Rainer Sarrazin crowned winner of European Chef’s Cup in London

Rainer Sarrazin has been named Best European Chef for 2019 by Aramark, following his performance in the European Chef’s Cup, the prestigious international competition held each year by Aramark, one of the world’s leading catering companies.

The competition saw seven professional chefs from across Europe go head to head in London in a two day competition. The culinary competition brought together some of the best culinary talent on the continent including Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the UK as well as guest country Canada, to create the finest dishes possible.

Testing their creativity and practical talent, each of the seven finalists were asked to create a three-course menu from a pre-selected mystery basket. All of the competing chefs had four hours to complete and present their dishes. Each dish was then judged against strict criteria of taste, presentation and originality.

The judging panel comprised of some of the most experienced and respected professionals in the world of culinary arts. There were four technical judges from various countries and an esteemed group of six tasting judges who included; Pierre Koffman, who is one of a handful of chefs in the United Kingdom to have been awarded the coveted three Michelin stars; Paul Gayler MBE and Ed Loftas from the Jamie Oliver Group.

Germany’s Rainer Sarrazin was crowned winner of the competition in London, while second place was awarded to Rolando Oreiro from Canada, and Diego Mayoral from the UK achieved third place. The winners were announced at a very special ‘Evening of Culinary Celebration’, which was held at Jamie Oliver HQ.

Rainer’s winning dishes included monkfish seasoned pastrami style, peas, risotto, mussels, which were followed by breast and sandwich of pigeon, roast cauliflower and pickled onions. Dessert was carrot, chocolate dough, goat curd, exotic mango with a hint of almond.

Chef Rainer, said: “It’s been an incredible once in a lifetime experience and I knew going into this competition that I was going to be competing against some of the best chefs Europe has to offer. While it was quite a nerve-wracking experience to be judged by some of the top chefs in the country, it was an incredible honour.”

Jürgen Vogl, CEO of Aramark Germany, said: “The European Chef’s Cup was developed to support rising young stars and give them a platform to showcase their passion and skills.

“However, it goes beyond just that. It provides our chefs with the chance to compete against their international peers, which is a hugely beneficial learning experience. We’re extremely proud of Rainer; he displayed such skill, passion and determination to produce exceptional dishes.”

Frank Gleeson, president at Aramark Northern Europe, said: “Our European Chef’s Cup is now in its fourth year and is something which is very close to our hearts – we’re extremely passionate about championing and cultivating culinary talent, and the competition offers an amazing platform for anyone who’s passionate about food.

“The seven talented chefs in this year’s final were chosen for their passion, skill and ability. We wanted to see raw talent at its best, and we weren’t disappointed, we were thoroughly impressed by the level of ambition, expertise and commitment shown by each chef throughout the competition.”