Cameron McCrossan who works at Mar Hall has been recognised by The Craft Guild of Chefs as part of the UK’s most promising culinary talent, after passing the prestigious Pastry Graduate Awards.
The results were revealed in style at a celebratory event hosted at Fortnum & Mason, where industry leaders, mentors, and supporters gathered to honour the chefs who reached the required standard in either the Kitchen or Pastry Graduate Award.
The Pastry Award involved completing a full day exam with a number of tasks including a hand dipped Gianduja chocolate, savoury focaccia, choux pastry for tasting and then creating a showpiece of a Croquembouche which celebrated ten years of the Pastry Graduate Award.
Founder and organiser Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: “The Graduate Awards continue to be a benchmark for excellence amongst young chefs. What stood out this year was the sheer determination and professionalism shown by every finalist. These ambitious chefs are the future of our industry, and it’s a privilege to support their journey.”
Chair of Pastry Examiners, Sarah Frankland, executive pastry chef at Pennyhill Park, added: “It was clear that every finalist had grown immensely through the process and there was a really calm and positive atmosphere in the kitchen. For me, the Graduate Awards is about that attention to detail and really delving deep into the brief. We wanted to see simple, classic pastry skills executed brilliantly and Cameron really did that.”
All Pastry Graduate Award achievers will enjoy a tour of the iconic Fortnum & Mason London Store with tea tasting and opportunities for Stages in one of the many restaurants. They will also be treated to a trip to the Veneto region of Italy organised by NOWAH.
You can find out more about the Graduate Awards via the Craft Guild of Chefs website at https://craftguildofchefs.org/
