Andrew Williams works at popular Liverpool Restaurant Bacaro, in Castle Street, and his employers entered him for the Gallo 2019 UK Young Risotto Chef contest
Young Liverpool chef Andrew Williams has triumphed in a top national competition after wowing the judges with his signature risotto dish
Andrew works at popular Liverpool Restaurant Bacaro, in Castle Street, and his employers entered him for the Gallo 2019 UK Young Risotto Chef contest, which features chefs aged from 18-25 years old at different stages in the culinary career.
There were invited to London to cook off their entry risotto dish at Westminster College in a very demanding, high pressure environment, with the dishes then tasted by a panel of experienced chefs and experts.
The winner was Andrew’s Primitivo risotto made with a caramelised onion broth, taleggio cheese, aged parmesan, Valrhona chocolate, toasted pinenuts and finished with white alba truffle and chive oil.
Andrew’s winning dish will not only be featured for one week in Gordon Ramsey’s Union Street Cafe, he will also receive an all expenses paid 3-day work experience at Angela Hartnett’s Michelin starred Italian Restaurant, Murano in Mayfair, London.
Matt Walsh, group executive chef of Bacaro owner, Red & Blue Restaurants, said “We are immensely proud of Andrew and the hard work he has put into this dish. He has beaten off stiff competition from some of the top restaurants in the UK and received excellent feedback from the judges.
“This award is testament to the training and the dishes we are producing in Bacaro and will put us on the culinary map.”
And owner Paddy Smith, who spent 25 years in the kitchen himself, added “I am delighted that our excellence in training and our quality of fresh produce from our chef teams has been recognised by some of the top people in the industry.
“We are looking forward to featuring Andrew’s winning dish on the menu in Bacaro for our guests to enjoy soon.”