Bangkok--6 Jul--Integrated Communication
Koelnmesse came up with an idea to hold a culinary challenge Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2012 during THAIFEX – WORLD OF FOOD ASIA 2012, Thailand’s largest food and beverage trade fair co-organized annually by Department of International Trade Promotion – DITP and Koelnmesse, on the occasion of questing for both professional and junior Thai chefs of the year.
Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge is a grand event receiving full attention from many people. It has proved to be a successful event, regardless of the fact that it was held for the first time, judging from over 300 Thai and foreign chefs of both professional and junior level who participated. The event is endorsed by World Association of Chef’s Society (WACS) and judged by an impressive panel of 20 judges coming from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and United States of America. Out of which, 7 are WACS approved international judges.
Mr. Micheal Dreyer, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse, said that “Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge, with endorsement from World Association of Chefs Societies who is knowledgeable and experienced, have made this event a world-class competition. It grants us an opportunity to welcome talented and skillful chefs into the industry and also presenting their unique culinary expertise to the eyes of foreign attendants during the event.”
“Professional and junior chefs who partook in the event will be exposed to new visions and build a good basic understanding upon international competition. This allows them to obtain new creativity in cookery by utilizing world-class standard to invent food menus in their own style for both future competitions and self skill development.” Mr. Jamnong Nirunsang, President of Thai Chefs’ Association, remarked.
Professionalism winners of each category will receive trophy and a total of reward prizes worth over 200,000. The competition is categorized into various divisions which are Hot Cooking Culinary Challenge, Display Challenge and Live Challenge, which all of which are subdivided into different categories such as Main Course, Pasta, Modern Thai Cuisine, Petities Fours, Western Plated Dessert, Classic Thai Plated Dessert, Fruits, Vegetable and Ice Carving. The highlight of Thailand Ultimate Chefs Challenge will be the “Mekong Culinary Challenge” where contestants will be asked to use any fresh water edible produce from the Mekong River.
3 Additional Awards are Best Establishment Awards: for participating establishments in at least 3 CATEGORY R and 3 CATEGORY C classes, Best Ultimate Professional Chef Awards: for participants in at least 2 CATEGORY R and 1 CATEGORY C class, and Best Ultimate Junior Chef Awards: for participants in at least 3 CATEGORY R classes.
Pongsak Mikhuntong, a 31-year-old Executive Sous Chef at Glown Pratunam byzinc and one of the key players in the team who won Best Ultimate Professional Chef Awards, shared his thought on the experience gained from this competition: “This competition provided us with new experience and excellent management skills. It’s a great opportunity to learn from other skillful contestants whose all of the presentations are neatly selected.
“Our team competed in various categories and received a Gold from Main Course Meat, a Gold from Main Course Poultry, a Silver from Main Course Catch of the Day, a Diploma from Pasta Free Style, a Gold from Modern Thai Cuisine, and a Bronze in Classic Thai Plated Dessert. Our total score of all categories, which is the highest of all teams, also bestowed us an additional Best Ultimate Professional Chef Awards. Our favorite menu we are most proud of is Kaeng Som Talay (sour soup made of tamarind paste with sea water edible produce) competed in category Modern Thai Cuisine. It is due to the reason that we got to exhibit Thai food in a whole new form with different displaying styles but yet remaining exactly the same delicious taste derived since our ancestors era. My next aim is to most cultivate daily new culinary experience to most impress each and everyone who gets to savor my heart-blooming cuisine, Pongsak further added.
Chatchaya (lastname), a (position) at Suan Dusit International Culinary School, Suan Dusit Rajabhat University commented that “Suan Dusit International Culinary School has sent our students to participate in Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2012 in many categories in order to add new experiences to students and teachers as practice instructors. Students will get to exercise skills additional to what they have obtained in classroom. They will be able to learn how to plan and prepare their works, working in high-pressure environments and solving unexpected problems. Being equipped with cooking skills isn’t just enough for professional chef since he or she will also have to be full of responsibility, disciplinary and code of conduct. Good emotional control is another important matter, especially in a rush or pressured circumstances which often occurs in this kind of career. In addition, the awards our students have won will serve as encouragement tools for students to further improve themselves and also to hearten other students who did not participate in the event to improve themselves as well.”
The next “Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2013” will be held in THAIFEX–WORLD OF FOOD ASIA 2013 in May 2013. For more competition information please visit www.worldoffoodasia.com
-KP-
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