Victory Services Club has scooped first place in two categories of the annual Venues of Excellence Cook and Serve Challenge. The winning Chef was Dilhan Sariffo’deen who is a Demi Chef de Partie and Kitchen Manager at the Club, His wins were in were in the Junior Category and were for Best Starter and Best Main Course.
Dilhan’s winning dishes were:
Best Starter: Sri Lankan spiced crispy battered haddock with poached scallop mousse wrapped in courgette served with a watercress and clam Hollandaise.
Best Main Course: Beef tenderloin with mushroom and Stilton bon-bon, served with asparagus, smoked beetroot, truffle oil, celeriac, artichoke pommes puree and a green peppercorn jus.
Dilhan said: “It was exciting to take part in this challenge; it was definitely a learning curve! I am Sri Lankan and this was a key influence in the flavours, ingredients and spices I built my dishes around. I’d like to thank Paul, my Executive Head Chef and Mark for encouraging me to enter and also a huge thank you to the entire kitchen team for supporting my efforts as I practiced and who kept me focused. It really was a team effort.”
Mark Field, General Manager, The Victory Services Club said: “We are thrilled that Dilhan has won two categories of this very prestigious challenge. He was up against some stiff competition, but his culinary skill and dedication paid off. Dilhan has been with us for 18 months and in that time, he has worked his way up and become a key member of our culinary team. It’s great to see a member of our team do so well in a national competition.”
The Cook and Serve Challenge and Awards Ceremony was held at Nottingham Venues EMCC and the Orchard Hotel.
