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Jordan Radford, a chef at one of BM’s client sites in the city of London, has been crowned the overall winner of the workplace caterer’s Chef of the Year competition.
His menu comprised a wild mushroom velouté with ricotta dumpling and black truffle, Herdwick lamb from the lake district with turnip, chard and almonds and finished with a pear and bergamot tart and a classic syllabub.
Radford was commended for demonstrating culinary skills and creativity whilst remaining true to the classics, focusing on flavour and ingredients.
More than 20 chefs from across the company entered the competition by submitting a seasonal four-course menu for six guests including a main course showcasing Herdwick lamb and a seasonal fruit tartlet dessert with either a frangipane or crème mousseline base and garnish.
Along with their menus, and the thought process behind the menu they designed, they submitted a brief career history, and an explanation of why they wanted to enter the competition.
These entries were whittled down to a final five, who competed in a live cook-off at a client site in London on the 26th of November. Each finalist was tasked with producing the canapes/amuse bouche, main course and dessert they submitted.
Previous winners have enjoyed trips around Cornwall, including visits to Paul Ainsworth at No6, Nathan Outlaw’s New Road and Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow; as well as a food tour of Copenhagen including Relæ, Geist and two-Michelin-starred Kong Hans Kælder.
Radford said: “It was a great competition to be involved in. There was a lot of pressure on the night to make sure I nailed all the dishes as I have done while practicing and having the judges of that calibre looking at you while you do it was a bit daunting but so happy I did it.”
BM chef director Pete Redman was joined on the judging panel by Harry Kirkpatrick, head chef at Michelin-starred Trinity in London’s Clapham, as well as Mark Kempson, executive chef at Michelin-starred Kitchen W8 in Kensington.
Redman said: “This is my favourite time of the year and every time we run this competition, the level of cookery from our team members just gets better and better. That kitchen was an absolute melting pot tonight of pressure, great ingredients and extraordinary talent. Every single one of those chefs did BM and themselves proud.”
Radford, added: “I feel really privileged to take part in this amazing competition and to cook alongside some great chefs! I feel very proud to have won cooking food that I love. Thank you so much to the other competitors, organisers, and the support along the way!”
Angus Brydon, BM’s managing director, added: “Our Chef of the Year winner is going to get some amazing educational experiences as part of their prize, and a heartfelt congratulations to them for all the effort and energy they dedicated to getting themselves to this point.
“The competition itself is also such a brilliant learning and development opportunity for all our chefs who take part.
“I equally want to say congratulations to all our chefs who put themselves forward and demonstrated the amazing skill and talent we have in our kitchens across the business.”
