Dutch chef wins top honours in Etihad’s Taste of the World competition

Chef André Gerrits of ‘t Amsterdammertje after winning the Taste of the World competition, sponsored by Etihad Airways, at Taste of Abu Dhabi. He is flanked by chef and Etihad Airways brand ambassadorShow more

One of Holland’s most popular chefs took the Taste of the World trophy after competing against nine of his international counterparts at Taste of Abu Dhabi.

Andre Gerrits owns the one-Michelin starred farm restaurant ’t Amsterdammertje in Loenen aan de Vecht, in the Dutch province of Utrecht, and also operates a high-end catering company called Inspiced Andre Gerrits. He took the top prize with his Kip & Krab creation: lapsang souchong tea-marinated farm chicken with a salad of crab, mango chutney and vadouvan.

Etihad Airways, which has launched into a three-year partnership with 15 Taste festivals across the world, brought the world-class chefs - and in many cases, the food they needed to prepare their dishes - to Taste of Abu Dhabi for the competition. They cooked throughout the Taste festival in the Etihad chef’s theatre, located at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City venue. Each dish was judged by an Etihad Airways Inflight Chef, a Taste Festivals representative, and a food influencer.

Gerrits won two Etihad Airways First Class tickets to the destination of his choice for his efforts, as well as a profile in Etihad’s Inflight magazine and the opportunity to host his own cooking demonstration at the next Taste of Amsterdam.

The finalists, chosen at local Taste festivals throughout the year, feature a cross section of cooking stars: Pascal Aussignac (Club Gascon, London), Michael Hunter (Antler Restaurant, Toronto), Andrea Provenzani (Il Liberty, Milan), Vitaly Tikhonov (G.Graf, Moscow), Siu Hin Chi (Duddell’s, Hong Kong), Scott Bridger (Bib & Tucker and May Street Larder, Perth), Sylvestre Wahid (Restaurant Sylvestre, Paris), Francesco Apreda (Imàgo, Rome) and Nelly Robertson (nel., Sydney).