2009 Competition Details

ClubsNSW would like to congratulate the winning teams in the 2009 National Chef’s Table Competition;

1ST PLACE
Queensland
Shannon Saint & Kate Cunningham – Easts Leagues Club

2ND PLACE & BEST FOOD & WINE MATCH
New South Wales
Peter Evans & Crystal Jones – City Tattersalls Club

This is the second year of the National Competition and with new competitors, new sponsors and new awards to win, there was a huge buzz in the lead up to the announcement of the winners at the ACT President's Dinner at The Auditorium Vikings Club in Erindale on Friday 25 September 2009.

The judges were very impressed with the quality of the competition but the team from Easts Leagues provided a culinary experience that stood above the other states.

As our head judge Peter Howard said: “There was a moment, as the first clear, intense, aromatic essence of the first course slipped over the tongue, when I sat up straight and thought this was going to be exquisite, thoughtful, brilliantly enjoyable food – and I wasn’t wrong…..Ultimately, it was a superlative piece of cooking, and no mistake – a worthy winner of the coveted national ladle.”

The winning menu was as follows:

Entrée
Seafood tasting plate:
Spanna crab and pumpkin torte with a crisp seaweed salad and roasted capsicum hollandaise; pan seared scallop placed on a cream corn puree with shellfish oil and finished with a sweet potato wafer and a crisp onion and charred salad; a Mooloolaba prawn cutlet with pancetta on a disc of rosti potato with a crunchy Asian flaw and gremolata.

Main
Veal tenderloin with foie gras on a tower of whipped potato, braised ox tail and wilted spinach, finished with wild mushroom and a Madeira glaze

Dessert
White chocolate mousse infused with soft caramel on a vanilla shortbread and finished with dark chocolate served with vanilla bean parfait, espresso foam and toffee macadamia nuts

The National competition follows the same principles as the individual state awards, aiming to showcase the fine dining now available around the country. The winning teams from each state reproduce their menu for a team of National Judges headed up by the renowned Peter Howard.

In 2009, the national finalists were: