Save
Chefs Peter Gilmore, Andrew McConnel, Jacques Reymond, Peter Doyle and Adam D’Sylva, have been nominated as the Pacific region’s jury members for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition - a global talent search to find the world’s best young chef. They will judge ten semi-finalists in a live cook-off, selecting just one talented young chef to go through to the grand final in Milan in October 2016.
Peter Gilmore executive chef of the internationally acclaimed and award winning Quay restaurant, Sydney, re-joins the team for a second consecutive year. Chef Gilmore will also be stepping into the important role of mentor to this year's regional winner, supporting them with his expertise and guidance up until the grand finale
Gilmore began his career with an apprenticeship at the age of 16, before going on to work in some high-profile kitchens, including De Beers at Whale Beach, and finally settling back in his hometown at the acclaimed Quay restaurant and more recently at Bennelong, Sydney.
Andrew McConnel is the chef behind much of Melbourne's restaurant empire that includes his most recent venture, Supernormal serving Asian cuisine, as well as Cumulus Inc., and Cutler & Co and Moon Under Water to name but a few. He has also worked at numerous other restaurants in Melbourne, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. McConnell has also been recognised as chef of the year three times in his career in The Good Food Guide.
French-born chef Jacques Reymond also re-joins the team from last year where he mentored the Pacific's 2015 finalist Peter Gunn through to the Grand Final. Reymond first developed a taste for kitchen life at the tender age of 11, at the family run hotel in Corteaux. Since then he has worked in France, England, South America and Spain, and collected a hatful of awards along the way. He settled in Melbourne, Australia, where he currently runs Bistro Gitan and more recently L’Hotel Gitan along with his family serving contemporary Australian food.
Peter Doyle is the third chef that re-joins the jury from 2015. He is the chef behind some of Sydney’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, such as Turrets and Palm Beach, and is now head chef at the multiple-award-winning est. Sydney. Known as the 'home-grown legend' he is renowned for his trade mark Australian fare having been at the forefront of Australian cuisine for over a decade. Peter has earned a number of accolades throughout his 30 year career including placement in the American Express Restaurant Awards Hall of Fame three years running.
Adam D’Sylva is executive chef of Coda, one of Melbourne’s hottest bars and restaurants. Growing up in a mixed Indian/Italian family, his mother was a major influence on his decision to follow his passion for cooking having fallen in love with food at a very young age. D'Sylva has won a number of accolades including the opporunity to work with Thomas Keller at New York's Per Se. Adam has also twice been the Victorian winner in the Lexus Young Chef of the Year award.
The cook off will take place on Monday, July 25 2016.
Don't miss any of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 updates: news, videos, interviews and much more!
