Appetite for Excellence announces this year’s hospitality winners
The 2019 Appetite for Excellence has announced this year’s winners at an awards ceremony at Hilton Sydney’s Glass Brasserie.
Now in its 14th year, the national awards program continues to attract the best of Australia’s food industry each year.
All three winners across the categories are currently working in restaurants outside of major cities, and of the five winners and ones to watch, four are female.
The 2019 Appetite for Excellence winners are:
- Young Chef Winner - Bianca Johnston (Tom McHugo’s)
- One to Watch - Anna Ugarte-Carral (Momofuku Seiobo)
- Young Waiter Winner - Olivia Evans, (Fleet)
- One to Watch - Sophie Gitterle (Quay Restaurant)
- Young Restaurateur Winner - Luke Piccolo (Limone Dining)
Prior to the awards ceremony, the national finalists came together for an annual produce tour in NSW’s Southern Highlands and South Coast, which featured three days of workshops and hands on learning experiences with producers.
“I believe it is important to have programs like Appetite for Excellence for the next generation to give them great experience and potential exposure that could help shape their career,” said Quay’s Peter Gilmore, who has been involved with the program for nine years.
“There is definitely a system the judges use for scoring that covers things you’d expect like taste and presentation. But we also trust our instincts when it comes to choosing the winner. It’s sometimes pretty obvious the young chefs that have that little bit extra - positivity, openness and passion.”
Luke Mangan, co-founder of Appetite for Excellence, said he was blown away every year by the level of talent that comes through the program.
“More impressive though is the passion that each of these national finalists has for what they do,” he said. “We had a group that was nothing short of outstanding and proved to me how valuable the time we as the judges spend with the group can be, hopefully guiding them to make the best decisions in their career and helping to set them up for successful careers in Australia’s restaurants.”
Young Chef winner Johnston said it was her second year entering Appetite for Excellence.
“The most rewarding part of the program has been the access to the judges’ feedback,” she said. “This has helped me to understand my strengths and weaknesses in cooking and made me aware of the type of food I want to cook.
“As a winner, I’m now presented with the unique opportunity to stage overseas and continue to add to the extensive network of mentors I’ve been given access to. I’m excited to step outside my normal work environment and learn from the producers, suppliers and customers I meet along the way, and become a better chef overall.”
Sheridan Randall, 7th August 2019
