Coleg Llandrillo Students Trailblaze for Wales with Double Win at Zest Quest Asia
Three Level 3 Professional Cookery students from Coleg Llandrillo not only became the first Welsh college team to make it to the final rounds of the recent Zest Quest Asia culinary competition but also brought home two prizes.
Tesni Young (18), Hugo Loh (17) and Arthur Kinnerley-Williams (17), competed against teams from seven other colleges across the UK to bring home two outstanding awards:
Best Use of a Panasonic Accelerated Combination Oven – winning the college a new oven, as well as a hands-on Panasonic Japanese Street Food Experience masterclass with Chef Akemi for the students.
Best Use of Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce – with the prize of a three-month supply of premium oyster sauce and a live tutorial delivered at Coleg Llandrillo.
During the demanding two-day competition, from 9th-10th of April in London, the trio delivered a 20-minute presentation on their dishes and the East Asian region they were representing, supported by a themed table display that showcased their concept. They then successfully produced a four-course menu within two hours, whilst being questioned by the judges. The experience gave the students the chance to demonstrate their excellent technical ability, organisation and teamwork under pressure.
From left to right, Hugo Loh, Arthur Kinnerley-Williams and Tesni Young with their tutor, Glen Hughes, at the Zest Quest Asia Gala Evening and Awards Dinner at the Hilton London Wembley
Zest Quest Asia first launched in 2013. It is a culinary competition designed for college teams. It gives students the chance to demonstrate their expertise, creativity, knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Asian cuisine. This year, Coleg Llandrillo became the first Welsh college to qualify for the Zest Quest Asia Final.
Glen Hughes, Service Industries Lecturer at Coleg Llandrillo, said: I cannot emphasise enough how proud I am of what they have achieved. Their dedication has been exceptional. They consistently gave up their own time, coming in on days off to practise, refine dishes, and perfect their skills. That level of commitment really showed in their performance.
To perform at this level in a national competition is a huge accomplishment, and they represented the college with professionalism, creativity, and pride throughout.”
A huge well done to Tesni, Hugo and Arthur – what a fantastic achievement!
Are you interested in a career in catering? Check out Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s range of courses and state-of-the-art training facilities here: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/hospitality-and-catering
