Zoe Harrison has cooked her way to the 2022 Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award grand final in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old chef, who works at Raymond Terrace's The Riverhouse Cafe, won over the judges at the TAFE Hunter - Hamilton Campus on June 22.
Competitors were required to use pork neck or pork cutlets in their main course. Harrison plated up a pork cutlet with pork stuffed leek, fondant celeriac, apple gel, Dijon demi-glace and carrot as her main, and a condensed milk cake with spiced pears, meringue, pecan praline, thyme, and white chocolate crumb for her dessert.
The judging panel rated each dish to globally recognised culinary standards, and said Harrison's plate presentation was "beautiful, with ideal portion sizes and perfectly balanced flavour combinations".
Harrison started her apprenticeship when she was 16 and a student at Whitebridge High School.
"I stayed at school as I completed my apprenticeship and have worked at quite a few places to get as much experience as I possibly could," she says.
"I love creating dishes and writing menus and experimenting with food - I get an idea and try different things to work out what looks best and tastes best.
"Eventually I'd like to be an executive chef in charge of several kitchens, working across different cuisines. I'd love to work with older chefs in the industry to learn how they got to where they are, and how they've stayed in the industry so long because it can be tough.
"Basically I want to learn as much as I can and then figure out where I fit into the industry."
Harrison is one of 12 chefs from across Australia and New Zealand who will cook off at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne this September. Up for grabs is a $10,000 cash prize.
Now in its 57th year, the Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award is Australia's longest running culinary competition for young chefs.
