Anchor™ Food Professionals has announced the finalists for the 2020 Proud to Be a Chef program -- Australia’s leading foodservice mentoring program providing culinary apprentices from all over the nation the chance to be a part of a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Each year the panel of judges evaluates applicants based on their demonstrated culinary passion, aspirations, goals and long-term commitment to becoming a chef, along with an original recipe submission utilising an Anchor™ Food Professionals product.

The 32 finalists will be flown to Melbourne and Tasmania in February 2020 for a four-day, all expenses paid experiential journey of masterclasses, skills workshops, dining at prominent restaurants and invaluable networking opportunities with peers, industry leaders and program mentors. 

Each year the standard of entries has raised the bar higher for Proud to Be a Chef and 2020 was no exception. “The dedication, commitment and skill on display in our finalists’ entries was striking,” affirms Mark Normoyle, Proud to be a Chef resident mentor and former Executive Chef for RACV City Club Melbourne.

“We are excited to once again have a great mix of finalists from all around the country. It was notable that the recipes they submitted showcased the evolving trends within the industry – they weren’t all standard a la carte restaurant dishes, there was street food, sharing plates and funky contemporary stylings.” 

The Proud to be a Chef team have been working hard to create an action-packed program of events for Proud to Be a Chef 2020. In addition to their trip to Melbourne, for the first time, the finalists will also fly to Tasmania and learn the intricacies of salmon production. Mark will be undertaking a dairy masterclass and the other program mentors, La Luna Executive Chef and owner Adrian Richardson and Atlantic Group Executive Pastry Chef Lisa Van Zanten will conduct masterclasses based around their areas of expertise. George Wintle, Proud to be a Chef finalist from 2018 will host a workshop on fermentation and his journey since his initial participation in the program, and Shannon Martinez from Smith and Daughters will conduct a masterclass focusing on catering to customers’ dietary needs, a trending growth area for the industry. 

The four-day program will culminate in one standout finalist being awarded an International Culinary Scholarship valued at $7,500 tailored to their personal interests and professional goals, while two other standout finalists will receive a three day internship with one of the mentors. This year’s scholarship recipient Joel Noble is soon to undertake his internship at Bo.Lan, one of Bangkok’s most esteemed restaurants.

The 32 finalists for Proud to Be a Chef 2020 are: