If you can make an entree of seared lamb loin, soft polenta, potato skordalia, baby carrots, caramelised fig and pickled beetroot, a main of pan fried baby barramundi fillet, poached king prawn, braised leeks, fennel green beans and an aromatic fish broth and then a dessert of dark chocolate ganache, orange cream, macadamia and thyme crumb and raspberries in three and a half hours, then you might have what it takes to win a state cooking competition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Aaron Engeler the chef who created those meals won the Jeunes Chefs Rotisseurs Competition NSW 2018 in Sydney on February 24, 2018.
The European competition is run by international gastronomy association Chaine Des Rotisseurs and is an internationally renowned competition established in 1248.
The junior competition is for chefs under the age of 27 who have been nominated by a peer who has won the competition.
Aaron won the NSW competition and received, among other prizes, the bronze medal which is awarded to state winners.
Aaron, competing against four other chefs, had three and a half hours to use a mystery box of items to create an entree, main and dessert and half an hour to create a menu.
It was mandatory for Aaron to use one lamb loin cap on, two baby barramundis, three baby fennel, 200 grams of green beans, eight figs, 150 grams of macadamia nuts and 300 grams of white polenta.
The judges then had a blind taste testing so they would not know who cooked which meal.
“It was a very last minute decision to enter, I only had eight days to prepare for it,” Aaron said.
He will now go on to represent NSW at the national competition in Melbourne on Saturday, April 7 competing among other state winners.
The winner of this competition will be awarded the silver medal and a chance to participate in the international competition for the gold medal in Taiwan.
This was the first time Aaron was inspired to enter a cooking competition, which he had only heard about for the first time in 2017.
I have almost entered competitions before but my Executive Chef really pushed me to have a go and find out what I can do under pressure,
- Aaron Engeler
Aaron commenced his apprenticeship as a chef aged 15 with the Lithgow and District Workmen’s Club and completed his training with the Emirates Wolgan Valley One&Only Resort.
“I’ve been working as a chef for ten years now and starting at the Workies was really an incredible experience, they are such a friendly team with amazing chefs,” he said.
Aaron is now an executive sous chef at the Fairmont Resort in the Blue Mountains, where he is second in charge and watches over a staff of 19 other chefs. He also oversees everything going on in the kitchen, buffet and golf club.
Aaron plans on staying at the Fairmont Resort for the foreseeable future.
“Ten years ago Sydney was the place to be to learn because you had chefs from London and France coming out but now these chefs are coming to regional areas,” Aaron said.
“I have an incredible boss who I have a lot of respect for and I just want to keep learning more from.”
