18 Regional Roux Scholarship Finalist Announced

Following last week’s paper judging, the Roux family has announced the regional finalists for the 2015 Roux Scholarship competition. Two regional finals will be held simultaneously on Thursday 12th March 2015. They will take place at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.

The chefs competing in Birmingham:

Harry Guy, L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria

Tom Lawson, Rafters Restaurant, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Richard Pascoe, The Feversham Arms Hotel, Helmsley, North Yorkshire

Ben Queen-Fryer, The Coach House Café & Bistro, Ulverston, Cumbria

Sam Rush, The Banningham Crown, Banningham, Norfolk

Dion Wyn Jones, Crewe Hall Hotel, Crewe, Cheshire

Judges will be Alain Roux, Angela Hartnett and Steve Love (Roux Scholar 1997).

The chefs competing in London:

James Devine, Black Cat Restaurant, Ballygawley, Co Tyrone

Scott Dineen, Goldman Sachs, (BaxterStorey), London

Gavin Edney, Cliveden House, Taplow, Berkshire

Luke Fouracre, Burford Bridge Hotel, Dorking, Surrey

Sabrina Gidda, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, (Restaurant Associates), London

Ollie Hay, Clifford Chance (Restaurant Associates), London

Win Hai Lau, The Shepherd & Dog, Stowmarket, Suffolk

Daniel Lee, JP Morgan, (Aramark), London

Jozef Rogulski, The Stafford Hotel, London

David Salt, Allen and Overy, (Searcy’s), London

Sushant Sanzgiri, Hilton Hotel, Kensington, London

Ian Scaramuzza, Hibiscus Restaurant, London

Judges will be Michel Roux Jr, Andrew Fairlie and David Nicholls.

2015 was a particularly strong year for entries. More than half of the finalists are from restaurants outside London and there is a diverse range of nationalities represented. A number of the chefs have passed through the kitchens of previous Roux Scholars. This more than anything demonstrates the true spirit of the Roux legacy where everyone involved is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of young talent.

Facts about the finalists:

• Scott Dineen, Sabrina Gidda, Richard Pascoe and David Salt were all in last year’s final and Daniel Lee competed in last year’s regional finals.
• Dion Wyn Jones returns to the fray after competing in the 2013 competition and appearing in popular TV series The Roux Scholarship televised on Watch to celebrate the 30^th
• Sabrina Gidda is the only female chef to make the final eighteen.
• Five competitors are from contract catering companies.
• Harry Guy works for Mark Birchall, Roux Scholar 2011 at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, under Tom Barnes, last year’s winner, who has recently been promoted to Head Chef.

The challenge

This year’s challenge is to create a recipe to serve four people, using two whole guinea fowl (with or without giblets), weighing anywhere between 1.2kg – 1.6 kg plus 200g chicken livers, trimmed; served together, plated and accompanied by two garnishes.  One garnish must include spinach leaves and the other to be a garnish of the chef’s choice.  A sauce must accompany the dish.

Competitors will have 2½ hrs to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day.  The judges will be looking for those recipes and methods, which demonstrate the best balance of creativity, taste, style and practicality in the finished dish.

National final – Monday 30th March 2015
Six winners selected from across the two regional finals will go through to the national final, which takes place at Westminster Kingsway College, London.  The 2015 Roux Scholar will be announced at an awards ceremony held at The Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London the same evening.

Quotes from the judges

Michel Roux Jr

“There are some excellent guinea fowl recipes, ranging from great classics through to innovative modern interpretations of the ingredients.”

Alain Roux

“The recipes we have selected are the work of some inspired chefs showing versatility of approach and variety of ingredients.  I am looking forward to tasting the sauces in the completed dishes, to see whether they lift and complement the other ingredients and prove the perfect match.”

Andrew Fairlie

“The standard this year was very high which made the judging tougher than ever. I’m pleased to see so many chefs in the finals representing restaurants from right across the country.”

Our Sponsors

The Roux Scholarship is kindly sponsored by a number of companies including: Bridor, Cactus TV, The Caterer, Direct Seafoods, Fairfax Meadow, Global Knives, Hildon, Kikkoman, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, L’Unico Caffe Musetti, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Restaurant Associates and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Now in its 32^nd year, the Roux Scholarship offers the winner a career changing opportunity: a three-month stage at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant anywhere in the world.  But that’s just the beginning.  The winner is then part of an elite club and on a fast track to the top of the profession. The Roux Scholarship is the premier competition for young chefs in the UK and ranks among the most prestigious in the world.