Gas Petronas Battle of the Chefs Cooking Competition 2011

HEAT from the wok fuelled the energy of aspiring young chefs from six institutions of higher learning who battled it out in the inaugural Gas Petronas Battle of the Chefs Cooking Competition 2011 held in SSTwo Mall, Petaling Jaya recently. The competition, organised by Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB), proved to be a challenging task for the teams as they had to prepare an appetiser, a main course and dessert within one-and-a-half hours. The ingredients to be used were only revealed at the start of the competition. General manager of PDB�s liquefied petroleum gas business, Zubair Abdul Razak said the company was glad to play a part in fostering the development of the local culinary and hospitality industry.

The competition is one of the platforms for us to expose young chefs to competition and give them an opportunity to further improve the standard of the local hospitality and food service,� he said. Judging the competition was former Chef Association of Malaysia president Johari Edrus and former Carnival Cruise Liners corporate chief executive chef Jasman Saidin. The teams were judged based on innovation, taste, presentation, timeliness and hygiene. Celebrity chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab, who was the host kept the crowd going as he cheered on contestants and offered updates on the progress throughout the competition. The Food Institute of Malaysia (FIM) proved their mettle when they managed to net the grand prize of RM3,000 cash, a challenge trophy, Gas Petronas merchandise and three cylinders of 14kg Gas Petronas cooking gas. Their combination of sauted kimchi and grilled scallop, grilled duck breast with orange sauce, and chocolate cake with jackfruit wowed the judges to earn them the title of champion.

Jasman said the FIM team stood out from the rest of the competition because of the originality in their cooking, as well as the passion put into producing the dishes. Classmates Nurul Azwa Ammeran, Noor Hidayah Aris and Mohd Zulkhairi Zainal Ibidin, all 21, were surprised they won. "We were very nervous because we were afraid there won't be enough time to finish the dishes," said Nurul Azwa. The trio are pursuing their diploma in culinary arts at the institute. The three young chefs were glad the event turned out well. "We will definitely be joining other competitions like this next time around," said Nurul Azwa. Walking away with second and third prizes respectively were students from Advanced Management and Technology Centre (PTPL) and Berjaya University College of Hospitality.

Source: The Star (3rd March 2011, Metro section)