YOUNG chefs from The Balmoral, Kimpton Blythswood Square and Skibo Castle are in the running for this year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship.
The initiative is organised by the Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland in memory of the late chef, who passed away in 2019.
The six finalists will now take part in a skills test at Perth College UHI, where they will be judged by a panel that includes Stephen McLaughlin, head chef at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Tom Kerridge, chef patron at Hand & Flowers, and Lorna McNee, head chef at Cail Bruich.
The winning chef will have the opportunity to work at several prestigious restaurants, including Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and Core by Clare Smyth in London.
The finalists for this year’s scholarship are: Taraya Boyes and Rachel Bremner, both of The Balmoral in Edinburgh; Lee Christie and Sean Currie, both of Kimpton Blythswood Square in Glasgow; and Eddie Brown and Halil Can Durmaz, both of The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle in Dornoch.
“The calibre of chefs who applied this year was strong,” said McLaughlin.
“We have chosen six very deserving chefs who all submitted immaculate recipes and well-thought-out paper answers to the questions set out in front of them – questions that chef Andrew would no doubt have asked them himself.
“Our line-up for finals day contains male and female chefs from a broad range of age groups, and they also show a real wealth of experience from within Scotland’s culinary industry.
“I cannot wait to taste their dishes on the day and I’m hugely energised to be spending finals day with them all!”
