WestKing Student Chef wins Entente Cordiale Culinary Competition 2024 with French teammate

CCCG’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts celebrates another win as a third-year Professional Chef teamed up with a French counterpart to win the historic Anglo-French culinary competition.

A student from Westminster Kingsway College (WestKing) has won the Entente Cordiale Culinary Competition 2024 alongside a French teammate from Lycée Jeanne et Paul Augier in Nice. Sude Hancher, who is currently studying to be a Professional Chef at WestKing’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, was partnered up with French student Alexia Provenza ahead of the Anglo-French competition and the pairing went on to impress the judges with their teamwork and culinary creations.

The Entente Cordiale Culinary Competition celebrates the unique relationship between France and the UK. The competition first began in recognition of 100 years of the historic Entente Cordiale agreements and is now in its 20th year. Founded by Michel Bourdin, the former Chef des Cuisines at The Connaught Hotel, the competition challenges pairs of students from France and the UK to produce classical Escoffier dishes. Auguste Escoffier was a French chef and culinary writer known for transforming, modernising and popularising French cooking methods.

This year’s competition began on 18 March, when the students met their assigned partners for the first time and started collaborating. Entrants to the competition also attended the Disciples of Escoffier 70th anniversary dinner on 18 March and a special reception at the French Ambassador’s Residence on 19 March, with both events providing opportunities to network with industry figures and learn more about the hospitality industry.

The culinary competition took place at The University of West London on 20 March and consisted of four Anglo-French student pairings. During the 3-hour challenge, the entrants were set the task of preparing a lemon sole paupiette with marinière sauce, artichoke, potatoes and glazed carrots followed by their interpretation of a fermented dough-based dessert. Sude and Alexia worked together to prepare four servings of each dish and their teamwork skills and collaborative approach were praised by the judges.

The finished dishes were judged by a panel made up of notable names from the world of fine dining and hospitality including:

• Michel Escoffier, Great Grandson of August Escoffier and President of the Auguste Escoffier Foundation
• Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs
• Franciane Tartari, Executive Pastry Chef at 1 Hotel Mayfair
• Gilles Quillot, Executive Chef at The French Embassy
• Mark Flanagan, The Royal Chef
• Daniel Ayton, President of Disciples of Escoffier UK
• James Golding, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts

Sude and Alexia were announced as the winning pair by the judges at a presentation ceremony in the university restaurant. Participants received medals and prizes including Matfer Bourgeat cooking pans, engraved knives, a selection of items from Disciples of Escoffier and a Craft Guild of Chefs cookery book.

After winning the competition, WestKing student Sude Hancher said: “It has been a pleasure to be here and have such an amazing experience. We kept to the classic Escoffier style for our lemon sole dish, and I really enjoyed producing it.”

Sude’s partner in the competition Alexia  Provenza said: “Meeting Sude and working with her in the kitchen has been a real pleasure for me.”

Tom Eagerton, Chef Lecturer at WestKing said: “Sude handled the pressure well and turned out a well-executed dish showing good techniques. Working in a new kitchen with someone that you have never worked with before is challenging. The college is proud of the achievement and we look forward to Sude graduating and excelling in the world of hospitality.” 

Congratulations to Sude Hancher and Alexia Provenza for winning the Entente Cordiale Culinary Competition 2024!

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