Westminster Kingsway College chef students learn about Nikkei cuisine with sushi master class at top London restaurant, Chotto Matte
A group of lucky Westminster Kingsway College chef students have participated in a master class of sushi cuisine at London restaurant, Chotto Matte.
Chotto Matte (meaning ‘wait a minute’ in Japanese) is the brainchild of restaurant guru Kurt Zdesar, who helped launch Nobu and founded the popular Dim Sum chain Ping Pong. Kurt travelled through Peru with Chotto Matte’s Executive Chef, Jordan Sclare, to gain inspiration for the Japanese/Peruvian fusion menu which has gone down a storm with London’s cool crew and celebrities alike!
Chotto Matte serves fresh and high quality Japanese inspired Nikkei cuisine alongside a large selection of Japanese drinks and cocktails.
The 16th February will see The Chefs’ Forum hold one of its quarterly events at this exciting restaurant in partnership with top further education college Westminster Kingsway to showcase students’ skills to top London chefs. It is events like these which forge valuable links between the College and employers.
Jordan Sclare commented:
“My team and I are really looking forward to hosting and taking part in this fabulous event. Working with Westminster Kingsway Students reminds me of meeting my great friend and Head Chef Michael Paul fifteen years ago. Michael studied at Westminster Kingsway College and then transferred to Thames Valley University where we met. The Forum will be a great chance for us to demonstrate Nikkei cuisine to our chef peers and students alike. ”
Six students receive Nikkei canapé training by head chef Michael Paul and then take part in a live Maki Roll competition, a quintessential type of sushi most familiar outside of Japan. This type of sushi is made by wrapping up a variety of ingredients in rice and crispy nori seaweed. Some of the most common ingredients for maki sushi include salmon, tuna and avocado.
Westminster Kingsway College champions world food in its catering curriculum to represent the multicultural diversity of London and its students. Recently, the College hosted a Korean food festival and next month will see the six students attend a Maki masterclass taught by Head Sushi Chef Keita Sato at Chotto Matte in advance of The Chefs’ Forum event. The students will then demonstrate their new skills on the day of the event to an audience of seventy chefs/potential employers from across the capital.
The winner of the Maki competition, to be announced by Jordan Sclare and Keita Sato will win a fantastic Global Oriental Knife set as a prize. The set , worth £300 has been kindly donated by this market-leading knife supplier and comprises a G-4, Oriental Cook’s Knife – 18cm, GS-54 Oriental Santoku Knife – 12cm and GS-58 and an Oriental Cook’s Knife – 11cm. This is a fantastic prize that the student can take on into the industry with them.
The students are very much looking forward to the Maki training session and showcasing their culinary skills to employers at The Chefs’ Forum next month.
Founded in 2010 by Catherine Farinha, The Chefs’ Forum now holds regular chef conventions from London to Cornwall and Kent. Next month’s event at Chotto Matte will be an inspiring day for all involved.
