As a proud education caterer, we recently had the pleasure of participating in the esteemed 2024 LACA Finishing Touches Competition. The event took place at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham, drawing thousands of professionals from the catering industry for a day filled with networking, exhibitions, and culinary brilliance. The competition was a resounding success for HCL, with our talented staff showcasing their culinary prowess and bringing home impressive wins, including the coveted Best in Show award.
The Culinary Competitors and Their Categories
The LACA Finishing Touches Competition featured several challenging categories, each designed to highlight the creativity and skill of the participants. Here’s a breakdown of the categories and the remarkable contributions from our HCL team:
- 50% Fruit Desserts
- Biscuits
- Cake Suitable for Special Diets
- Cheesecake
- Cupcakes
- Decorated Celebration Cakes
- Decorated Novelty Cakes
- Filled and/or Covered Sponge, Gateau or Cake
- Floral Sugarcraft Display Piece
- Individual Fruit Tarts
- Tray Bake
- Vegetarian Quiche
HCL's Star Entrants and Their Remarkable Achievements
HCL's presence at the competition was formidable, with 8 dedicated team members showcasing their exceptional culinary talents. Here are the highlights of their outstanding performances:
Katherine Bridge: Our Food and Menu Chef, entered both the Special Diets Cake and 50% Fruit Dessert competitions and proudly won both! Her 50% fruit dessert was a delightful Sticky Coconut Rice infused with orange and cardamom, filled with an orange puree, and coated in toasted desiccated coconut. It was served with a refreshing salad of orange, pomegranate, and mint, drizzled with a pomegranate molasses, honey, orange, and rose water dressing.
For the Special Diets Cake category, Katherine created a tropical cake filled with passion fruit curd and covered with cream cheese frosting.
Lisa Miles: Our Cook and Training Manager, Lisa, competed in the Cupcake category and the Decorated Celebration Cake category. Her Easter-themed bunny cake, vibrant and beautifully adorned, not only won the Decorated Cake category but also secured the Best in Show award.
Jean Potter: One of our Contract Supervisors, Jean competed in the Filled and Covered Cake category, demonstrating her skill and creativity by winning first place in this category!
Charly Theophani: As our Community Support Co-ordinator, Charly entered the Cupcake competition with delightful ice cream-themed flavours like Caramel Sundae, Neapolitan Ice Cream, Raspberry Ripple, and Lemon Sorbet.
Katrina Denbigh: Our Assistant Cook, Katrina showcased her talent in the Cupcake and Decorated Cake categories. Her decorated cake featured multiple tiers of fondant sweet treats, including dragons inspired by her son's favourite snacks, showcasing her creative genius. Her design went out to win her a very well-deserved Gold award for her efforts.
Dionne Sims: Our Contract Manager, Dionne entered the Traybake category, demonstrating her baking skills and attention to detail which followed onto receiving a bronze award for her Traybake!
Rebecca Roberts: Our Cook Manager, took part in the Cheesecake category, impressing judges with her delicious and well-presented cheesecake.
Rachael Goodyear: Also a Cook Manager, entered the Traybake category, adding her own touch of creativity and flavour and going on to secure a Gold award for her entry.
Awards for our Service Superstars!
Not only did our staff excel in the culinary competitions, but they also made a remarkable impact in the service categories. Our training team, led by Angela Pearson, was shortlisted for the prestigious Nan Berger Award. This award recognises outstanding innovation, accreditation, and collaboration that has led to increased meal uptake or raised the profile of school catering services. Although they did not win the award, they received the LACA Workforce Standards (WFS), earning a place on the LACA Roll of Honour—an amazing accomplishment!
Additionally, our Community Support Team, Kirsty Yearsley and Charly Theophani, were nominated for the Unsung Heroes Award, which celebrates individuals who have shown exceptional dedication and gone above and beyond in the school catering industry. While they did not win, the nomination itself is a testament to their hard work and dedication and something we are all extremely proud of.
Celebrating Success
The 2024 LACA Show is a time to remember for HCL, highlighting the exceptional skills and creativity of our team. Our 8 Finishing Touches entrants not only showcased their culinary talents but also brought home four prestigious awards, including the Best in Show. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication, which truly exemplify the high standards of HCL.
As we continue to provide top-notch catering services in the education sector, we look forward to more opportunities to celebrate our team's talents and achievements. Congratulations to all our participants for their remarkable success at this year's competition!
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