Edinburgh semi-finalists announced for Scottish Food Scholarship 2008

Following a huge response from chefs from across Scotland, the semi-finalists of the Scottish Food Scholarship 2008 were announced today for the Edinburgh cook-offs to be held at Edinburgh’s Telford College. This will be the last of the semi-finals and will take place on Monday 4th February culminating in a final at the Cook School by Martin Wishart in Edinburgh on Monday 3rd of March 2008.

The main sponsor of the Scottish Food Scholarship 2008 is Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine, a body established by the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian to promote Edinburgh’s restaurants and local food and drink producers in a bid to attract new visitors to the city. The winner of the Scholarship will be required to create a recipe inspired by the capital, ‘Edinburgh’s Signature Dish’, which will be included on different menus around the city over the course of the year, including Restaurant Martin Wishart’s lunch menu.

The chefs that will show their abilities at Cook School by Martin Wishart are:

Graeme Anderson from The Inn at Lathones, St Andrews

James McMahon from Dornoch Castle Hotel, Sutherland

Inaugurated in 2006, the Scottish Food Scholarship is a national competition open to talented young chefs aged 18-25 years. The scholarship not only aims to nurture talent but opens doors for the winning chef. The winner carries out a series of internships, working with some of the best in the food and catering world, including an internship with Martin Wishart at his eponymous Restaurant Martin Wishart and Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles; the opportunity to cook on the famous Flying Scotsman; a trip to and a trip to the Boch family chateau in Luxembourg with Villeroy & Boch.

The prestigious judging panel, which includes Martin Wishart, Bruce Rennie, Tony Borthwick, Keith Braidwood, and Jeff Bland will be looking for competence, an ability to work with seasonal ingredients and individual flair in a designated time frame.