Nestle Culinary Arts Award 2010

Culinary award champion wins coveted apprenticeship

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=56797

By: (Wed, 26 Jan 2011)

(From left) Nestle Professional Culinary Arts Award organising chairman Nicholas Chew, Michieletto, Taylor’s winning coach Chef Farouk Othman, Foo, Human Resources Ministry Skills Development Department director-general Dr C.L. Pang, Malaysian Association of Hotels vice-president Christina Toh, award runner-up Mohd Aiman Yusof of UiTM Dungun and Rodriguez.

A WINNER of the Nestle Professional Culinary Arts Award has emerged after nine finalists went through a gruelling three-day battle for the chance to win a coveted six-month apprenticeship under the guidance of none other than Chef Antoine Rodriguez, one of the world’s leading chefs.
Foo Ee Lynn of Taylor’s University College emerged champion. The award has been recognised by the Department of Skills Development, an establishment under the Human Resources Ministry which promotes skills training and programmes in line with Malaysia’s development needs.
Foo will also be in the running to be selected for the 2011 World Skills Competition in London later this year.
The journey to the top was tough, with Foo competing with a host of other finalists selected based on their high degree of creativity, cooking and presentation skills, as evaluated by their respective lecturers.
The award, which remains the only prominent one in Malaysia to recognise young talents in the culinary arts, has been running since 2006 and targets top students in the Culinary Art Studies Diploma Programme.
Foo was declared winner of the "Best of the Best Cook Off" after the three-day finale ended on Jan 16, having excelled in various tasks involving preparation, cooking, the making and dressing of an international cold display, pastries display, hot appetiser, main course and dessert.
Chefs Association of Malaysia president Frederico Michieletto said passion was an essential quality to look for in the cooking profession.
"They should not only be good in theory but also be able to personally execute the menu they had planned," he said.
Foo’s apprenticeship with Chef Antoine will take place at Le Meridien where he is based, and will be an opportunity for her to work closely with the chef, honing her skills in special one-on-one training sessions.
Nestle Professional presented the competition, which took place at Taylor’s’ lakeside campus, and which was co-organised by the Malaysian Association of Hotels and Chefs Associations Malaysia with the objective of elevating the standard of culinary arts in Malaysia.
Finalists came from a series of participating universities – Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College, UiTM Dungun, Pusat Teknologi dan Pengurusan Lanjutan, Taylor’s University College, KBU International College, Genting Inti International College, Food Institute of Malaysia, Legend International College of Hospitality & Tourism, and Universiti Tun Abdul Razak