Seamen James Kirkpatrick (21) and Michael Reisis (19) put their cooking skills to the test at the North Metropolitan Tafe last weekend.
They created a two-course menu of laksa-infused lamb loin served on a bed of chilli stir-fried vegetables with laksa reduction sauce and a dessert of soaked pistachio and citrus cake with choc chip ice cream, garnished with creme patisserie and strawberry coulis.
The young chefs, who have never entered a culinary competition before, saw this as a perfect opportunity to prove themselves.
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READ NOW“We both wanted to have fun with the experience of competing and show what navy chefs can do,” Seaman Kirkpatrick said.
“Being young chefs in the navy has taught us a lot and given us a chance to develop our culinary skills, so we were keen to show our talent and see how we stacked up.”
One of 11 heats across the country, the WA regional cook-off saw 17 teams step up to the plate, going all out to deliver their best dishes to be judged against nationally recognised culinary standards.
The Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award has been running for 52 years and is Australia’s longest running culinary competition for young chefs.
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