George Kataras from M Threadneedle Street will represent the UK and Ireland at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 Global Final in Milan in October. The live cook-off for the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition was held at Waitrose Cookery School.
We were there to see a panel of the UK and Ireland’s leading chefs – who hold five Michelin stars between them – name George the best emerging chef talent from the UK and Ireland.
Following a tough decision, Kataras from M Restaurants was chosen for his winning dish of Whole Turbot, his dish included the bones and head of Turbot, which added lots of flavour to the sauces.
While George cooked for the judging panel of Claude Bosi of Hibiscus (London), Ollie Dabbous of Dabbous (London), JP McMahon of Cava Bodega (Galway) and Ross Lewis of Chapter One (Dublin) we got to eat a version of his dish cooked by the Waitrose cookery school pupils. It was by far my favourite dish and I imagine the judges’ genuine version was even better
Judge Claude Bosi (who holds two Michelin stars) said: “The calibre of dishes presented this evening was hugely impressive, but George Kataras’s dish of Whole Turbot stood out with its flavour, the skill involved, beauty of presentation and the true message behind it. I look forward to taking George Kataras to the grand final in Milan.â€Â
George Kataras now faces the ultimate test in Milan, where Claude Bosi will guide him through the intricate process of perfecting his signature dish for a panel of judges at the Milan final that reads like a who’s who of contemporary gastronomy: David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack.