Some of the UK’s most talented young chefs and front of house staff go head to head, cooking award-winning standard meals for paying attendees at the HEAT Culinary Competition.
From the ten teams who took part, three made it to the final to compete with the home team from Jersey Highlands College.
Colleges are judged by Craft Guild of Chefs professional judges in order to win a place in the final competition in Jersey. The event has grown year-on-year, starting in 2017 with 2 hand-picked colleges. Fast forward 2 years and in 2019, 10 colleges applied to take part, and were judged, with three colleges finally making the grade and came over to compete.
Qualifying finalists from four UK culinary colleges spend four days in Jersey, at the 4* St. Brelade’s Bay Hotel. It is a competition that equally judges the kitchen and front of house.
Jersey is an island shaped by the sea, where some of the most astonishing tides in the world circle the coast and feed the land, making it a prime location for hosting a culinary competition. The experience gives students the opportunity to come up for air, breathe the fresh sea air and wake up to views of cliffs, sea and sky. Students taste and see the island’s famous local produce at source, cook for and be judged by some of the biggest names in the industry and celebrate at the prestigious HEAT gala celebration hosted by a celebrity chef all for free. Colleges fund flights to and from the island and there are bursaries and funding options available to HEAT is unique.
Jersey serves up a warm welcome for visiting competitors, many of which have never flown before. Many, if not all, of HEAT’s competitors cannot wait to return to the island. Visiting student chefs will get a chance to explore the island and they will be taken to meet Jersey suppliers to see local produce at its source.
Jersey’s produce goes far beyond the humble Jersey Royal, and all of the teams regularly comment on how lucky we are to have them on our doorstep. Our dairy products are particularly revered, although when making a panna cotta for the first time, the creaminess occasionally requires a re-set to be completed!
HEAT works extensively with the hospitality and wholesale sectors, local sponsors and suppliers to ensure that the event can take place.
We are very blessed on the island that the sectors realise that we need to work together and grow the exposure, skills and knowledge on the island to support the future generation of chefs. Their character, enthusiasm, passion and vitality for Jersey is visible – the students get a fresh perspective on the island through their eyes.
Everything’s closer in Jersey – which means outside of the competition, the students get to make the most of their time here and explore. From discovering Jersey’s oyster beds at low tide with Jersey Walk Adventures to zip lining through the trees with Valley Adventure Centre and blokarting along Jersey’s coastline with Absolute Adventures.
Events Jersey have support HEAT through the introduction to key attractions and activity providers to host the students, and promoted the event across Visit Jersey’s marketing channels such as a foodie feature on jersey.com, consumer newsletter and social media content, travel trade promotions, and a feature in the official What’s On visitor guide.
