Pembroke Chefs Competition Winner

Pembroke Chefs Competition Results

Ioana 10
Darina 4
Sasa 2
Shane 2
Victoria 2
Nick 2
Tomasz 1

The Winner!

Ioana Cozma

Thank you to everyone who voted for the best Pembroke dish from this years University Culinary Competition. Below are the comments that helped decide the winner.
18 COMMENTS:

Chris Hinde said...

Let's kick off the voting - what a stunning selection! Clearly the creativity of our chefs knows no bounds. After a good deal of consideration, my vote goes to the Selection of Lamb by Sasa Williams.

The dish presents a tempting 'chocolate box' of colours and shapes, and I particularly like the delicate display of perfectly-presented vegetables alongside.

07 NOVEMBER 2009 23:03

Anonymous said...

My vote goes to the Loin of Tuna by Ioana Cozma: the plate looks fresh, simple and uncluttered and sounds absolutely delicious!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 12:06


Liz said...

The poached pear by Shane Miller looks absolutely fabulous; modern, exciting, but most of all appetising!

Any chance of getting that (or a modified version of it) at formal? Pretty please?!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 14:44


Anonymous said...

my vote goes to the "Assiette of Seafood" by Tomasz Kowal, I'd love to try that!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 15:07


Charlotte said...

For presentation, Nick Rose's "Strawberries and Chocolate" - what a stunning design!

For flavour, the most appealing is Selection of Risotto by Ioana Cozma. Presentation is also good for this one but it's the combination of flavours that sound particularly wonderful. Can we have some risottos like these in hall please?!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 15:39


Alex said...

I'm voting for the Selection of Tea Cakes by Tomasz Kowal; it may not be as fancy as some of the other dishes, but it's down to earth and the one I'd most like to try. :)

09 NOVEMBER 2009 22:46


Anonymous said...

If we're having to vote by presentation, I reckon Assiette of Chocolate by Darina Stoyanova wins, although it's a tough call...

09 NOVEMBER 2009 23:45


Anonymous said...

Loin of tuna - looks delicious!

10 NOVEMBER 2009 09:20


Anonymous said...

I vote for Creme Brulee by Victoria Mayhew. Looks delicious and a very well presented plate.

10 NOVEMBER 2009 12:41


Anonymous said...

I vote for Loin of Venison wrapped in Parma Ham by Darina Stoyanova - it's making me absolutely starving looking at it and the presentation looks great!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:49


Gareth Powell said...

The loin of tuna looks fabulous - very well presented, simple, yet with a lovely flourish with the small green leaves and fennel. Reminds me of something I had at Arbetus. Well done.

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:51


emma said...

there's a lot of brilliant stuff in there, but i keep coming back to those four risottos by ioana cozma. awesome concept; really intriguing flavours; marvelous colours; AMAZING presentation! they remind me of the sweets from a japanese tea ceremony. congratulations to all of the chefs, but this one's my choice for the winner :) .

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:55


Anonymous said...

Ioana Cozma's Loin of Tuna...

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:19


Anonymous said...

hmm... They all look absolutely incredible! After much deliberation, I have decided to give my vote to the Loin of Tuna by Ioana Cozma. This dish is so elegantly presented.The mixture of flavours and the overall presentation are unique

and inventive - stunning!


Well done to all the chefs their entries look amazing!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:21


Anonymous said...

All the dishes look fantastic! I like Ioana Cozma's Risotto dish in particular, I never saw a risotto presented so beautifully. Nick Rose's desert looks also fab. So my vote goes to those two. Compliments to all the chefs!!!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:43


Rachel said...

I would like to eat ioana's risotto for starter, darina's venison and winter veg for main course and victoria's creme brulee for pudding.


I like the clean presentation of all of these and the colours of the starter and maincourse. I also think the variety of the risotto and pudding, and the sous vide venison show cheffy skill I can't get at home and the use of winter vegetables is an appealing seasonal touch that will also complement the meat well.

I notice all my choices dishes cooked by the female members of the kitchen, and I'm a woman- I wonder if females prefer food made by females or if the women are just better! Throwing it out there for demial/debate!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 17:45

monicawirz said...

Well done to everyone in the team - I am so very proud of all that you always do, not only for this competition, but also on a daily basis, when the routine and pressure could easily make quality go down. Apart from the competition, you guys must know that your work is already a winner in Cambridge - everyone in my department keeps volunteering to eat here - your reputation is very much established!

Now, my vote... difficult choice, but if you absolutely need one name only, I would have to go with Darina's creations. But I would not say no to anyone's dishes. Well done!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 23:08

Anonymous said...

The selection of lamb by Sasa and the risotto by Iona are stunning. Major points for each, although I give Iona the slight edge for her culinary decadence.

Beautiful, captivating, intrinsically elegant and gastronomically intriguing, the dexterity of Williams in his arrangement and the intelligence of Cozma in her masterful use of colour fuel this competition with the mouthwatering difficulty of this choice.

