Great Australian Sandwichship 2012 – Northern Final
Mal Gill Crowned the Sandwich Making Champion of the North
Great Australian Sandwichship Northern final winner announced
Brisbane, March 14 2012 – The Australasian Sandwich Association (ASA), has announced Mal Gill from Lady Marmalade in Brisbane as the Northern Final winner of the Great Australian Sandwichship. Competing against the best sandwich makers from across Australia’s northern states, the former My Kitchen Rules contestant took out the title by a nose, in what was a fiercely close competition.
The Great Australian Sandwichship is the only foodservice competition of its kind in Australia. It seeks to highlight the work of Australia’s true lunch-time heroes – café workers and sandwich makers – whilst determining Australia’s number one sandwich innovator.
Each competitor is required to compete in three of the following four categories; Toasted Sandwich, Wrap, Lunch Roll and Specialty Sandwich. Mal took out the Best Wrap and Best Lunch Roll categories.
‘The key to Mal’s victory at the Great Australian Sandwichship Northern Final was the creativity and pairing of classic combinations from his menu which included pork with the crackling and apple sauce on a Speedibake lunch roll and an Istanbul inspired lamb wrap,’ commented Graeme McCormack, Executive Director of the Australasian Sandwich Association.
Mal will go on to compete in the Great Australian Sandwichship National Final at the lunch! Exhibition in Sydney this August. He will also be joined by Melissa Davey from the Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast who won the category of Best Toasted Sandwich and Frazer Henderson from The Ponycat in Brisbane who won the Best Specialty Sandwich category. They will face-off against their southern state rivals to determine who will win the title of Australia’s number one sandwich maker.
‘The Great Australian Sandwichship has been established to draw industry attention towards Australia’s café and sandwich shop workers through a dedicated competition aimed at finding Australia’s best sandwich maker,’ commented Graeme McCormack. ‘It was great to see such a high level of talent and creativity from within the industry and Mal Gill is a worthy winner. Such a high caliber of contestants is going to make for an interesting National Final.’
The Great Australian Sandwichship Southern Final will be held in Melbourne on the 1st June at the Good Food & Wine Show, if you’re keen to participate in please submit an entry via to amanda@sandwich.org.au
Great Australian Sandwichship 2011
The Great Australian Sandwichship
Hosted by the Australasian Sandwich Association, The Great Australian Sandwichship is a celebration of the heroes of our lunch-hour, those professionals who strive day-after-day to provide us with the finest gourmet sandwich experiences money can buy.
Kids MasterClass
WORLD SANDWICHSHIP KIDS MASTERCLASS
The Australasian Sandwich Association recently held a resoundingly successful Kids’ Masterclass at Taronga Zoo where young Australians experienced their first foray into the exciting world of making their own fresh food.
The hands-on, family workshop involved the participation of top sandwich makers from the UK, USA, South Africa and Australia, who helped show 150 kids the importance of healthy eating through instructing them in the art of sandwich making.
The children had fun trying their hand at making three meals; one wrap, one sandwich and one creative sandwich where they were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild in choosing flavour combinations that they thought would be particularly delicious.
At the end of the day the kids all received recipe cards so they can use their newfound culinary skills to make healthy wraps and sandwiches when they get home.
World Sandwichship
AUSTRALIAN NAMED BEST SANDWICH DESIGNER IN THE WORLD
Sydney, October 7, 2011 - Newly formed café and sandwich industry body, The Australasian Sandwich Association (ASA), has announced Matt Wilkinson, co-owner of Pope Joan in Melbourne, as the undisputed winner of the title of world’s best sandwich maker at the World Sandwichship which was held today at Sydney Opera House as part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.
The World Sandwichship Competition consisted of a one hour round where the participants were asked to create three different categories of sandwich which were then judged based on their presentation, taste innovation, explanation, and “wow” factor.
Wilkinson was up against some tough competition from the US, the UK and South Africa, but displayed his superior talent on the day and managed to take out the title of overall World Sandwichship winner. The Aussie competitor won the judges over with his creative take on the ham and three-tomato pickle toasted sandwich, made with Welsh rarebit fondue, and his Cuban-style quesadilla wrap.
“There was some challenging competition today and it feels great to be the winner but at the end of the day it was just heaps of fun to share the experience of competing with other like-minded food lovers’ said Wilkinson ‘I wanted to do the humble sandwich and Australia proud, and I think I’ve achieved that.”
“The World Sandwichship shows that the café and food industry is a thriving and exciting sector to be a part of, here in Australia and around the world,’ said Graeme McCormack, Executive Director of the Australasian Sandwich Association. “Matt did a fantastic job and the enthusiasm, flair and hard work behind his sandwich entries today have represented exactly what this country is about when it comes to preparing healthy, fresh food that tastes great.
Tony Green, Marketing Director at GWF Foodservice, said, “By bringing the best sandwich makers from around the world together we have had the unique opportunity of sparking the imagination and interest of not just the competitors, but everyone present at the World Sandwichship event. The outcome is a win for the entire food industry.”
“The sandwich sector is a dynamic, fast growing industry,” said René Dedoncker, Global Director for Fonterra Foodservice. “We’re seeing more creativity and better quality ingredients being used to meet the demand of the modern consumer. It’s no longer about a standard chicken sandwich; it’s about being nutritious, fresh, tasty and easy. Matt Wilkinson, and in truth all the World Sandwichship competitors, displayed these virtues.
The World Sandwichship seeks to highlight the work of lunch-time heroes from around the world and see who can create the best sandwich. Major sponsors included GWF Foodservice and Fonterra Foodservice.
