Steve Love, Chef and Patron formerly of Love’s Restaurant, Leamington Spa, triumphed at the grand final of the most prestigious competition in the chef calendar, to take the coveted title of National Chef of the Year 2004.
The National Chef of the Year supported by KNORR competition was contested live at the Restaurant Show, London Olympia, in a specially built competition theatre equipped with Electrolux equipment. The Semi Finals took place over four heats on 20-21 September when 40 competitors produced their qualifying menus under the watchful eye of a live audience and the competition judges, to secure one of the 10 places in the Grand Final.
Ian Morgan, Executive Chef of Establishment Restaurant, Manchester and Nick Vadis, Executive Chef at British Airways Waterside, Harmondsworth, achieved second and third place respectively.
Steve Love also scooped the prize for Best Main Course, with Best Starter awarded to Robert Szewczyk, Head Chef at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor and Best Dessert awarded to Wayne Asson, Executive Chef at Whittlebury Hall, Towcester.
The finalists were tasked with creating, in just three hours, a three-course meal for four people from a mystery box of ingredients working in a kitchen equipped with an Electrolux 700-line six burner range, Multigrill and the unique Electrolux Mini Combi oven. The competitors demonstrated culinary skill, expertise, creativity and determination under intense competition conditions, impressing both the panel of judges, including Mark Gregory of One Aldwych, Claire Clark of The Wolseley and Andrew Bennet of The Sheraton Park Lane and the audience.
A panel of guest tasting judges also joined the Grand Final to sample all the dishes created by the finalists, including John Burton-Race, Jean Christophe-Novelli, Brian Turner, Henri Brossi and John Williams.
The final decision of the judges was announced and the prizes awarded at a gala awards banquet, which took place on the evening of the Grand Final at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington. Winners, competitors, organisers, sponsors and guests celebrated the conclusion of a most successful competition long into the night.
David Mulcahy, Vice President, Craft Guild of Chefs comments, “We have experienced a phenomenal three days of competition with each and every competitor performing to an extremely impressive standard. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Steve Love on achieving victory in such a competitive grand final.”
Steve Love now joins the exclusive group of previous winners of this most esteemed competition, run by the Craft Guild of Chefs and supported by KNORR, which includes Gordon Ramsay, Roger Narbett and most recently Mark Sargeant, who won the title in 2002.
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