Following the success of last year’s event Dilmah is bringing back the ‘Real High Tea Challenge’.
The 2012 Real High Tea Challenge is open to Australian food and hospitality industry professionals who will have the opportunity of a lifetime to create their perfect tea inspired food and beverage menu, and the winner will receive a VIP culinary experience in Sri Lanka.
Last year’s winners relished the opportunity to show off their creative and technical skills required to make high tea delicacies. Their efforts have paid off with the winners rewarded with significant career boosts. One of last year’s winners has launched a ‘T Bar’ concept and other winners are enjoying the prestige that comes with this award.
In its second year, this prestigious competition will be hosted by highly acclaimed celebrity chef, Peter Kuruvita and Dilhan Fernando, son of the founder of Dilmah.
The Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge requires entrants to craft their own original tea-based cocktail or mocktail, create a tea-infused dish or even present a harmonious tea and food pairing. The panel of expert judges award marks based on the understanding of the High Tea tradition, demonstration of different brewing techniques and creative use of tea as a core ingredient, as well as outstanding presentation and high quality service. Ultimately the judges will be assessing the overall taste and experience of each entry.
Merrill J. Fernando, Founder of Dilmah said he is looking forward to this year’s competition.
“Last year’s contestants set the bar so high, and we saw some of the most creative and technical tea-inspired food and beverage concepts one could imagine, a number of which now feature in Australia’s top venues,” he said.
“The aim of the competition is to ‘put the tea back in high tea’ and we are committed to educating the industry about the High Tea tradition to ensure its preservation.
“High tea has always been the finest form of hospitality and during recent years we have seen resurgence in its popularity, so the challenge bears huge significance to the industry.
“This year the judges will be paying particular attention to the use of tea as the core ingredient, the values each recipe embodies, and the reflection of Dilmah’s passion for tea”.
The Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge was inaugurated by the Fernando family in Colombo in 2007 with the competition arriving in Australia last year (2011) where it saw professional winners Chad Tilbury and Daniel Moore from the West Coast Academy of Hospitality and Tourism in Perth impressed judges with their “vintage carnival” dishes and drinks inspired by classic cocktails.
Regional heats of the competition will take place at TAFE institutes in each state including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
One professional winner will be selected at each regional event before an overall winner is announced at the exclusive Dilmah Real High Tea Charitea event in Sydney on 12 September 2012.
Entries for the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge are now open and will close on August 3, 2012. Visit realhightea.com.au