Local Chefs Stack Up

CHRIS Barnett from the Cottage in Scone and Glenbawn Dam local Mitchell Edwards who works at the Remington both competed at the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award in Tamworth on Tuesday and brought home bronze medals.

Colin Selwood is proud of Chris Barnett’s progress in the kitchen.

Chris who has worked at the Cottage since it opened two years ago said he enjoys being creative with cooking.

“I started cooking at home, just standard dinners and I enjoyed cooking,” said Mr Barnett.

“Here we make everything from scratch, which is great to be able to learn so may skills,” he said.

“I am good at doing deserts, but I really love cooking with lamb,” he said.

“It can be a high stress, so being patient in the kitchen is the most difficult part of being a chef,” Chris Barnett said.

Colin Selwood, chef and owner of the Cottage said he was proud of how Chris was progressing.

“It takes a special breed of people that like adrenaline to be a chef,” said Mr Selwood.

“It’s not a trade it’s a profession, tradies have smoko and clock on and off, being a chef is long hours,” he said.

“And being a chef is more than working on a signature dish, it is concentrating on the work in front of you, running a kitchen, working out costings and managing a team of people,” he said.

“Chris has been here since we opened and it is nice to have someone stick it out,” Colin Selwood said.

Chris Barnett from the Cottage in Scone and Mitchell Edwards who is from Glenbawn Dam both took home bronze this week from the Nestle Golden Chef’s Awards.

Mitchell Edwards said he enjoyed the competition.

“It was good fun having a go and getting deedback form the judges,” said Mr Edwards.

“Timing is important in the kitchen judging how long it will take something to set or the time to get the lamb the way you want it, so we chose things that we knew we could cook well in the time we had,” he said.

“I really enjoy cooking and it has a bit of science to it as well, probably my favourite thing to cook is a good steak with good components, like a nice butter,” Mitchell Edwards said.

In the competition Chris and Mitchell created a two-course menu of lamb saddle with mint oil, carrot butter puree and crispy potato cubes topped with a red wine and veal sauce for their main and coconut mousse with orange infused cream and marbled chocolate for their dessert course.