Blanket Bay chef wins prestigious award

Blanket Bay chef Daniel Reynolds was awarded the prestigious NZ Commis Chef of the Year in Auckland recently, his third culinary success this year.

Chef Reynolds began his campaign for Commis Chef of the Year when he won the South Island Commis Chef of the Year Award earlier this year. He also picked up an award in the Southern Lights competition.

Mark Sycamore, Executive Chef at Blanket Bay said Chef Reynolds was a deserving recipient.

“Chef Reynolds had by far the most consistent results across the four judging classes,” he said. “He is talented, works hard and we’re proud to have such a great chef in our kitchen at Blanket Bay.”

To achieve the title NZ Commis Chef of the Year, Daniel had to compete in a four-part event and achieve a minimum standard of silver medal in every class.

Chef Reynolds was awarded gold medal and second place in the Hot Main Course Presented Cold class, gold medal and first place in the Static Cold Dessert class, silver medal and second place in the Live Akoroa Salmon Main Course, and silver medal and second place in the Live Main Course and Dessert class.

The award ceremony was held at the NZ Culinary Fare which forms part of HospitalityNZ at the ASB showgrounds in Auckland from August 22nd to 26th.

Chef Reynolds’ success is the latest in a long history of culinary competition success for Blanket Bay, including Morgan Thacker winning last year’s South Island Commis Chef of the Year, Chef Joseph Clarke winning Southern Lights Commis Chef of the Year for two years running, Executive Chef Mark Sycamore winning the Southern Lights Open Chef of the Region for the third time in three attempts as well as winning a $12,000 Restaurant Association of New Zealand Continuing Education Grant.

Chef Ana Wares has also won a $5,000 Hospitality Standards Institute Education Scholarship to be put towards a week long event management workshop presented by Relish Group’s David Williams.

Blanket Bay General Manager Philip Jenkins says the results are outstanding and he is very proud of his team.

“These results are testimony to the exceptional quality of the Blanket Bay culinary team and the ongoing commitment to excellence and career development by the resort’s owners and management.

“It’s a win-win for us. By encouraging our chefs to compete in these sorts of events, which in turn leads to them winning scholarships and furthering their careers, Blanket Bay gains exceptional food quality and high guest satisfaction. It also boosts team morale and builds a positive, supportive working environment. The end result is that we have excellent staff retention which is very important in the highly competitive area of cuisine personnel.”