Young Chefs Head to the Hilton for ‘Cooking for the Starrs'!

On June 6th up-and-coming young chefs from Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (MET) went head to head in a ‘MasterChef’ style fundraising evening, cooking up some exquisite food for 130 guests whilst raising an incredible £3360 for us.Supported by chef tutor Quentin Smith-Weston from MET and mentored by Head Chef at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, Kurt Cutajar, student Head Chefs Saffron Penny and Ryan Stimpson with sous chefs Jodie Payne and Marcus Barnes, created some culinary magic with an incredible 6-course menu focusing on seasonal and affordable produce.This year was the first time this popular event was held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole and was a huge success with the Hilton generously sponsoring the entire evening. Diners enjoyed a glass of champagne upon arrival in the beautifully refurbished Regency Suite and went on to critique and vote on delicious dishes that included Saffron’s deconstructed Black Forest Gateau. Kurt Cutajar, who gave up a huge amount of his time to do this, brought 2 of his sous-chefs with him and they all worked at the pass throughout an evening of excellent collaboration, presentation and truly creative food.The winning chef was Saffron Penny who currently works at the Windsor Hotel in East Worthing and sous chef Jodie Payne from the Hilton. Saffron delighted guests with her delicious menu and was thrilled to have won. She told us “I’ve loved being a student at MET, the course has really helped me to see how catering would work and find my path in the business. Doing this charity event for the Starr Trust has helped give me much more insight into how functions work and how to manage a team. My dream now would be to head up a team in a big London restaurant”.Our Fundraising Manager Tracey said “this sold out event is now in its fifth year and we’re so grateful to Kurt for his time and expertise; to the dedicated college tutors and to Sascha Koehler and Brighton Hilton Metropole for their continued sponsorship. This event has always been about the students also gaining employment and this year by actually working at the hotel both chefs and front of house engaged with the Hilton’s events team and Kurt about jobs. We were also lucky enough to have our Starr Trust Patron Robin Cousins and guest Momma Cherri there, who spoke about their involvement with us and supporting the next generation of chefs. The money we raised was also the highest amount so far so that was the icing on the ‘deconstructed’ cake!”.Well done to both teams:Team 1: Saffron Penny (Captain), Jodie Payne (Sous Chef), Kirsty Hopper, Chelsea Beynon, Ned Clear, Finnley Pearce, Lucas Remington-Byford, Cameron MGowan and Liam Stanley.Team 2: Ryan Stimpson (Captain), Marcus Barnes (Sous Chef), Charlotte Nash Walker, Michelle Atkinson, Liam Knight, Carl Parker, Alfie Williams, Daniel Mottau and Sophy Goodwin.

Photos by Jeff Mood Photography.