A young chef from Christchurch has won a top South Island cooking award.

Shayani Withange Don was among 12 top young chefs who faced off in the South Island regional finals at the 2024 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award.

The young chef who trained at Ara Institute impressed judges with her menu to secure herself a trip to Melbourne where she will represent the South Island in Australia’s longest-running and most highly-regarded culinary competition for young chefs.

Don’s menu specially created for the cook-off comprised a main of garam masala spiced chicken with coconut curry sauce served with pilaf rice, pear chutney and kumara crisps. This was followed by a dessert of chocolate orange brownie with Buondi coffee cream and mocha ganache and orange pearls.

All the chefs, aged 16-24 years, entered the competition for a chance to fire up their culinary careers and went all out to win the coveted top award.

Competing chefs each created a two-course menu comprising a main and dessert dish – both of which were marked by a panel of leading industry judges according to globally recognised culinary standards.

Nestlé Professional Commercial Advisory Chef Karl Seidel said cooking in a competitive environment and going up against other top culinary talent is a valuable learning experience. Participating chefs also gain insights and feedback on their cooking skills from experienced judges who are accredited to global standards.

Don and the winner of the North Island Regional finals will go on to a kitchen battle against other top chefs from across Australia in the public arena at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne this September.

The 2024 Golden Chef of the Year winner will receive a World Chef’s Congress 2024 20-25 October travel and work experience in Singapore valued at $10,000.