Competition Information

We’re excited that the 2023 competition is back to live chef-to-chef cook-offs at both Regional and Grand Finals, so that young chefs can showcase their cooking skills and be rated against their peers.

WHO CAN ENTER?

Apprentice and junior chefs, who are:
•   Australian or New Zealand residents or a holder of a valid visa during the competition period (May 23 – September 12, 2023).
•   Aged from 16 and under 25 years on 31st December 2023.
•   A culinary student or currently employed (or recently employed within past 12 months) in a culinary profession (e.g., chef, cook, apprentice) and have the consent of their employer prior to entering.

Regional & Metro Cook-offs

The first phase of the competition is the Regional & Metro Cook-Offs (Round 2), see below for dates and locations. Each chef will prepare and present in 2.5 hours, two covers of each course: Main (Hot: Protein with appropriate accompaniments) and Dessert (Hot or cold).

The dishes will be judged to globally recognised standards with the opportunity to win medals at each stage.

Regional Prizes
We'll select one winner per region to proceed to Round 3 (the grand final cook-off). Each regional winner will win a kitchen equipment prize (of their choice), courtesy of SOLIDTEKNICS plus a beautiful chef’s knife from KOI Knives.
Please note that NSW Regional will consist of two heats in the following towns (Newcastle & Grafton). The NSW Regional participant who scores the highest points from the two NSW Regional heats will be invited to participate in Round 3.

2023 Australia & New Zealand Regional Dates and Locations

MAY

24/05/23 NSW Regional Grafton

Location: TAFE NSW Grafton

JUNE

26/06/23 Australia Capital Territory

Location: Canberra Institute of Technology

28/06/23 NSW Regional Newcastle

Location: TAFE NSW Hamilton Campus

29/06/23 South Australia

Location: TAFE SA Regency Campus

JULY

02/07/23 Western Australia

Location: Nth Metro TAFE Joondalup

04/07/23 New South Wales Metro

Location: TAFE NSW Ryde

11/07/23 Victoria

Location: William Angliss Institute

13/07/23 Northern Territory

Location: Charles Darwin University

16/07/23 North Queensland

Location: TAFE Queensland

20/07/23 Tasmania

Location: Tas TAFE Drysdale

22/07/23 South Queensland

Location: TAFE Queensland

26/07/23 New Zealand North Island

Location: Ignite Colleges

28/07/23 New Zealand South Island

Location: ARA Institute of Canterbury

Grand Final Prizes

Award: Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year
The Winner will be awarded an international travel & work experience to Germany. Prize will include attendance at the IKA/Culinary Olympics, (February 2 - 7, 2024), in Stuttgart, Germany as well as one opportunity to gain an international culinary work experience in Europe (to be advised). Winner will also receive a set of KOI Kitchen Knives and $1,000 AUD spending money. Total prize pool is valued at $11,295AUD.

Award: Best Savoury Dish
The chef that has obtained the highest points for either their entrée or main course will be deemed Best Savoury Dish Prize Winner & will win $2,500 AUD, to support their culinary advancement.

Award: Best Dessert Dish
The chef that has obtained the highest points for their dessert dish will be deemed the Best Dessert Dish Winner & will win $2,500 AUD, to support their culinary advancement.

Award: Most Creative Use of a Nestlé Product
One chef will be awarded the Most Creative Use of Nestlé Product receiving SOLIDTEKNICS kitchen equipment package (of their choice) valued at $1,000AUD.

Award: Most Sustainable Practice
Sustainability in food service is an essential part of the future of our industry and is a key area of focus for Nestlé.
This year we have expanded this award to include the chefs who have competed in the 2023 Regional Cook-offs. This award will be given to the chef that demonstrates the most innovative sustainable practice (or ‘hack’) within their local workplace. This might include sourcing local and native produce from artisan suppliers, head-to-tail practice to eliminate as much waste as possible, using home-grown ingredients - along with any other methods you can showcase.
You will be required to tell the story behind your sustainable ‘hack’ to the judges in a video, so be ready to impress! Click here for more Information on how to submit your video and what is required.