AFW names finalists in gastronomy team competition 2010

The Academy of Food & Wine has named the finalists of the 2010 Gastronomy Team of the Year competition.

Now in its second year, the competition is designed to highlight the importance of a good working relationship between kitchen and front-of-house staff.

It is held in association with food and drink campaign Discover the Origin, the campaign to educate food and wine professionals about the provenance and origin of five Discover the Origin PDO products: Parma ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Burgundy wines, Port, and Douro Valley wines.

Five competing teams, who have each won their regional heat, will take part in a cook and serve final on 19 July at Westminster Kingsway College, London, where they will present a two-course menu with wines to a panel of judges.

The 2010 Gastronomy Team of the Year finalists are:

• Andaz, London - head chef Kadir Konuk and head sommelier Joris Beijn
• Fifth Floor, Harvey Nichols, London - chef Jan Kaplan and head sommelier Patrick Salles
• Hotel TerraVina, Hampshire - chef de partie Neil Cooper and sommelier Laurent Richet
• Saffron, Birmingham - executive chef Sudha Shankar Saha and sommelier Aklasul Momin
• Summer Lodge, Dorset - executive chef Steven Titman and head sommelier Clement Robert.

The winning team's establishment will receive an Academy training bursary of £3,000, along with the team's personal prize of a 10-day trip to France, Portugal and Italy. The runner-up's establishment will receive a £2,000 Academy training bursary.

AFW adds £10,000 bursaries to gastronomy team competitions >>

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By Kerstin Kühn

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