Student chef books trip to Michelin-starred Milan restaurant with competition win
A young College chef has cemented his place as one of Scotland’s fastest-rising culinary stars after winning the grand final of a prestigious Italian cooking competition in London.
21-year-old Prestonpans native Alfie Reid, who’s currently studying City & Guilds Level 2 in Professional Cookery & Hospitality at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus, managed to best his competitors, made up of fellow students who had won regional heats held across the UK, to be crowned Best Young Chef for Italian Cured Meats at the event at the Smeg’s flagship London store on Regent Street.
Showcasing a perfect union of Italian produce and Scottish cooking skills, Alfie produced a dish that blew away the judges and saw him awarded the top prize. He’ll now receive an incredible opportunity to work with renowned chefs Fabio Pisani and Alessandro Negrini at the two Michelin-starred Il Luogo Aimo e Nadia in Milan.
It caps off a truly sensational few months for the confident cook, with Alfie recently winning another cooking competition which saw him travelling to Venice to face off with 8 other chefs.
The East Lothian chef, who also works at the exclusive Renaissance Club in North Berwick, says his success is all down to keeping his cool in the kitchen:
“I try to imagine it’s like any other day at College or at work, and ignore the time constraints and all of that side of it. I just go in and try to cook to the best of my abilities. I think it also helps to remember everyone else in there is in the same boat as me, probably feeling the same nerves, and that helps settle me.”
Despite all the accolades that have been coming his way recently, Alfie is staying firmly grounded:
“It’s obviously amazing to win these individual prizes, but teamwork is probably the single most important thing in the kitchen, and I just want to keep improving my skills and become the best communicator I can. I love doing these competitions, but I want to make sure I stay focused on improving too.”
The young cook also says he owes a debt of gratitude to all of his lecturers:
“My lecturers have been such amazing mentors. Sometimes it’s just a case of asking why you’re taking a certain approach, getting you to explain why you’re doing what you’re doing, that makes a big difference to improving yourself as a cook. When I first started I wasn’t confident at all, I didn’t like speaking up or anything like that, but now I feel like I really know my way around the kitchen, and I try to help out others wherever I can.”
Steph Tanner, Head of Department for Culinary Arts, Leisure and Tourism at Edinburgh College, says Alfie continues to astound:
“All we can say is wow and a huge well done to Alfie! It’s not an easy environment to cook in, but Alfie somehow manages to thrive under the pressure at these sort of events. Everyone at Edinburgh College is immensely proud of him, he has done a fantastic job representing us at such a high-level competition.”