A West End head chef has won a MasterChef-style competition aimed at promoting locally-sourced food.
Sebastian Wereski took inspiration from the city's allotments to serve up the winning dish in the Glasgow Community Food Network’s Chef’s Challenge 2019.
Sebastian joined the Eusebi Deli team in Park Road when the restaurant first opened in 2015.
The challenge cook-off took place at City of Glasgow College on Tuesday 1 October.
The competition was judged by Gary Maclean, Scotland’s National Chef, food writer Cate Devine, and Jan Macdonald from Glasgow Allotments Forum.
Fruits and vegetables
Eight local chefs were tasked with creating innovative dishes using produce sourced from Glasgow’s market gardens, allotments and community gardens.
Sebastian competed alongside chefs from restaurants including Ox and Finch, 78 Bar and Kitchen and The Balcony Café, securing first place with a dish of allotment root veg risotto finished with garden herbs.
The Chef’s Challenge final followed a week of judging in September, where restaurants across Glasgow were challenged to create a dish using a box of locally-sourced fruits and vegetables.
Chefs were then scored for creativity, taste, presentation, sustainability, and how fully the dish was centred around the produce from the box.
Sebastian Wereski, head chef at Eusebi Deli, said: “I’m delighted to have won Glasgow Community Food Network’s Chef’s Challenge this year.
"This competition is an amazing opportunity to showcase some of Glasgow’s best home-grown food and have a lot of fun along the way.
"Using local produce is so important to the whole team at Eusebi’s, and anything we can do to encourage more people in Glasgow to make the most of the amazing fruit and veg on our doorsteps is a winner as far as we are concerned.
"I’m delighted to have won Glasgow Community Food Network’s Chef’s Challenge this year."This competition is an amazing opportunity to showcase some of Glasgow’s best home-grown food and have a lot of fun along the way"
Sebastian Wereski
"I’d like to thank the team at Glasgow Community Food Network for giving me the opportunity to take part in this brilliant competition.”
Giovanna Eusebi, Eusebi Deli owner, said: “We’re all so proud of Sebastian’s well-deserved award win at the Glasgow Community Food Network Chef’s Challenge.
"Glasgow has an amazing, thriving food scene and at Eusebi’s we’re very proud to be a part of that.
"The range of local produce grown in allotments and community gardens here in Glasgow is incredible, and it’s essential to highlight and promote that as fully as possible.”
Eusebi Deli has been based in Glasgow for over 40 years, offering an authentic Italian dining experience, with modern dishes, quality regional products and a passionate front-of-house team.
