Toque d’Or® 2023 Winners Crowned
The winners of the 35th-anniversary edition of Nestlé Professional Toque d’Or® have been chosen. 12 finalists made it through to the Grand Finals where they battled it out in a week of tough challenges. Two winners emerged…
This year’s Toque d'Or winners: Amber Clay and Joshua Kerr were crowned champions after a challenging Grand Finals Week during 5-9th June.
Toque d'Or Grand Finals are designed to excite and inspire, while putting contestants through their paces, and our 35th anniversary edition didn’t disappoint. Finalists were presented with an assortment of exciting, sustainability-based challenges, allowing them to show off their skills in creative ways; from learning about sustainable dairy farming and mastering the art of wild food foraging, to creating exotic cocktails in a head-to-head contest.
What happened during the final week?
Throughout the week, finalists enjoyed mentorship and advice from our top-flight judging panel as well as a number of guest judges and partners. This was led by award-winning chef and restauranteur, Tommy Banks; MasterChef Festive Knockout winner, Louisa Ellis; educator, sommelier and wine expert, Raul Diaz; and 2021 FOH Toque d’Or winner, Sophie Taylor.
Brough Castle – regenerative agriculture and maintaining a supply of fresh milk
The week started with a trip to Brough Castle - part of First Milk, a farmer-owned dairy cooperative. Here, participants experienced first-hand how First Milk and Nestlé are working together to build a long-term approach to regenerative agriculture to support farmers and reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the supply of fresh milk.
Nestlé Product Technology Centre – sustainable ingredient sourcing and chocolate masterclass
The confectionery challenge at the Nestlé Product Technology Centre (PTC) in York was a culinary adventure and one of the key highlights from the week. This included a very special visit to the KitKat® factory, where competitors were able to experience the production process. This was followed by a chocolate masterclass from Nestlé’s Senior Confectioner, John Costello, with the students challenged to create delicious doughnuts and coffee shop style drinks in partnership with Richs and Sodexo. The milk from Brough Castle farm was used during the challenge, continuing with the sustainable sourcing of ingredients.
Ellers Farm Distillery – cocktail competition and sustainable alcohol processes
"All of the participants showed incredible skill and talent. It was wonderful to see their passion for new flavour combinations, and I was blown away by the creativity of their cocktails." Raul Diaz
Tommy Bank's farm - ‘farm to fork’ dining
Finalists also enjoyed a tour around Tommy Bank's farm. Here they learned about his devotion to ‘farm to fork’ dining, foraged for wild food, and had their knowledge tested in the garden identity test.
“It was a pleasure to host the finalists at my farm and share my passion for ‘farm to fork’ dining. Their enthusiasm as they foraged for wild food shone through and I was impressed by their level of knowledge in the garden identity test. The Fine Dining Challenge was the perfect culmination of their journey, showcasing their talent and creativity to esteemed partners and influential leaders across the hospitality industry. It was an incredible experience, and I’m proud to have been able to play my part.” Tommy Banks
Joshua Kerr, FOH Winner said: “I’m really proud of myself. To get to the final and be up against such talented people, who I now call friends, is a real privilege. Standing here as the winner of the front of house competition is the icing on the cake to what has been an incredible experience. It means so much and has given me an extra boost of confidence to really push myself in my career.”
Amber Clay, BOH Winner said: “It’s an incredible feeling to win the back of house competition. I’ve been thrown into the deep end, met some amazing people and learnt to not let fear hold me back. From meeting and cooking with Tommy Banks to learning about sustainable dairy farming, I've been able to develop a variety of new skills which will help me in my future career in hospitality.”
The awards ceremony took place on Friday 30th June at Landing 42, London. We’ll be posting photos of the winners’ trip to Brazil, so watch this space!
The Final Hurdle – the Fine Dining Challenge
As always, the Grand Finals week was topped off by the Fine Dining Challenge; their last chance to go all out and impress the judges, demonstrating their talent and creativity to hospitality business leaders at The Grand, York.
What did the Toque d’Or 2023 Champions Win?
Crowned champions, Amber Clay and Joshua Kerr will go on to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Brazil where they’ll discover São Paulo's vibrant gastronomy, learn about sustainable coffee in Espírito Santo, and enjoy a spectacular sightseeing trip in Rio de Janeiro. They'll also experience a ‘bean to cup’ journey, learning about regenerative farming techniques at a NESCAFÉ® Plan coffee farm, before watching the beans being transformed into coffee at one of its leading flavour development labs.
