First Taste Of Italy For Competition Winning Chef
19 August 2011
Chef lecturer Robert Stordy who has won the Galbani Mozzarella recipe competition
I'll be based at a cookery school at Montone, which is about 30km from Perugia. I get to go truffle hunting, wine and olive oil tasting, and experience a couple of traditional Italian cookery classes.
”A University Chef-Lecturer will travel to Italy and sample its fine foods for the very first time, after winning a national search for an imaginative Italian recipe.
Robert Stordy, who is the Chef Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Culinary Arts degree programme at the University of Derby Buxton, came joint first in the Galbani Mozzarella recipe competition with his delicious penne, porcini and Galbani mozzarella timpano with a sun-dried tomato and olive salsa.
The competition was run by Lactalis McLelland, the producer of Galbani, and was judged by a panel of leading chefs including members from the Craft Guild of Chefs together with Italian cookery icon, Valentina Harris.
Valentina said of Robert's recipe: "The ingredients used were authentically Italian and the dish fit the brief well. It would also be simple to prepare in advance and so extremely suitable for a gastro pub and restaurant menu, and could be served as a vegetarian dish or, as Robert suggested, alongside pork piccata."
Robert's prize was a four day trip to Umbria, Italy, in October where he will be wine tasting, truffle hunting and cooking at Valentina Harris' cookery school. This will be the first time Robert has travelled to Italy.
He said: "It's a fantastic prize. I'll be based at a cookery school at Montone, which is about 30km from Perugia. I get to go truffle hunting, wine and olive oil tasting, and experience a couple of traditional Italian cookery classes. I'm looking forward to sharing all of these experiences and inspiration for new recipes with my students when I return."
Robert shares first place with chef Paul Robinson whose recipe - chicken and red pepper roulade with a Galbani mozzarella mousse, pesto spaghetti, garnished with balsamic caviar, chicken crackling and tomato crisps - also impressed the judges.
For more information about Hospitality and Culinary Arts degree programmes at the University of Derby Buxton visit www.derby.ac.uk/udb
