Brooke Silk is heading off to the USA next month and hoping for third time lucky in the World Food Championships. Photo: Supplied.
Figtree private chef Brooke Silk will be chasing gold at the World Food Championships in Indianapolis, USA next month, as she marks her third consecutive tilt at the international culinary crown.
Brooke took home third place in the dessert category at the 2024 event last November, which earned her an automatic “golden ticket” for the international competition next month.
If the competition has done anything for Brooke during the past two years, it’s provide her with a level of confidence she didn’t have before.
“I think my faith in myself has grown a lot,” she said.
“I’ve come so far, from just working in kitchens in and around Wollongong, and now I’m traveling around the world competing – it’s pretty incredible.
“I cook for a lot of people I look up to online, like influencers.
“It’s definitely shaped me and made me more confident in myself as a chef as well.”
As one of only three Australian chefs travelling to the international competition and the only Australian competing in the dessert category, she said a win this time would be “pretty special”.
“Third time lucky, hopefully,” she said, laughing.
“Going into a third one has been amazing – it’s really pushed my business a lot.
“I’m keen to try some new desserts, because everyone just wants to eat the buttermilk cheesecake,” she said, referencing last year’s competition dish.
“We’ve cooked that since November, so I’m excited to do some new things.
“I need to get a second or first, just so I can cook this new recipe instead.”
Brooke, known for her innovative desserts, will be dishing up a unique first-round dish called “Apple of My Eye” – featuring an apple tart with chai marshmallow, hazelnut praline, and a caramel sauce with a white chocolate soil.
Her potential second-round dish promises an adventurous twist – an opera slice incorporating strawberry, chocolate, and the key ingredient each chef must use – black pepper.
She said having done the competition twice before, she had learned a lot about what the judges were looking for.
“I think the first round I’m going to have to make sure the skill is really good and the techniques are shown, because you’ve got chefs walking around judging your style and how you’re working,” she said.
Brooke said having the competition return to Indianapolis was an advantage.
“It’s somewhere I know of now, so I know where to get all my produce from, I know where to go shopping for my equipment, and know a few more people as well,” she said.
“So it’s going to be lots of fun.”
If she places in the top five, she will secure a spot for next year’s competition, but admitted it was an expensive venture, with prize money from a first place making it more feasible to return.
Travelling with her partner and sous chef, it will be a busy few months for the pair, as they not only travel to the world competition, but also get married in November.
In the meantime, she’s continuing to work on sharing recipes and dining tips via her blog Capture the Chef and running her home chef service and catering business Dine In.
World Food Championships will be held in Indianapolis, USA from 16-19 October and will be livestreamed.
