Capital City College Professional Chef students impress and innovate during Korean cooking competition

A group of Professional Chef students from Capital City College’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts showcased Korean-inspired dishes during a cooking competition. 

Students from Capital City College’s (CCC) School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts have taken part in a Hansik Contest, which is a Korean cooking competition.

The event, which took place at The Vincent Rooms in the college’s Westminster centre involved 11 students from the Professional Chef – Level 2 Diploma course and was sponsored by the Korean Food Promotion Institution (KFPI) and Cuisine.K of CJ Foods.

All students from the course were invited to submit a written entry to the competition before Chef Lecturers Jose Souto and Jonathan Warner selected 11 entrants to take part in the practical competition.

During the competition, the students were challenged to develop and produce their own dishes featuring Korean ingredients and sauces. A number of mouth-watering dishes were served to the judges, including Tenderloin Steak with Doenjang and Gochujang, Root Vegetable Risotto with Gochujang and Duck with Doenjang.

The judging panel included esteemed industry professionals such as Executive Chef Jihun Maxime Kim from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Mayfair and Founder and Chef of Sollip, Woongchul Park, London’s only Korean Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as Chef Lecturers Jose Souto and Jonathan Warner.

Following an intense round of judging, Professional Chef – Level 2 Diploma student Matthew Clifford was awarded first place for his dish of Cod with Ginger and Doenjang. Matthew was inspired by Korean pottery and had been exploring Korean culture in preparation for the competition. Oscar Snipp won second prize for his dish of Gochujang Milanese, and third place went to Joe Margaritis for his dish of Noodles with Chicken Broth and Kimchi. The winning dishes will be presented in a recipe booklet.

The Korean Ambassador to the UK, Yoon Yeo-cheol attended the event and gave a speech congratulating the finalists on the quality of their dishes and their fusion ideas. He also presented winning students with their prizes.

Chef Woongchul Park said: “It’s a big development to have a Korean food competition at a major culinary arts school in London. It invites aspiring chefs to explore the wealth of Korean ingredients and to add them to their culinary repertoire.”

The School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts also celebrated Korean cuisine earlier this year with a series of culinary events during Korean Cuisine month. Paul Jervis, Head of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, said: “Korean food is incredibly popular here in London, so it’s natural for us to embrace it and encourage students to explore Korean ingredients and cooking methods. We are grateful to Korean government and CJ Foods for presenting our students with this opportunity.”

Are you interested in learning how to master a range of culinary skills and create original dishes? Apply now for Culinary Arts courses!

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