A young German cook has lost both of his hands after an attempt at molecular gastronomy went badly awry. The Berliner Morgenpost daily said a 24 year-old man was attempting to use liquid nitrogen to concoct exciting new dishes but an “enormous explosion” saw the man lose both hands. He was rushed to hospital and remains in a critical condition. Molecular gastronomy, a scientific approach to cooking, has taken off in recent years with the assistance of pioneer Ferran Adria – the... ...Read more »

Australian chef Jake Nicholson has claimed third place for Australia in the prestigious San Pellegrino Cooking Cup, held in Venice late last month. Nicholson’s dish of John Dory, baby squid in ink and marsala with soft white polenta, treviso, pinenuts and currants saw him surpass seven of the world’s best young chefs, but fall just short of South Africa and Italy – in first and second places, respectively. The day long challenge saw the young chefs pit their skills against each... ...Read more »

Australia’s finest young chefs and waiters last week completed a tour of Victoria’s leading food and wine regions in preparation for judging of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence competition. The competition, co-founded by celebrated restaurateurs Luke Mangan and Lucy Allon, is now in its fifth year and rewards the leading young performers in Australia’s competitive restaurant industry. The competition was set-up to nurture young talent toward becoming the next Neil Perry, Guy... ...Read more »

South Australian Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Paul Caica, last week announced the signing of an historic agreement with the French chapter of Europe’s association of top chefs: Euro-Toques International. “This is a very exciting opportunity, which will see South Australia’s aquaculture industry receive unique access to the world’s biggest seafood market,” he said. “Euro-Toques International counts amongst its members the world’s most influential... ...Read more »

The state finalists for the prestigious Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards were announced last week in three categories: Electrolux Young Chef, Electrolux Young Waiter and Electrolux Young Restaurateur. Now in its fifth year, Electrolux Appetite for Excellence, co-founded by Luke Mangan and Lucy Allon, is dedicated to educating and nurturing emerging hospitality industry professionals. The finalist chefs from across the country participated in a professional ‘cook off’, racing... ...Read more »

Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett yesterday launched a new culinary event that will bring some of the world’s best chefs to the state, celebrate Tasmanian quality produce and highlight the ability to turn Tassie into Australia’s food bowl. “By embracing innovation and large-scale irrigation, we can turn Tasmania into the nation’s food bowl,” he explained. “We can create a continuum of food excellence that runs from the seedlings in the paddock right through to the... ...Read more »

A new report in the UK has questioned the impact of a number of celebrity chefs on the consumer diet, suggesting some are contributing to the high rates of obesity in the region. The study by The Fat Panel analysed the saturated fat content of a variety of starters, main courses, side orders and desserts from popular cook books and discovered that many celebrity chefs’ recipes contained more than 100% of the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) of saturated fat (30g for men and 20g for women) in a... ...Read more »

Applications for Electrolux Appetite for Excellence, the ultimate national competition for young hospitality professionals are now open. The new season brings exciting news for the program as it welcomes a new naming rights partner, Electrolux, and the introduction of a new category for promising restaurant entrepreneurs, the Electrolux Young Restaurateur award. “With Electrolux Appetite for Excellence we really want to support and encourage young professionals working in all aspects of the... ...Read more »

The Restaurant 09 Melbourne trade show is moving to new dates in June to better suit the market and attract more international chefs. It will now run from 17-18 June 2009 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Exhibition manager Michael-William Kelly said the new dates would allow them to work with the overseas chefs and winemakers appearing at The Good Food & Wine Show. “We can now take advantage of the synergies across our shows to add value, as well as provide the industry... ...Read more »

Norwegian chef, Geir Skeie, has claimed the top prize at the biennial Bocuse d’Or – commonly referred to as the Olympics of cooking. For more than twenty years the Bocuse d’Or has been staging the most beautiful gourmet creations in the world in the manner of a haute couture fashion show. Working in contest kitchens set up facing the public, 24 chefs from all over the world took up the challenge to create two perfect dishes within 5 hrs 35 minutes. Similarly to the popular Japanese... ...Read more »