Tilda has just been announced as Zest Quest Asia’s headline sponsor for the 2024 competition.
As seasoned supporters of Zest Quest Asia, providing gold sponsorship each year since the competition’s inception, Tilda is proud to be taking the headline sponsorship slot for the 2024 competition and in doing so, demonstrates a strong commitment to community and education.
Founded by Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, with the Master Chefs of Great Britain, Zest Quest Asia’s mission has always been to inspire ambitious student chefs to embrace the myriad cuisines of Asia. Now in its 11th year, the competition seeks out six finalist teams of UK based student chefs to compete at the topmost level. The students are required to develop and present their understanding and skill-set in these exciting cuisines and, as well as gaining invaluable experience through the learnings of the competition process, the winning team receives a chance of a lifetime, gastronomical and cultural trip; past destinations have included Thailand, Japan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka!
For Tilda, Zest Quest Asia provides a platform to reach, inspire and educate the future generation of chefs, and the industry as a whole. To further aid participating students, Tilda’s foodservice team are on hand to support entrants before, during and after the competition, providing live online tutorials to enthuse and inform on the many uses of Tilda’s extensive range of rice and its vast potential.
Rice provides the cornerstone of many Asian dishes, and its versatility makes it a key ingredient in any kitchen. For this year’s competition, entrants must be imaginative in their use of any of Tilda’s range of Basmati rice in their starter, main course or dessert dishes making it the hero on the plate. Previous dishes have delivered creative and skilled recipes to a very high calibre, which no doubt will be matched in 2024!
Jean-Philippe Laborde, Managing Director, says, “We are delighted to pledge our commitment to Zest Quest Asia for another year. Choosing to be headline sponsors for 2024 aligns seamlessly with our company values and allows us to support and inspire the next generation of future culinary talent.
“Promoting education and encouraging talented chefs to explore the world of rice and Asian cuisine is our passion, and Zest Quest Asia achieves this superbly by truly nurturing innovation and creativity.
“We are so excited to see the inventive use of Tilda basmati rice in the dishes created by these aspiring chefs. Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala’s dedication to the students is amazing, together we will continue to inspire and support.”
Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, Zest Quest Asia Founder; To have the continued support of Tilda every year is a real boost to our competition but to have confirmation that they want to take the headline spot this year is fantastic news! Their knowledge and the ability to impart it on our students chefs is invaluable. Their team is always more than supportive and have always gone more than the extra mile to ensure the success of the competition.”
Zest Quest Asia is now open for entries, with the closing date being 8th December 2023. The final cook-off and gala dinner will be on 27th February 2024.
To submit your entry, go to https://www.talkingfood.co.uk/zqa
