Entries are now invited for Zest Quest Asia 2024, the competition responsible for acquainting student chefs with the myriad cuisines of Asia – from Indian to Japanese, Filipino to Vietnamese, Thai, Sri Lankan and beyond.
The deadline for entries is Friday 8th December 2023. Finalists will be announced on Wednesday 4th January 2024. Please contact Cora Strachan cmsevents@btinternet.com for all the details.
Now embarking on its eleventh year, Zest Quest Asia is a firm fixture in the UK’s culinary competition calendar. It was founded in 2013 by Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, with the support of the Master Chefs of Great Britain, to lift the profile of Asian food among budding chefs enrolled in full-time in colleges across the country. Since then, the annual competition has awarded 10 teams, composed of three students and their tutor, with a first-prize trip of a lifetime to an Asian culinary capital. There, local hosts take them on an educational voyage across the tastes and flavours of Asian cooking, visiting local markets, taking part in hands-on chef demonstrations, helping to prepare special menus, and imbibing the local food scene.
Last year’s Zest Quest Asia champions, from the University of West London, spent over a week in Bangkok. They were billeted at the 5-star Dusit Thani Bangkok where they learnt the techniques of preparing ‘royal Thai cuisine’. The location and itinerary of the first-prize trip is always a closely guarded secret until announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards evening.
One of the main criteria for entry is that students hold permanent residency in the UK. In this way, the competition strives to create a legacy whereby talent in Asian cuisine remains in the UK, thus helping to build a roster of ‘home-grown” chefs able to prepare authentic and Asian-inspired dishes in the country’s commercial and industrial kitchens.
Zest Quest Asia is well-known for its rigour; teams that go on to the final round must then submit to a live cook-off, preceded by a face-to-face presentation to determine their knowledge and understanding.
The competition will be spread over two days: the presentations take place on Monday 26th February 2024, followed by the live cook-off on Tuesday 27th February, and the announcement of the winners later that evening at the Gala Dinner, to be held in 2024 at Hilton London Wembley. Tickets are now on sale priced at £110 per person, or £1,000 per table of 10, and include a drinks reception followed by a three-course dinner with wines – buy your tickets here.
Tilda Rice is the headline sponsor of Zest Quest Asia in 2024, and gold sponsors are Hilton London Wembley, Panasonic, and the Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku, London. The Institute of Hospitality is also supporting this year’s competition by providing one year’s membership to every finalist.
Robert Richardson FIH MI, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality, said, “We are delighted to be supporting Zest Quest Asia 2024. Developing and nurturing young talent across the hospitality industry is what the Institute of Hospitality stands for, so we are delighted to provide this year’s finalists with membership to help support them by providing access to a wealth of resources, such as our mentoring programme. Zest Quest Asia provides young chefs with an incredible opportunity to develop themselves, so I would encourage any young chef to jump at this opportunity and apply.”
Cyrus Todiwala OBE FIH said, “I have always said that Zest Quest Asia is the competition for the most talented and ambitious student chefs. Pervin and I have seen how incrementally through the years the competition has made inroads. More and more colleges seem to be encouraging their students and tutors to take Asian cuisine seriously. So I would call on all colleges to give their students the opportunity to experience the excitement of preparing and cooking of Asian food. Asian ingredients that can be used in Asian cooking are more popular than ever. You have so much to gain.”
For more information on Zest Quest Asia 2024, including rules and how to submit entries, contact Cora Strachan cmsevents@btinternet.com or visit www.zestquestasia.org.
Cyrus is a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Cooks and, together with his wife Pervin, runs four restaurants in London, including the highly acclaimed Café Spice Namasté known for its contemporary, street-food inspired Indian cuisine.
October 2023