-Marcos Paya

12 NOVEMBER 2009 18:58

Formal Hall Menus November 16th to 22nd

Feast Night Formal Hall

Monday 16th November

Amuse Bouche

Parsnip and Honey Soup Shot

Sweet potato crisp

-0-

Roquefort and Leek Tartlet

-0-

Pork Escallop wrapped in Parma Ham with Sage

Beef tomato baked with basil and mozzarella gremolata, gnocchi in tomato and basil sauce

(V) Mozzarella and Parmesan Calzone

Filled with puttanesca sauce and black olives

-0-

Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Feast Night Formal Hall

Tuesday 17th November

Grilled Trout

With pea puree and Verbena Hollandaise

(V) Garden Pea Soup

-0-

Intermezzo

Tomato Sorbet

-0-

Braised Beef sous vide

Anna Potatoes, French beans, and sautéed shallots

(V) Roasted Vegetable Wellington

-0-

Warm Chocolate Bouchon

Kirsch cherries and clotted cream

Feast Night Formal Hall

Wednesday 18th November

Spiced Carrot and Lentil soup

-0-

Whole Grain Mustard and Honey Crusted Pork Fillet sous vide

Sage and garlic roasted potatoes, celeriac and apple remoulade

Masala Cream Sauce

(V) Potato gnocchi with saffron, artichoke, and roasted hazelnuts

-0-

Vanilla Crème Brulee

With raspberries and shortbread

-0-

Dessert and Petit Fours

Formal Hall

Thursday 19th November

Pate De Campagne

Wrapped in Bacon with toasted brioche, hazelnut and pear chutney

(V) Green Olive Pate

-0-

Salt and Vinegar sea Bream

With fennel chips in cider batter

(V) Haloumi Fish and Chips

With buttermilk Batter, puree of peas and fennel chips

-0-

Dark Chocolate Mousse tart

With a hazelnut crust and blackberries

Formal Hall

Friday 20th November

Clam Chowder

(V) Vegetable Chowder

-0-

Slow Roasted Confit of Duck

Puree de pomme de terre, roasted carrots and parsnips, blood orange jus

(V) roasted Vegetable Ravioli

Ratatouille salsa and Parmesan Cheese

-0-

Mille feuille of Winter Berries

Blackberry syllabub and sweet puff pastry

Formal Hall

Saturday 21st November

Smoked Salmon Terrine with Cucumber

Dill and lemon dressing

(V) Vegetarian Terrine

-0-

Supreme of Pheasant Sous Vide

Filled with cranberry and sausage farce, wrapped in Parma Ham

Rosti potato, roasted carrots and parsnips, game jus

(V) Chestnut, Lentil and Cranberry Loaf with Brie

-0-

Marquis de Chocolat

Pistachios and crème Anglaise

Formal Hall

Sunday 22nd November

Homemade Fishcakes

Tartare sauce

(V) Sweetcorn Fritters

-0-

Roast Breast of turkey

Cranberry sauce, gravy, chestnut stuffing, chipolata sausage

Roast potatoes and cauliflower au gratin

(V) Nut and Barley Loaf with Roasted Apples

-0-

Warm Treacle Tart

Vanilla Ice Cream

The Vegan Tapas Bar and a Journey to the Isle of Wight

Wikipedia defines veganism as:

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind. The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.

Vegan diets (sometimes called strict or pure vegetarian diets) are a subset of vegetarian diets. Properly planned vegan diets are healthful and have been found to satisfy nutritional needs. Poorly planned vegan diets can be low in levels of calcium, iodine, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Vegans are therefore encouraged to plan their diet and take dietary supplements as appropriate. Various polls have reported vegans to be between 0.2% and 1.3% of the U.S. population, and between 0.25% and 0.4% of the UK population.

At Pembroke we have a few students that follow a vegan lifestyle but they are very much in the minority. The vast majority of Pembroke students enjoy a varied diet consisting of all the major food groups, hence the wide variety of food on offer in hall and the servery.

So why do we take up so much time, space and effort with a vegan tapas bar?

My intention in early 2008 was to re-vamp the food offering to include more healthy options i.e., more vegetables and pulses and fewer fried items. The tapas bar was designed to offer multiple healthy alternatives to the normal ‘meat and two veg’ options that most Colleges offered.
Students looking to eat a vegan or vegetarian diet could now purchase a selection of tapa's with pita bread and fruit or, if they preferred meat and fish, the tapas offered a large selection of vegetables and pulses to accompany their meal.

The dishes came about from my desire to see good portion control; previously food was simply spooned onto the plate and the portion size determined as much by the food server, as by the size of spoon they used, the item they were serving, or whether the student was male or female (this last factor was never proven but widely commented on!)

The tapas bar has had it fair share of critics; some have asked for two selections of tapas to be served in one dish (which we cannot do as it leads to cross contamination), others have stated a preference for their food being served on a plate and not in a little dish (I never understood this as it’s very easy to empty the dish onto your plate when you sit down).
But, for the vast majority of customers the tapas have been a big hit.

 To-date (13:56 on 09/11/09) we have served:

216,010 Portions!

If we placed each of the 216,010 tapas dishes end to end they would stretch all the way to the Isle of Wight (including the eight mile ferry crossing)!

That is 157 miles of healthy eating- show me a college that can beat that?