Within the framework of the exhibition activities Food & Hotel Vietnam takes place every 2 years, Vietnam Culinary Challenge is a large scale with the jury’s team of prestigious chefs, experiences from different countries.

Over 4 times organization with international qualifications recognized, the contest has become a prestigious competition, have great appeal in the industry, creating opportunities for career progression for the talented young chefs.

2013, with the aim of paving the way for raising qualification of processed Vietnam food as well as opportunities for chefs develop their creativity, the Saigon Professional Chefs Guild continue to organize the 5^th Vietnam Culinary Challenge with 12 classes, the competition drew nearly 140 contestants from 50 different businesses in the areas of food industry, restaurants and hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and provinces. After 3 days of the competition, the organizing committee has awarded 10 gold medals, 23 silver medals, 47 bronze medals, 42 diplomas and 11 certificates award winner on food hygiene and safety, Vietnamese cuisine, Hot cooking, …. for the excellence individual and collective.

The result of the 5^th Vietnam Culinary Challenge: 

* Grand Champion                                       Mr. Nguyen Van Truong Giang – Equatorial Hotel

(Gold medal with highest points in Class 1a – Vietnamese Cuisine Display

 Silver medal in Class 1 – Vietnamese Cuisine

 Bronze medal in Class 8 – Hot cooking US Potato)

* Vietnamese Cuisine Champion        Mrs. Tran Thi Lan Anh – First Hotel

(Gold medal with highest points in Class 1 – Vietnamese Cuisine)

* Hot Cooking Champion                   Mr. Vo Sang – Equatorial Hotel

(Gold medal with the highest point in hot cooking Class 3 – Hot cooking US Chicken)

* Food Safety & Hygient                    Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Tan – Equatorial Hotel (1^st day)

Mr. Vo Sang – Equatorial Hotel (2^nd day)

                                                           Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cuong – Song Be Golf (3^rd day)

* Class Live Desert Making               

                              First prize              Mr. Nguyen Huu Thieu – Kinh Do Bakery (The North)       

                              Second prize         Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van – Tiny World

                              Third prize            Ms. Tran Thao Doan Phuong – Equatorial Hotel

* Best Culinary Establishment            Equatorial Hotel

The Saigon Professional Chefs Guild give big thanks to the sponsors: US Meat Federation, US Poultry & Eggs Export Council, US Potato Board, MLA Company, Fonterra, Equatorial Hotel and many other sponsors to support us make a successful competition.

 

Immediate: June 21,

2013 Award winning Welsh chefs plan to take ‘caviar’ from Wales to serve at a VIP reception in to Russia linked to the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament. Four members of the Welsh National Culinary Team will fly to Moscow to prepare food for 150 invited guests at the reception on June 28, which is hosted by the British Ambassador to Russian and attended by Edwina Hart, Wales’ Minister for Economy, Science and Transport.

Wales are the defending champions of the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament The chefs will prepare canapés and a buffet comprising main dishes, desserts and cheese, which showcase Wales the True Taste award winning food and drink ingredients.

One of the dishes that will be served up is ‘Welsh caviar’, which is produced by injecting pureed lavabread into a solution that creates caviar-like droplets that burst with flavour when eaten.

“A lot of chefs use the same method to create fruit drops, but we thought it would be a nice twist use lavabread and to take Welsh caviar to Russia,” explained team manager Graham Tinsley, executive chef at De Vere Carden Park near Chester.

“It will be the first time that our chefs have been to Russia and we are really looking forward to the new experience. It’s an honour to represent Wales and the Welsh Government and a great opportunity to promote quality Welsh food and drinks and the nation’s culinary skills.”

Joining him on the flight to Moscow will be Colin Gray, director of Capital Cuisine, Cardiff, Kurt Fleming, executive chef at ffresh Restaurant, Cardiff and Mike Evans, tutor at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea. The Welsh Government is arranging a series of activities to help Welsh businesses to capitalise on trade opportunities for a range of Welsh products and services in Russia. Representatives of Welsh food and drink companies will also attend the reception as part of the Welsh Government’s trade mission.

The Welsh National Culinary Team is sponsored by the Welsh Government, Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales), C&C Catering Equipment Ltd, Brakes, Unilever Food Solutions UK, Villeroy and Boch and Friedr. Dick, Germany.

For more information please contact Graham Tinsley, Welsh National Culinary Team manager, on 07765 404950 or Duncan Foulkes, public relations consultant, on 01686 650818

Press release, 11 June 2013

The first workshop of its kind in South Africa, on 1 June 2013 a group of experienced South African chefs attended a WACS Judges Workshop led by renowned Australian chef Rick Stephen at the South African Chefs Association’s Centre for Culinary Excellence in Johannesburg. A successful workshop that accredited 17 new WACS Level B Judges, this was an exciting milestone for the South African Chefs Association (SACA) as well as a fantastic way to up-skill more judges to WACS level to further improve the standards of chef competitions and judging in South Africa. Chef Rick Stephen, WACS Continental Director for Asia and Certified WACS and Certified WACS Trainer, is also the Executive Chef for Singapore’s SATS Food Solutions. 

Chef Stephen conducted the one-day workshop that included both theoretical and practical judging training, which was also a platform for the chefs to ask questions and discuss the various trends and challenges involved in global culinary competition judging. Very experienced in his role as a judge and mentor, Chef Stephen has been very involved in many competitions held across the globe, from Chile, Egypt, Germany, to Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Stephen has also visited many regions in Asia to mentor large brigades of chefs in Singapore, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia; contributing to the success of a number of these chefs in competitions and in general kitchen work.

 “ The South African Chefs Association’s headquarters was a great venue with a kitchen right next door to it. The group was very enthusiastic, with many questions, and as the day went on, the dialogue was good and at times exciting as there were some good characters in the group who had up-to-date practical questions. The practical session was taken very seriously between all and the results were quite good ”

said Chef Stephen about his experience hosting the WACS Judges Workshop at SACA.

A very valuable course for the 17 chefs, we are sure that this judging workshop will have many positive effects to come – as the chefs mentor their own staff, judge competitions with excellence and mentor young chefs to compete both in South African and across the globe. 

The South African Chefs Association congratulates the following attendees on successfully becoming WACS Level B Judges: 

Nicholas Froneman 

Keiron Reynolds 

George Georgiou 

Stuart Cason 

Richard Pearce 

Stuart McClarty 

Leon Hatton Jones 

Craig Elliot 

Jodi-Ann Pearton 

Henrik Jonsson 

James Khoza

 Pinky 

Maruping

Bruce Burns 

Nadin Pospech-Demmler 

Jerome Norton

Charl Gyzen

Neil Olverman

 

 For more information please contact SACA’s Communications Manager, Lauren Hills at communications@saca.co.za, or on (011) 482 7250