Dinalyn Cordero and Nabina Pun, both 18, beat students from Barnet, Southgate and Waltham Forest at a gruelling cook-off at Southgate College, when they had to prepare a three-course meal for six people in three and half hours. Dinalyn is Filipino by birth, while Nabina is from Kathmandu, Nepal.
The contest, the first of its kind between the colleges, was judged by two top London chefs - Alan Bird, executive chef at the famous Ivy Restaurant in Covent Garden, and Dominic Teague, head chef of 1901 at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street.
They gave marks out of five for hygiene, taste, texture, timing and presentation. The winning meal was an avocado, tomato and bacon salad with sweet corn tempura, grilled lamb cutlets and vegetables and gooseberry and hazelnut tart.
Level 2 student Dinalyn was already a winner last year when she became the West London Skills Games Level 1 champion in Food Preparation and then won a College prize, but she still felt very nervous.
She practised with her Level 1 teammate Nabina when both were chosen to go forward after a round of internal competitions in the College’s catering department which has its own Tower Restaurant and kitchens at the Wembley Park campus.
Said Dinalyn: “Nabina and I were the only all-girl team. I was the lead member so I was shouting out telling her what to do. We could hardly believe it when we won. Our tutor Sebastien Derhore was very proud. Now I want to be the best chef ever!”
Dinalyn, who came to Britain less than three years ago speaking limited English, lives in Willesden, while Nabina, whose family arrived in London two years ago, lives in Alperton. Both of them want to be head chefs eventually – although the next step for Nabina is to gain her Level 2 certificate.
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Dinalyn works part-time as a commis chef in the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, where she did work experience, but from July she will work there full time.
PICTURES SHOW:
Top: Nabina (left) and Dinalyn with their CNWL tutor, Sebastien Derhore from France
Bottom: Nabina and Dinalyn with their trophy
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