Three Hours, Three Dishes, One National Title

Ahead of the National Chef of the Year final, we caught up with Hospitality Sous Chef, Nathan Cooper, to find out how he’s feeling, what inspired his menu and what he’ll be thinking about when he steps into one of the most prestigious competition kitchens in the country.

National Chef of the Year is one of the biggest competitions in the industry. What’s it like knowing you’re about to step into the final kitchen?

Honestly, I’m still a bit speechless. I never expected to get this far. It was my first time entering and I originally thought I’d get to the semi-finals, have some fun and that would be that. To find myself in the final is incredible. I’m also the only chef from a contract catering background in the competition, which makes it even more special. It’s a huge moment and one I’m really proud of.

Tell us about your menu. What’s the story behind it?

The brief was all about the sustainable future of food, so I wanted to build a menu around things I’m genuinely passionate about, like fermentation, foraging and making the most of ingredients. 

The starter is an Isle of Mull scallop with cep mushroom and sea lettuce. It’s quite minimalist because I wanted the scallop to be the star and keep the flavours really clean and focused. 

The dessert has a personal touch too. I use fermented blackberries, which came from experimenting with fermentation at home. It’s inspired by finding ways to use surplus fruit, like soft berries that might go to waste. 

For the final I’ll be serving:
Starter: Isle of Mull scallop, cep mushroom and sea lettuce 

Main: Australian ribeye, beef cheek pomme boulangère, glazed sweet bread, kuri squash, beef fat and maple roasted roscoff onion, served with a mustard seed and green peppercorn sauce 

Dessert: Blackberry and 70% dark chocolate mille-feuille

What inspired you when creating the menu?

I wanted to keep things quite focused. Sea lettuce and mushrooms are two of my go-to ingredients that I always come back to, and they fit perfectly with the sustainability theme.  

For the main course, I wanted something that felt closer to home. The beef cheek element is a little nod to comfort food but elevated with technique and finesse. At the end of the day, I wanted to create food I’d genuinely want to eat in a restaurant. Food that’s exciting but, most importantly, tasty.

You’ve worked incredibly hard to get here. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned on your competition journey so far?

Confidence, definitely. When I look back at menus I’ve created before and compare them to what I’m producing now, the difference is huge. Competing has pushed me to improve, learn new techniques and think differently about food. I’ve also learned so much from chefs around me and all of that knowledge has helped me develop as a chef.

When training gets intense, what keeps you motivated?

It’s a combination of things. When something finally clicks or works the way you imagined it, that’s a great feeling. I’m really passionate about talking to people about my dishes and the story behind them.

I’ve been working on this menu since March, so seeing the ingredients arrive and everything come together is exciting. Even something as simple as the sea mushrooms arriving from the supplier makes me feel proud because I know why they’re there and what they bring to the dish.

Is there a chef, mentor or role model who’s inspired your career?

Simon Webb has been a huge influence. In fact, he pretty much pushed me into my first competition, whether I liked it or not! He’s been there supporting me every step of the way and has been an amazing mentor.  

I also take a lot of inspiration from chefs whose work I follow on social media, especially the team at Trinity and chefs like Josh Niland in Australia. It’s always motivating to see what other great chefs are creating.

Finally, when the competition starts on Tuesday, what’s going through your mind as you present your dishes to the judges?

Probably, “I hope you like it!” The hardest part will be the waiting. Once the dishes are out, it’s in the judges’ hands and you won’t know what they really think until later. More than anything, I hope they understand what I was trying to achieve with the menu and the story behind it. A lot can happen in three hours, but that’s all part of the challenge. 

 

Best of luck, Nathan. We’ll be cheering you on from the side lines!