Louis Morford has been named BM Caterer’s Chef of the Year after impressing judges at the latest iteration of the culinary competition.
A chef de partie at a London law firm, his winning dish featured turbot cooked on the bone with a side of leeks glazed in sherry vinegar.
His prize includes a food-focused trip to one of Europe’s culinary hot spots, including visits to multiple restaurants and markets.
The competition, which has been running for approximately seven years, took place at St Luke’s Community Centre in London. Five chefs were tasked with cooking a turbot alongside a box of mystery ingredients chosen by judge Adam Byatt, which was revealed to include a selection of seasonal vegetables. The chefs also had to make petit fours and serve a terrine they had prepared ahead with garnishes and accompaniments, all in an hour and 45 minutes.
The event was judged by BM chef consultants Adam Byatt, chef-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Trinity in Clapham, and Mark Kempson, head chef at the Michelin-starred Kitchen W8 in Kensington.
Louis Morford, chef de partie at BM Caterers, said: “It was a great opportunity to be involved in the competition. Not just be tested under pressure on the night, but also to refine dishes in practice and work on them together with colleagues. It was great, too, having the opportunity to cook for such widely respected chefs, and I’m really grateful to BM and the innovation team for organising this event and for all the development opportunities they provide throughout the year.”
Adam Byatt, said: “We go on a journey of learning and discovery the whole way through our careers as chefs. Things like this can be absolute milestones in your career as you get to surround yourself with colleagues you wouldn’t normally, and get to learn from others, and have you work judged. Pushing and putting your head above the parapet is how we grow as chefs and progress. It’s all about the journey, not winning. No doubt the chefs will have grown from this experience. Well done everyone.”
BM also hosted its Hungry Chef competition last week, which is aimed at junior chefs within the company, such as commis chefs and chef de parties, giving them a taste and experience of the competition environment.
Yufei Lei, a commis chef also at a London law firm, was named the overall winner of the event, which has been running for three years. Her prizes include a dining experience at Kitchen W8 with a menu specially developed for them by head judge Mark Kempson, as well as a tailored culinary shopping trip, where they will be able to purchase specialist books and knives.
Each chef was given masterclasses and support ahead of the day, when they had to cook dishes they had designed around a main featuring either mackerel or fallow venison saddle, as well as tackle a seasonal mystery box which was revealed to include a range of squashes, kale and sand carrots.
Lei has only been working in the kitchen for three months, having previously worked as a barista for BM. The judges praised her for showing great dedication to learning and practising her dish extensively, the refinement of her dish, the cooking of the venison and the season, which they said made it stand out.
Lei, said: “Thanks to our company giving junior chefs a chance to show up and grow, and for Daryll and Paul’s organising to make the competition happen. I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to my chef Gareth, thanks for encouraging me to go through the whole competition and always coaching with patience. I can’t list every single chef who encouraged me, tasted my dish, gave me feedback – a huge thank you to everyone! We’re a lovely team.”
Kempson was joined by Rory Goulcher, senior development chef at Belazu, to judge the competition, in which seven chefs took part.
Daryll Young, BM’s head of chef development and innovation, said: “This is the best year we have had so far for Hungry Chef. We had seven chefs cooking and they were all exceptional, making it very hard for the judges to pick a winner on the night. One of the reasons we started this competition was to help the younger, less experienced chefs with their development and we can see that really starting to take effect.”
