Daniela Tucci wins 2016 North West Young Chef of the Year competition in fantastic final

Merseyside-based student chef Daniela Tucci has won the 2016 North West Young Chef of the Year competition after a great final day of cooking.

Merseyside-based student chef Daniela Tucci has won the 2016 North West Young Chef of the Year competition after a great final day of cooking.

She becomes the first female to win the competition since its inception in 2002 in a live final which featured 5 other contestants from other regions.

Daniela, who studies at The City of Liverpool College and works at the Art School as a pastry chef, prepared a delightful offering of a Claremont Farm asparagus, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce starter, a Callum’s Blackface Suffolk Lamb with a spring cabbage parcel, caramelised onion purée, heritage carrots, peas and beets main and a dessert of wild strawberry basket with basil, Two Cathedrals honey and balsamic vinegar.

The North West Young Chef Competition, sponsored by Oliver Harvey, invites young chefs under the age of 23 from regions across the North West of England to compete against each other in an intense two and a half hour cook off to produce a three course meal for two people featuring local, seasonal produce.

Having qualified from her heat thanks to the precision, finesse and presentation skills she displayed, Daniela was delighted to take victory in the final ahead of Manchester’s Steven Halligan.

“I feel so happy! I came today with the attitude as long as I do my best I really didn’t mind the outcome, but to win is amazing. It was probably the most stressed I have ever been in my life, but it was all worth it,” she said.

She also added a lovely tribute to her mentor and The Art School proprietor Paul Askew, thanking him for his “time, help and support”. Paul has seen first-hand just what a talent Daniela is and added, “Daniela is a very level headed, calm, composed person way beyond her years. She’s a special talent who started as a pastry chef but there’s no reason why she can’t master all corners of the kitchen and be the real deal. We’re all incredibly proud of Daniela and what she has achieved.”

In addition to the crown of North West Young Chef of for 2016, Daniela received £500 and automatic qualification into the semi-finals of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young National Chef of the Year competition, where she will be flying the flag for the North West in a battle against some of the best young chefs from other regions of the UK.

Ian Jundoo, the executive chef manager for the City of Liverpool College, said, “Daniela was an outstanding student and an incredible chef. She has a strong commitment to cooking great dishes and learning about the industry. To be the first female winner to claim the North West Chef of the Year title is amazing and well deserved, she is a serious talent. On behalf of the college I want to wish her congratulations and we are confident this award will be one of many.”

The chairman of the judges panel and award winning Master Chef of great Britain Brian Mellor added, “Daniela demonstrated great calm and at a time of great pressure, she was cooking with a smile on her face. Her dessert is really what put her ahead of the rest – it was exceptional.”

A big congratulations also go out to runner-up Steven Halliday, Lancashire’s Liam Anderson, Cheshire’s Krzysztof Borowiak, Shropshire’s Michael Burgess and Cumbria’s Ryan Lee, who all put in great performances and tremendous effort to qualify from their respective heats and reach the final.