Springboard Programme: Springboard FutureChef

Region: East of England

Year: 2023

Alisha was 13 years old when she competed in Springboard’s FutureChef Competition representing the East of England. After a tough competition, Alisha’s dish won the award for “Best Presentation”. The St. Francis’ College student was this year’s youngest National Finalist, but that hasn’t stopped her exploring her culinary skills.

“Since competing in the FutureChef National Final in March 2023, I have been inspired to learn and create new dishes that I had never tried before. This has increased my confidence in experimenting with new ingredients.

I have had the most amazing opportunity to work with FutureChef National Final judge Ben Murphy in Launceston Place.

I assisted the chefs in preparing the Lunch Menu and plating it ready for serving. All the dishes tasted amazing and were beautifully and intricately presented.

Some of the highlights from my experience included making different types of tuille, piping decorations on the petit fours, helping with vegetable preparations and plating a meal by myself to serve to customers.

My favourite part of the day was plating the Yuzu desserts, which involved an incredible 10-step process before it is served!

The unique dishes on the menu have inspired me to try new creations myself and I can’t wait to put this into practise further. I had the best experience!  Thank you to FutureChef, Launceston Place and especially chef Ben for having me.”