WIRRAL CHEF OF THE YEAR: Dominic Pospisil of Gem in Heswall named as Wirral Chef of the Year winner

Oct 26 2011 by Lorna Hughes, Heswall News

DOMINIC Pospisil stormed to victory in our Wirral Chef of the Year competition – with a little help from some cauliflower soup.

The father-of-three from Meols triumphed after a cook-off on Monday, judged by Masterchef: The Professionals winner Claire Lara and London Carriageworks chef-patron Paul Askew.

Claire praised his soup as “the stand-out dish of the day”.

It was second time lucky for Dominic, who was beaten to the title by Paesano chef Richard Fox last year.

The 35-year-old saw off strong competition from Dave Williams, of the Portrait House in Hoylake, Geoff Derry from the Grove House Hotel in Wallasey and Rob Bryson, of the Anchor Inn in Irby.

Fifth finalist Kane Dickinson, who entered for Peninsula Dining Room in New Brighton, was unable to attend the cook-off, which took place at Liverpool Community College.

Paul and Claire’s scores were added to those from Wirral News readers who attended Chef of the Year nights at each of our finalists’ restaurants.

Modest Dominic, who took over Gem in 2008 after a spell running Aubergine in West Kirby, said he was felt “shell-shocked” after learning he was the winner.

He said: “I really didn’t think about the winning part of it. For me it’s about doing the cooking so this is just like the added bonus.

“It’s not what you go into the job for. You do it because you enjoy it and it’s what your heart’s in but it is nice to be appreciated, to get a bit of recognition.”

He added: “I shook all the way through it! I was absolutely fine right until we started and then I don’t know why but the nerves kicked in.”

The chefs had 90 minutes to cook two courses of their choice, with some assistance in the kitchen from catering students studying at Wirral Met College and Liverpool Community College.

The only condition was that they had to use beetroot somewhere in their dishes, an ingredient provided on the day by Wirral Farmers Market supplier John Jones.

Dominic said he decided on his menu on Friday and revealed his soup was a popular choice with diners in Gem.

He said: “I use a lot of beetroot in the restaurant and I love using it. I went for the more seasonal stuff – as well as beetroot I had celeriac and autumn lamb so all those ingredients were there to be used.

“The soup is something I’ve done before and I’ve even had people ordering it as a dessert.”

Claire, from Moreton, said: “The standard was really high and we saw a lot of different cooking styles. I think the competition is brilliant. There’s a lot of talent in Wirral.”

Paul Askew, who lives in Bromborough, said he wanted to see a similar contest established for front of house staff.

He said: “It’s always a great honour to come and judge fellow chefs. To do two courses in 90 minutes from scratch is a very good test.

“Claire and I got a chance to look at the technical side like the textures and flavours. To us the final taste is what it’s all about.”