The Roux Family has announced French chef Hélène Darroze will lead the panel of judges for the Roux Scholarship final 2022 as Honorary President of Judges.
With her restaurant Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London holding three Michelin stars, and her three restaurants in France being highly acclaimed, she will bring her stellar experience to the competition. She said: “I am looking forward to discovering the young talent that can be found in the kitchens across Britain. It will be a great honour to be leading the judging panel at the national final in April.”
Chef Darroze is no stranger to judging chef competitions, having been a judge on the TV French television series Top Chef (similar to the UK’s Masterchef: The Professionals) since 2015. We cannot wait to introduce her to our six national finalists. Michel Roux Jr said: “Hélène is an icon of our industry, with her inimitable style she brings joy to every plate of food she creates. It is such an honour to have her joining the Roux Scholarship judging panel for 2022.” While co-chairman Alain Roux said: “We are so fortunate to welcome Hélène as Honorary President of the Judges. Hélène’s mentorship is a very special gift to our Scholarship and the next generation of chefs who flow from it.”
Classic skills, international flavours
When it comes to a cooking career, the world’s flavours are there for the taking, providing inspiration and creativity, new ingredients and techniques to try, all of which will help your own style blossom. So why bother learning the classics at the start?
“The classics are like the laying the foundations of a house, you need them to build upon, you need to put the groundwork in,” says 2017 winner Luke Selby, who started his career at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, learning all the classics from Raymond Blanc and Gary Jones. This led to him later entering and winning the Roux Scholarship, for which he was the first scholar to stage in Japan. “The Roux Scholarship gave me the chance to turn it all on its head and to see the style and way the cook in Japan, which was completely different.” At his London restaurant Evelyn’s Table, Luke and his brothers Nathaniel and Theo, bring together techniques from both the classic (for example, meat is roasted on the bone) and the Japanese: “I always start the menu with something raw, like they do in Japan, such as the scallop sashimi on the current menu. We open the shell in front of the guest and the scallop is still quivering,” says Luke. “And we recently found a trout supplier who uses the ikejime method, which keeps the flesh firm. Then we cure it with salt and sugar and use an Italian bergamot dressing split with fruity French olive oil [pictured]. It’s like an homage to the style of cuisine we do, using the freshness and locality of British produce with influences from Japan.”
Application deadline: 31 January 2022
With just days to go before the deadline for the Roux Scholarship 2022, hopeful chefs will be putting the finishing touches to their recipes for two Dover sole, whole brown shrimps and two garnishes, including one with handmade pasta. Setting out your recipe clearly for judges to read is key to success, so don’t forget to list each component separately with ingredients and method, like our example here.
Roux Scholar 2019 Spencer Metzger says: “The first recipe, I believe, is a real test as it is judged blind, it’s not about where you have worked or what position you are. It’s showing you have thought out every detail, getting the costings correct, ensuring you can prepare it in the time selected and the recipe is perfect.” Meanwhile, judge Clare Smyth says: “It’s important to take your time with your application form, giving the writing up the same attention as creating the dish. Because of this, good people miss out. With your entry, make it sound delicious; provide a neat recipe with correct, precise measurements and, finally, a good photo goes a long way.”