Rotary Cooking On Gas at College!

Release date: 07/02/2010

Dundee College served up a treat on Sunday, February 7, when the Kingsway Campus played host to the finals of Rotary Young Chef District Competition.

Aiming to cook up a storm in the kitchen were 14 young people from all over east and north Scotland.

Aged between 11 and 17, the nine young ladies and five young men represented Rotary districts from Dunfermline to the very North of Scotland – the farthest travelled on the day from Ullapool.

Dundee representatives included: Cherri Tennant (Grove Academy) and Ritchie Higgins (Morgan) while Angus and the Mearns had Anna Kidd competing.

Fife was well represented by Abi Swift, Leven, Stephanie Sawko, Dunfermline, Kirsty Ellis, Dunfermline Carnegie, Blair Wilson, Glenrothes and Anne Doidge, Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay.

Aberdeenshire had two challengers, Melissa Kelman, Oldmeldrum, and Leon Abolghassem, Stonehaven; as did the Highlands with Holly Hunter, Ullapool, and Caitie Grainger, Loch Ness.

Connor Thomson, Alloa, and Antony Tickel, Bridge of Allan/Dunblane, were representing central Scotland.

All of these young people had already tasted victory – having had to prove themselves the winners when they ‘whipped’ their opponents during local heats.

The would-be chefs were aiming to cream the opposition and win through to the Rotary Regional Final with competitors from all over Scotland and north-east England where the target is to beat their competitors to a place in the national final.

The competition was hosted by local Rotary clubs, Dundee Discovery and Claverhouse.

Each competitor had to prepare a three-course meal for two using healthy ingredients and a budget of £14.

Caitie Grainger, of Beauly, impressed judges Robert Cleaver, chef patron of the Carron Restaurant, Stonehaven, Kirsty Kiezebrink, a lecturer in nutrition, and Bill MacFarlane-Smith, district governor of Rotary District 1010, by taking the top spot with the runner-up place going to Blair Wilson.

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