Representing the country: chef Marcus Clayton will compete against other top chefs across the globe in a grand final
(Picture: Handout)A judging panel including leading chefs such as Claude Bosi and Sat Bains have named 26-year-old Marcus Clayton as the young chef of the year at a recent awards ceremony.
Clayton, who works at the Hide and Fox restaurant in Saltwood, Kent, triumphed in the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition with his signature dish of celeriac, apple and mushroom.
He will now prepare to compete for the UK at the grand final in Milan next year, with support from mentor Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef of the Michelin-starred Northcote restaurant in Lancashire. Goodwin-Allen may be better known to Londoners as the executive chef of the Stafford hotel.
Clayton said: “I’m delighted to have won, it’s very surreal and I can’t wait to represent the UK at the grand final.
“It’s been a great experience so far, especially getting direct feedback from the esteemed judging panel. I’m looking forward to working closely with Lisa on my signature dish ahead of the next stage in Milan."
Of his winning dish, Clayton added: “I dig this dish and I’m very pleased the judges like it, especially as it’s vegetarian. I want to push vegetables forward.”
Clayton beat eight other finalists in the competition, whittled down from thousands of applicants. Living in Rye, East Sussex, he has been working in kitchens since he was 14 years old.
Alongside Bosi and Bains, the UK judging panel consisted of other famed chefs: Francesco Mazzei, Sally Abé and Skye Gyngell. Goodwin-Allen was likewise part of the jury.
At the grand final against other regional winners, Clayton will compete with the likes of Mexican chef Erick Bautista, Raul Garcia of Switzerland, and Anton Lebersorger from Germany.
