A culinary magic show
The air was a heady mixture of sense-tingling aromas. Professional chefs put together elegant dishes as the judges munched on forkfuls of gastronomical explosions while nodding their heads in approval. For the onlooker, this scene was like a live session of Master Chef where good food is celebrated with sophistication.
Performing under pressure: The chefs at work. Pix by Anuradha Bandara
This was the atmosphere at the Hilton South East Asia Food and Beverage Masters country level finals on November 25 at the Il Ponte Hilton, Colombo. At the competition organised by Hilton Colombo, professional chefs representing Hilton Colombo, Hilton Residence and Conrad Hotel Maldives competed in four categories — the Culinary Competition, the Barista Competition, the Sommelier Competition and the Bar Competition.
The Culinary Cup which took place from 10 a.m. was a magic show. Competitors were asked to prepare an appetiser and a main course. Succulent pink prawns lay on Crustacean Bisque while braised lamb shared the plate with mushroom puree.
The participants of the Barista Competition took coffee to another level. They were required to make a Cappuccino, an Espresso and a Signature Espresso. Multi-coloured glass ware of varied shapes and sizes held foaming coffee. The bubbling froth was spread out to create vivid pictures of flowers and trellised patterns. Vanilla seeds and chocolate were added for flavouring.
In the afternoon, it was the Sommelier Cup where candidates went through a written and practical examination. The first theory paper was a Multiple Choice Questionnaire on wine while the second was an essay paper where they had to pair wines with menus. This was followed by a blind tasting in which the competitors had to identify certain wines and answer questions posed by the judges.
At the request of the judges, professional bar tenders mixed liqueur and shandies to make one long drink such as a Singapore Sling and one short cocktail such as a Mojito at the Bar Competition. They also created Signature Cocktails.
The overall competition captured the different aspects of hospitality we enjoy in the pampering arms of a hotel or resort.
This was the first year that such regional competitions were being organised by the Hilton in Colombo. Similar tournaments were held in Thailand, Burma, Vietnam etc. “Hilton plans to organise an Asia Pacific Masters in 2015. Such events are put together with the aim of creating awareness about local talents. There is a lot of talent in Sri Lanka. However, the restricted access to ingredients and lack of industry level competition act as barriers. Competitions like this will help to bring out the talent in the country” said Executive Chef at the Hilton Colombo, Daniel Leah.
“The beauty of this competition is that the participants give a live performance. Especially in the Culinary Cup, the cooks must assemble their dishes from scratch. This is a contrast to a world that depends on convenient foods,” said Chef Saman Wijeratne who was part of the judging panel for the culinary round.
After much discussion the judges’ panels decided on the winners. An evening ceremony saw the four winners receiving their awards while guests enjoyed cocktails and finger foods.
The Vice President in charge of Hilton’s operations in the South East Asian Region, William Wstley said, “Luck is where preparation meets hard work. Therefore, all who took part in the four categories are lucky winners. This is a good opportunity to practise your skills.”
Jerome Tissera of Hilton Colombo Residence won the Culinary Cup; Shehan Mendis of Hilton Colombo won the Barista Cup; Kamal Malik representing Conrad Hotel, Rangali Islands won the Sommelier Cup and Chamila Maliduwa of Hilton Colombo won the Bar Cup.
These four winners will compete in the South East Asia Regional Tournament to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in February 2015.