Cooking Challenge for BOV employees

It was a Saturday afternoon with a difference for a group of 80 BOV employees, as they swapped their office attire for cooking gear, and faced off one another in a four-hour cooking challenge. Organised by the Bank’s Sports and Social Club (BOVSSC), this activity saw the competitors battling one another over kitchen workstations at ITS in St Julian’s.

Claudette Pace, Vice-President of BOVSSC said, “The rules of the game were simple. Every one of the eight teams had to prepare a 3-course meal, with the menu being approved by Chef Ryan Ellul.” Once they got the nod on the menu, the teams were given a budget of EUR100 to purchase the ingredients and prepare their meal. In addition, they were given two cans of sweet corn as a secret ingredient. They had to transform this into Amuse-bouche and somehow integrate it into their presentation.

All teams had to present their masterpieces to the judging panel by 19.00 hours. The competitors were judged on various criteria including presentation, cleanliness of the working station, table layout, menu creativity, budget and teamwork.

“The activity was a fun experience for all involved,” said Ms Pace. “Team work emerged as a critical criterion, and it was interesting how the winning team was composed of members reporting at multiple posts across the Bank.”

Speaking about the role of BOVSSC, Ms Pace explained that this committee is made up of volunteers who come together to organize events for BOV employees to meet in a social environment. The main goal is that of instilling a spirit of camaraderie across the organization. “Events vary in nature, spanning from team challenges to social, culinary, cultural and sporting events. The Club is also split into different sub-committees that organise training and tournaments relating to different disciplines such as tennis, motorcars, bowling, football, darts and athletics throughout the year,” concluded Ms Pace.