Flinders Hotel chef Michael Cole wins marathon cook-off for chance to compete in culinary competition Bocuse d’Or
Michael Cole is swapping his chef’s whites for green and gold after being chosen to represent Australia in the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games.
South East
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Michael Cole is swapping his chef’s whites for green and gold after being chosen to represent Australia in the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games.
The head chef at Georgie Bass Cafe and Cookery won the right to compete in the Asia Pacific round of the Bocuse d’Or after a five-hour cook at the recent Foodservice Australia 2017. He was also named Chef of the Year at the show.
Mr Cole worked with commit chef Laura Skvor to prepare a fish dish and a meat platter for the Bocuse d’Or competition.
They were given some mandatory ingredients to work with including whole barramundi, Port Phillip Bay scallops, Angus Bef rump cap and oyster blade.
“Working with scallops was perfect for me,” Mr Cole said.
“I fish for them all the time near where I live at Cape Schanck.
He added fish bone glaze, native finger lime and sea succulents to the fish dish.
The meat course was also flavoured by the region with Mr Cole creating a mosaic of Angus beef “wrapped in the forest floor” inspired by what he saw while walking his dog.
Mr Cole said teaching others also helped him prepare for the competition.
“Keeping calm and showing an ability to think clearly are two of the attributes the judges look for in the Bocuse d’Or,” Mr Cole said.
“I’ve been presenting cooking classes at Georgie Bass Cafe and Cookery for about 18 months and it has helped me learn how to deal with being watched really closely and asked questions and how to fix a problem or mistake while under the spotlight.”
Mr Cole and Ms Skvor will go on to compete at the Asia Pacific round of the Bocuse d’Or in Singapore next year. The top five teams will qualify for the finale in France.