Although she missed out on the top prize at the national School Chef of the Year final, Karen Bevan can expect a champion’s welcome when she returns home.
And forget the rest of the UK – the Stromness Primary School chef still holds the title of Scotland’s top school chef in 2021.
Her colleagues, neighbours and pupils continue to see her as a winner. After a difficult pandemic year, she said that feels more like the real prize.
Everything but the kitchen sink
Karen Bevan made the journey from Stromness to Birmingham to compete in the national LACA School Chef of the Year final.
She said: “I had a stand mixer and knives and ingredients. I was dreading security. It was terrifying! But it all made it here in one piece.
“Loganair were really good and they waived the weight limit so that I could get everything down here.”
She used Orcadian beremeal to add a local spin to her Asian-inspired main dish: a Tawainese-style steamed bun with sticky Quorn pieces.
“I used beremeal in my bao buns, and I would never have been able to source that (in Birmingham). But for the fresh ingredients that wouldn’t have travelled well, I had to get a Tesco delivery to the hotel the night before.”
‘She has done us all proud’
Orkney’s School Catering Manager, Scott Pring, has been supporting Karen throughout her chef of the year journey. He made the trip to Birmingham and served as cheerleader and pit crew during the competition.
He said: “What a superb effort by all and while Karen may not have been named overall winner, she has done us all proud. The support she has had throughout this competition clearly shows that she is already regarded as a superstar.
“This has been a fantastic journey and an uplifting story. Our massive thanks must go to Karen for the huge effort with which she has put into this competition in her own time. She really was superb.”
School chef of the year: ‘Karen’s still the best’
And that public support was loud and consistent throughout the competition season. The Stromness pupils selflessly volunteered as taste-testers during practice runs and left glowing reviews of her competition cooking and the daily delights she serves up in the cafeteria.
And Orkney Islands Council’s Facebooks posts tracking Karen’s journey garnered hundreds of likes and comments.
“Karen’s still the best chef, whatever the competition says,” chimed in Facebook user Melanie Kirkpatrick.
Sheena Coghill added: “You have done Orkney proud. The kids liking your cooking is the Top Prize.”
Recognition for a job well done
All of the chefs received a special honour during the awards dinner. Karen said that it turned out to be one of the most meaningful moments of the week.
“All of the chefs got an award at the end for our contributions to school meals during Covid.
“It was really nice to get a little bit of recognition for that, and I have to say it nearly brought a tear to my eye.”
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