It was a momentous night week as three aspiring young Hunter Chefs from three of the region’s greatest restaurants cooked for their career with sights set on a trip to London to work with one of the world’s leading Chefs, former Novocastrian, Brett Graham. Brett’s famed London restaurant, The Ledbury, was recently awarded the highest accolade, three Michelin Stars.
It was 20-year-old recently qualified Chef Leonardo Milan, who works at Newcastle’s Chef-hatted Flotilla Restaurant in Wickham, that won over the judges and the $10,000 cash prize. Leo, as he is fondly known by his peers, has been mentored for the past three years by one of Newcastle’s leading restauranteurs Eduardo Molina and by his two top Chefs Jake Deluca and Liam Gray.
"Leo is as passionate as young chefs can get, he’s confident and has the discipline to become a great chef. This opportunity is next level for him, and we couldn’t be prouder,” says Eduardo.
"Leo has deservedly been crowned the 2024 Brett Graham Scholar of this prestigious award now in its 23rd year. It’s a career-changing opportunity for this young guy and the first time a fellow Novocastrian will have the opportunity to work at The Ledbury since attaining 3 Michelin Stars,” notes Hunter Culinary Association Vice-president Joey Ingram.
The Hunter Culinary Association, in conjunction with TAFE NSW, hosts this prestigious annual event, which aims to recognise and nurture one of the Hunter Region’s most talented young Chefs.
Last week eight preliminary finalists cooked for their chance to work under Brett at The Ledbury. In a competition first, Brett himself made a special appearance over live-stream giving the three finalists some words of encouragement as they fought it out in an energy-filled cook-off. The $10,000 prize sponsored by both the Hunter Culinary Association and TAFE NSW will assist in covering airfares and accommodation in London.
According to the judges, second and third place was even harder to split but after tough debate, it was Humbug’s Lachlan Dowsett who was named runner-up and Circa 1876’s Lara Hagan who was placed third and each took home prizes to help establish their careers.
Previous winners of the Brett Graham Scholarship have included Troy Rhoades Brown, Garreth Robbs, Chris Thornton, George Mirosevich and Josh Gregory, among other great names in our local culinary industry.
Chief Judge Tracey Amos from TAFE was accompanied by Jacob Hobbs, Nicholas Hill and the Newcastle Herald’s Lisa Rockman on the judging panel. All four commented on the incredible talent displayed by this year's competing young apprentices:
"This scholarship, made possible through our partnership with the Hunter Culinary Association and Hunter TAFE Foundation, is an incredible chance for the students to take everything they have learned in their training and apply it in a high-pressure environment.
"It allows them to hone their skills and explore their potential, while providing a unique opportunity to travel across the world and learn from one of the best."
The night is also a fabulous opportunity for the industry to acknowledge and celebrate Front of House Hospitality talent in the region and the incredible generosity of Hunter Culinary Association’s partner Scarborough Wines which sponsors this award.
The Scarborough Wine Co.Front of House Scholarship was awarded to Yasmine Kelly from Yellow Billy restaurant in Pokolbin. Yasmine was presented with a cheque for $5000 to spend on advancing her career.
The Rising Star Front of House Scholarship was presented to Noah Adamthwaite from Margan Restaurant. This award is aimed at nurturing and encouraging a young Front of House professional who stands out in their career journey. Noah wins himself a fully paid Diploma in Hospitality Management from TAFE NSW along with dining vouchers for him to experience other good hospitality offerings as well as a WSET Wine course with Queensland College of Wine Tourism.
Gus Maher, Chair of Hunter Culinary Association also notes: "We are so proud of what we achieve here with our partner TAFE NSW. Time and again Brett Graham Scholars have repaid our investment handsomely, returning to The Hunter, with many now our emerging industry leaders. We also acknowledge the incredible generosity of our partner Scarborough Wines who gives endlessly to supporting Front of House talent.”
