Winners Announced for the 2009 Thierry Marx Award

Two young Victorian apprentice chefs; Matthew Carnell – Mercers Restaurant (Eltham) and Tim Squires – Gingerboy (Melbourne) have been announced as the winners of the highly sought after 2009 Thierry Marx Career Development Award at a luncheon at Nobu at Crown Melbourne on April 30th 2009. Matthew and Tim will be sharing the experience with Natalie Watkins of Waddingtons at Kergunyah who was one of the 2008 winners but unable to take the trip to France last year due to personal circumstances.

Natalie, Matthew and Tim have all worked hard throughout the competition to realize their dream of winning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to France in early August for a months work experience at Thierry Marx’s 18th Century Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in Bordeaux.

Apprentices were required to complete their entry form along with a submission of two original recipes which they were required to cook for tasting and assessment during a workplace visit by the judges.

The competition, now in its third year, was heavily supported with entrants from a number of venues throughout regional Victoria and Melbourne. Six finalists were chosen - two from regional Victoria and four from Melbourne - with judges visiting all venues to assess the candidates on not only their technical culinary skills, but their interpersonal skills including attitude, passion, goals and aspirations.

“Once again Restaurant & Catering Victoria is very pleased to be presenting this award in conjunction with our major sponsors to two very inspiring young chefs. They were not only chosen for their cooking abilities but their passion and dedication to their craft and their industry. We believe that they will in future become champions of their trade as they both see the hospitality industry as a career not just a job – this is what the award is designed to encapsulate and we believe Matthew, Tim and Natalie are worthy winners” according to Todd Blake, CEO Restaurant & Catering Victoria.

Matthew Carnell (aged 19) from Mercers studied cooking at Eltham College in years 9 – 12 (2004 – 7) and this experience ignited his passion for cooking. Upon completing school Matthew chose the hospitality industry as his career and commenced work at Mercer’s Restaurant in Eltham in 2004 as an apprentice chef. Since that time, his passion has continued and he is currently completing his final year at The Sofitel Academy. In February 2008, Matthew enrolled in French language lessons hoping to realize his dream of one day working in France. According to Matthew, “This award will provide me with a unique cultural experience and a great privilege to work in a 18th century Chateau in France and a great opportunity to further develop my career”.

Tim Squires (aged 25) is a second year apprentice working at Melbourne’s highly awarded Gingerboy. He displays a natural flair with the wok and has demonstrated an understanding of the sweet, sour, salty and hot seasonings that define Gingerboys culinary style. According to Tim “I love cooking and the buzz of the kitchen. Sometimes the hours hurt and the fryer burns, but I love the challenge of representing Gingerboy, day in, day out”.

Natalie Watkins (aged 22) from Waddingtons at Kergunyah in Northern Victoria is a third year
apprentice. According to Natalie “Working in regional Victoria is fantastic as I have opportunity to work directly with the freshest ingredients - we try and grow as much of our own produce or buy from trusted local suppliers. Cooking is my passion - the more knowledge I gain, the more humble I feel as one understands how immense the world of cookery is“.

The Thierry Marx Career Development Award partners include: Meat & Livestock Australia, Restaurant & Catering Victoria, Crown Melbourne and William Angliss Institute. Apprentices will receive airfares, accommodation and assistance with incidental expenses while their employers will receive an allowance to offset additional staffing costs while the apprentices are in
France.