at Melbourne’s Mercer’s Restaurant.
The 21-year-old chef was put through his paces in the two-day grand final competition against 10 other national finalists. Houghton ultimately delivered the winning menu, praised for its flavour combinations that pushed the boundaries of sweet and savoury.
Nestlé Executive Chef and Golden Chef Judge Elke Travers described Houghton as “calm under pressure and well-practiced”.
“Chef Archer delivered a consistent menu from start to finish. Demonstrating great technique across all courses, he showcased fresh flavours and surprising textural contrasts,” said Travers.
“He demonstrated such skill, knowledge and maturity throughout the competition, and this experience will no doubt take his career to new heights,” added Travers.
A panel of judges from the Australian Culinary Federation, NZChefs, Nestle Professional, and industry professionals awarded Houghton two gold medals and a silver medal at the ceremony on Wednesday night.
For entrée, Houghton delivered a mushroom and tofu custard with pickled vegetables and beetroot gazpacho, for which he was awarded silver.
The chef was awarded gold for his main, a seared rostbiff with a cottage pie, roasted carrot, wilted greens, and black pepper sauce; and gold for his dessert, a strawberry and pink peppercorn mousse with a macadamia and coconut crumble, fresh berry salad, and basil foam.
“It’s been an honour to represent Melbourne in this prestigious award and compete against some of the best young chefs in the industry,” said Houghton.
“All those months training for the regionals through to finals was made possible thanks to the support of our mentors and sponsors. And while I’m extremely proud to be crowned the Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year and take out this incredible prize, it’s the new skills I’ve learned and friendships I’ve made which I’ll cherish forever. This is such a meaningful award, and I can’t wait to see what comes next in my career thanks to this,” he said.
The competition began with 134 young chefs who competed in regional competitions to determine the finalists. The final 11 were required to prepare, cook and present a three-course menu consisting of a vegetarian entrée, a main course featuring beef, and a hot or cold desert. They chose from a set pantry featuring Australian native ingredients and a range of Nestlé Professional products.
Other grand final winners on the evening included:
Chef Emily Morgan for the Most Creative Use of a Nestlé Product. The18-year-old from New Zealand’s North Island delivered a bitter dark chocolate cremeux with raspberry gel and dark chocolate soil, featuring Nestlé Continental Bitter and Nestlé Royal Kibble couverture dark chocolate.
24-year-old Chef Anshul Gurang from New Zealand’s South Island received the award for Maggi Best Savoury Dish. Gurang delivered an entrée of creamy pea mousse with fresh peas, citrus gel, smoked ricotta, and chilli macadamias.
Nestlé Docello Best Dessert Dish went to 18-year-old Chef Deborah Ridley from Belconnen ACT. Her dessert featured pumpkin entremets, brown sugar crumble, candied pumpkin, and berry and pumpkin gels.
Chef Sarah Jones, a 24-year-old chef from Adelaide, took out the inaugural Buondi All Rounder award, awarded for her natural talent for mentoring and comradery.
The Sustainable Practice Award went to 20-year-old Chef Kyle Victoriano, aged 20 from New Norcia, Western Australia, for his innovative ideas around the use of e-water, a rainwater-irrigated herb garden and use of sustainable packaging.
Houghton took home a grand prize valued at $10,000, including a 14-day all-expenses-paid trip to the Worldchefs’ Congress in Singapore, and work experience at a renowned restaurant.
