The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has launched this year’s Care Chef of the Year competition to find the best chef working in the care sector.
Open to all chefs and cooks working in care settings, the awards have been celebrating culinary talent across the care sector for 23 years. The NACC Care Chef of the Year 2023 competition is supported by main sponsor Unilever Food Solutions and event sponsor The Worshipful Company of Cooks. The deadline for entries is Monday 24 April.
Focusing on the importance of food, nutrition, and positive mealtime experiences as part of quality care, entrants are challenged to create an appealing and delicious two-course menu (main and dessert) appropriate for people in a care setting. The combined food cost for both courses must be no more than £3.50 per head based on three portions and dishes must be nutritionally balanced. The menu must also feature at least one product from sponsor Unilever Food Solutions’ sector-relevant catering range.
Entries will be judged by a judging panel. Successful chefs will go through to regional heats in June, where they will have 90 minutes to produce their dishes. Judges will be looking for culinary flair, menu balance, execution, presentation, and hygiene best practice. The two highest-scoring competitors from each regional heat will compete for the title of NACC Care Chef of the Year 2023 at the national finals on Tuesday 3 October at West Nottingham College.
Sue Cawthray, National Chair of the NACC, said: “The launch of the NACC Care Chef of the Year is always an exciting event. This fantastic competition is a highlight of the NACC calendar and a brilliant platform to showcase the skills, knowledge and excellence of chefs working in our sector, as well as the career opportunities it offers.
“Delicious, nutritious food and positive dining experiences are fundamental to quality care, so you could say that the kitchen is at the heart of a care home. It’s therefore only right that we celebrate and champion the incredible talents of care chefs who, day-in-day-out, ensure the individual and varied needs of those in their care are understood and met with skill, flair and dignity.
“I encourage everyone to enter their amazing chefs and celebrate the culinary excellence our wonderful sector delivers. I can’t wait to see how this year’s competition unfolds. Good luck everyone!”
The Reverend Keith Powell, Master of the Worshipful Company of Cooks, added: “Once again, the Worshipful Company of Cooks is proud to sponsor the NACC competition. For more than 500 years we have been involved in the world of cookery; initially being responsible for standards of catering and hygiene in the City of London and more recently closely engaged, through our support for competitions such as this one, in encouraging chefs to achieve high standards that they can then take back into their workplace.
“To all competitors we send our best wishes and we look forward to being able to host the winner at our annual Prize Winners’ Lunch when you will be able to sit back and enjoy the results of someone else’s hard work. Good luck!”
