TWO young chefs from Tavistock scooped a top industry accolade last week, when they won the Masterchefs of Great Britain Great British Food Challenge at the Hospitality 2005 Culinary Theatre in Birmingham. David Jenkins, 26, and John Hooker, 23, both sous chefs at Brown?s, beat off stiff competition from around the country to make it to the final ? they have been working on their menu since the beginning of the year. But the pressure was really on when they had to cook their three-course meal using seasonal regional produce in an hour, under the gaze of a prestigious judging panel and a large audience. David said: ?When you look up and there are 300 people watching you, it?s a bit nerve-wracking. The first five minutes were the worst ? once you are cooking, it?s just what you do every day.? David and John produced seared wild sea bass, served on creamed parsnips with wild mushrooms, fillet of South Devon beef with oxtail and blue cheese ravioli and Madeira consommé and a chocolate tart, with clotted cream and a roast pear and vanilla purée. David said: ?We?d practised and practised ? we kind of knew as soon as we put on the dessert it was going to be all right ? we were the first ones to finish.? John and David faced an agonising two-hour wait before the judges made their pronouncement. John said: ?When they told us we just went nuts, we grabbed each other and were dancing around ? it was fantastic.? In addition to their certificates and commemorative plates, the two chefs have won a trip to the Shetland Islands and a ?red letter day? of their own choosing. John McGeever, head chef at Browns and a masterchef himself, said he was ?totally delighted?. ?They worked incredibly hard for this and to cook in front of an audience like that is really hard. ?It?s good to see they are coming on ? they?re young and bright and the future is very exciting for them.?
