The Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture is highlighting the importance of Isle of Man food and drink to the Island’s continued economic success.
Richard Ronan MHK was speaking as he announced the line-up for the heats of the Isle of Man Chef of the Year competition.
‘The Island’s distinctive food and drink and the experience of eating out are important to the Island’s economic success, both in terms of creating jobs and attracting visitors,’ the Minister said.
‘The Chef of the Year competition is a showcase for the ever-growing range of quality local produce and a stage for our wonderfully talented chefs to show off their skills.’
The Sure Queenie Festival in Port St Mary will be the setting for the heats at 1pm on Sunday 16 August.
James Stubbs from The Courthouse, with a Manx lamb’s liver dish, will take on Cye Maddocks from Haworth’s Restaurant, who is tackling lobster and salmon ravioli with a queenie chowder, and Jean-Pierre Giuliani from Jean-Pierre’s Bistro, who is cooking roast Manx pork tenderloin.
The chefs will have 35 minutes to create their dishes while talking about them to a compere. Marks will be awarded for use of local ingredients, taste and presentation.
Festival-goers are invited to take a seat and watch the action.
Two of the chefs will go through to the Chef of the Year final, which will be held at the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival at the Villa Marina on Sunday 20 September.
The Queenie Festival will also host the semi-finals of the first Student Chef of the Year competition earlier in the day at 11am.
Nicole Crawley (lamb broth), Maria Eduardo (fillet steak with creamed potato), Tyler Livesey (queenie and crab ravioli) and Dominik Woloszyk (grilled trout with potato and egg ravioli) will compete for two places in the final.
The four were selected from Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education students who took part in initial heats in June.
Judges for the Chef of the Year heats will be Janna Horsthuis from sponsor Robinson’s; Chris Franklin, who lectures in hospitality and catering at the College, and Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).
Roy Macfarlane, who has a restaurant in Douglas, will replace Chris on the judging panel for the student semi-finals.
Janna Horsthuis said:
‘Robinson’s is pleased to support the Chef of the Year and Student Chef of the Year competitions, as we work closely with the Island’s catering sector, supplying high-quality local produce to chefs. We are looking forward to seeing the innovative and tasty dishes produced by the chefs in both competitions.’
The Chef of the Year will receive £500 cash and an engraved plaque, plus £500 for their establishment to spend on advertising. The Student Chef of the Year will take home £250, a trophy and a certificate.
The winning recipes from the heats will be available by visiting www.gov.im/food and clicking on the link for Chef of the Year.
Tickets for the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival are on sale at the Manx Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal and from the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre – www.villagaiety.com or +44 1624 600555.
For more information about the festival, visit www.gov.im/food, like Isle of Man Food and Drink on facebook or follow @iomfoodanddrink on Twitter.
