Nestle Golden Chef of the Year INDUSTRY FEATURE
CRIB ROAD. PICTURE: RÉ MI CHAUVIN
When 23-year-old Hobart chef Nicholas Rudeforth stepped into the spotlight at this year’s Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year finals in Sydney, he was representing more than just himself. As winner of the Tasmanian regional heat, and now a national finalist, Nicholas carried the flavours of MONA’s Faro Bar + Restaurant – and the pride of his state – onto one of the most competitive culinary stages in Australia and New Zealand. The Golden Chef’s Hat Award is no small undertaking. In 2025 it celebrated its 60th anniversary, drawing a record 357 entries across both countries. The competition has launched the careers of more than 8000 young chefs (including Tassie’s own Massimo Mele), and the talent and skills continue to rise each year. For Nicholas, the journey began with his regional victory, but the finals presented a new level of challenge. The two-day live showdown was held over two heats at the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) Challenge Arena at Fine Food Australia in Sydney, where the 12 finalists had three and a half hours to deliver a three-course meal under the scrutiny of judges from the ACF, NZChefs, and Nestlé Professional.
“Definitely a lot of nerves, a lot of stress with how I was going to go,” the 22-year-old said. “I think the competition was actually very tight. In previous years, not everybody from the regional finals had done so well but pretty much everybody this year got a gold medal and did really, really well. So it was very, very close.
“Everybody put a lot of effort into their dishes, more so than the regionals, just everyone being on that same level of being the top of their state. And the judging standards are very different, they’re
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review October/November Edition
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