The rising stars of the Australian food industry – the winners of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence awards 2016

After gruelling rounds of cook-offs and skill tests, the winners of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence awards have been announced – and these are the faces to watch for the next wave of Australian food.

Last night representatives of the Australian food scene gathered at MOJO by Luke Mangan for the announcement of the 2016 Electrolux Appetite for Excellence awards, but it is widely agreed that everyone in the running was already a winner. Now in its 11th year, the awards single out the young up-and-comers of the Australian food scene in the chef, waiter and restaurateur categories and test their skills to the limits to identify who will be shaping the food landscape in the near future.

There was a good spread of finalists from across Australia – though it must be noted that this year there was a notable gender imbalance (with only two females in the whole bunch of 16 finalists – see full list below).

Congratulations to the 2016 winners; Young Waiter of the year Andrew Day (AKIBA, Canberra), Young Chef of the year Aaron Ward (sixpenny, Sydney) and Young Restaurateur Cameron Cansdell (bombini, Avoca Beach).

It's an important award for the young food scene, offering support for the development of new talent, the chance to make contacts across the industry and to celebrate the excellence of the younger generation. There are few mentoring platforms like it, with winners receiving on-going opportunities, support and training as well as a cash injection to put towards their business and already considerable skills. The rounds of judging are detailed and overseen by some of the top industry professionals, with this year's judges including Luke Mangan, Mark Best, Lyndey Milan, Peter Gilmore, Nick Hildebrandt and Sam Christie – to name just a few. Australian chef Dave Pynt also took time out from his acclaimed Burnt Ends restaurant in Singapore (no. 14 in the 2016 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants) to join the judging. Across a number of weeks young chefs take part in cooking exercises (including mystery box challenges), young waiters demonstrate their service and knowledge skills, and young restaurateurs are quizzed on every aspect of their business. To make the finals is no mean feat and these really are the faces to watch across the industry, with winners recognised as the next generation of food influencers.

Young Restaurateur winner, Cameron Cansdell, was overwhelmed by emotion while thanking the judges, noting how important the award was for his business, while judge Christine Manfield was quoted as saying that the 2016 judging was near impossible. Congratulations to all the finalists – we can't wait to see what they bring to the Australian food scene.

Young chef of the year finalists

Aaron Ward – Sixpenny, Sydney (winner)
Jordan Monkhouse – Aria Restaurant, Brisbane
Mal Meiers – Fatto Bar & Cantina, Melbourne
Nick Gannaway – The Bridge Room, Sydney
Thiago Miranda – Church St Enoteca, Melbourne
Troy Crisante – Bennelong, Sydney (runner up)
Zackary Furst – IDES, Melbourne (people's choice winner and highly commended)

Young waiter of the year finalists

Andrew Day – AKIBA, Canberra (winner and people's choice winner)
Dylan Labuschagne – Stillwater Restaurant, Launceston
George Papaioannou – Luxembourg, Melbourne
Morgan Golledge – Blackbird Bar & Grill, Brisbane
Natasha Janetzki – Blackbird Bar & Grill, Brisbane (highly commended)
Rory McCallum – Supernormal, Melbourne

Young restaurateur of the year finalists

Cameron Cansdell – bombini, Avoca Beach (winner)
Dave Parker – Pastuso & San Telmo, Melbourne
Kelvin Shaw – Altair Restaurant, Warrandyte