Top Northern Irish chef bids for World Pesto title in Genoa
Top chef Gerard Sands will be representing Northern Ireland at the World Pesto Championship in Genoa, Italy on St Patrick’s Day.
Mr Sands, who has been head chef at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel in Ballynahinch in county Down for the past three years, was chosen following a regional heat in Northern Ireland organised by industry promotion body Food NI.
From Killough, also in county Down, Mr Sands, one of Northern Ireland’s most respected chefs, has worked with leading restaurateurs and also ran his own catering business.
He will be among around 100 professional and amateur chefs bidding for the unique world title at the pesto championships which are now in their seventh year.
“I am delighted to be at such a prestigious event in the culinary world and excited by the opportunity it provides to benchmark my knowledge and expertise against competitors from many parts of the world, especially Italy, the home of pesto,” he says.
“It’s a level playing field on which success depends on performance on the day and, of course, the taste of what is now the world’s third biggest sauce. We’ll all be given the same ingredients – basil, extra virgin olive oil, pecarino cheese, pine nuts, garlic and rock salt – and given just 20 minutes to create an award-winning flavour,” he adds.
The initial 100 competitors – around 25 from outside Italy – will be whittled down by the panel of expert judges to a final 10.
The jury is composed by 30 Italian and foreign judges, selected on the basis of skills and role in the food world (restaurateurs, tasters, specialist journalists, food experts) and will be coordinated by the President of the Palatifini Cultural Association Roberto Panizza.
The championship is held every two years in Genoa. This event incorporates a special festival, other initiatives and special promotions.
