Sam Potter, executive chef for property giant Knight Frank, has been named Lexington’s chef of the year following its annual chef competition.
LexChef 09 was held at the staff restaurant at law firm Reed Smith on the 31st floor of the Broadgate Tower, London, last week.
Potter competed with five other Lexington finalists in a cook-off judged by celebrity chef Angela Hartnett, chef-patron of Murano in London, Alan Bird, head chef of the Ivy, Andrew Turner from the Landau at the Langham, Amanda Afiya, Caterersearch.com web editor and last year’s LexChef winner, Matt Jaynes.
Potter, whose two-course menu included roast fillet of monkfish, crab and coriander beignet, fruit chutney, sweet potato purée and coriander and lemon foam followed by a dessert of caramelised marsala poached apple, panettone perdu, poached blackberries, won a trip to the region of Champagne in France.
“I think anyone watching the presentation could tell by the expression on my face that I wasn’t expecting to win Lex Chef 09. The other finalists produced some really strong main courses but I think it was my dessert that helped me win the competition. My background is as a pastry chef and my dessert was a good as I could have hoped for on the night,” commented Potter.
The other finalists, Carl Williams, Jamie Draper, Steve Reece, Craig Coe and Matt Gentle, received a signed copy of Angela Hartnett’s book, Cucina.
Lexington’s chef director Rob Kirby said: “This was our third Lex Chef and it just seems to get better and better. This year was billed as ‘clash of the titans’ with all finalists being confident head chefs. Sam’s win was well deserved after he made the final in the 2008 competition and finished a runner-up.”
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By Amanda Afiya
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