Bon appetit, Dr Lenz!
THIS was a cooking battle with a difference for the winning teams not only walked away with prizes, they were also given the opportunity to prepare lunch for Swiss Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Rolf Lenz.
In conjunction with Swiss Week, a Swiss culinary competition was organised by KDU University College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts together with the Embassy of Switzerland.
School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts head Kitty Lee said this was the second time the competition, aimed at undergraduates in the Bachelor of Arts in International Hotel and Tourism Management degree majoring in European Culinary Management, was being held.
“Our judges included Dr Lenz and Chef Fritz Tschantre from Switzerland. Chef Tschantre was here to participate in the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival,” she said.
Six teams comprising two students each, were given the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills and talent with a Swiss element when preparing a soup or starter followed by a main course in the competition.
Dr Lenz said the top three teams were then chosen to prepare the winners’ menu at a special lunch ceremony held at the L’Heritage Restaurant at The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur last week.
Guests included the institution’s executive chairman Datuk Teo Chiang Quan and deputy vice-chancellor (Academic) Dr Tan Hui Leng, and the hotel’s general manager Franz Swoboda.
The competition’s champions were Wong Jade Yenn and Muhammad Ariff Roseley.
“It was exciting to be given the opportunity to cook for the ambassador and other guests together with Chef Tschantre. We want to thank Chef Maharis for his guidance,” said Jade Yenn.
Muhammad Ariff said he and the other teams spent the day before the lunch preparing for the meal at the hotel’s restaurant.
The winning menu comprised a walnut crusted quail for the entree, a pan-seared black cod fish paired with barley fricassee (main course) and lemon mousse served with hazelnut streusel, passion fruit curd, candied pistachio, raspberry coulis, pear samosa and edible flowers (dessert).
Last year’s competition winners Por Yit Kent and Ong Kien Sun were placed second this time around.
Yit Kent shared that the winning team had incorporated some of their menu’s elements into the main course served at the lunch.
“Our main course in the competition was roasted beef tenderloin served with a barley risotto cooked with saffron.
“The winning team incorporated the risotto with the main course but with a difference as the saffron was used as the sauce for the pan-seared black cod fish,” he said.
The second runners-up comprised Sim Kuan Shi and Fong Wei Loong.
Kuan Shi thanked the chef lecturers at the institution for their encouragement.
“They gave valuable comments when we were designing our menu,” he said, adding that their appetiser was seafood consomme and pan-seared cod with salmon terrine as the main course in the competition.
The champions won RM2,000 whereas the second- and thirdplaced teams took home RM1,200 and RM800 respectively.
Chef lecturer Mohd Maharis Mamat said the students came up with a Swiss-themed menu by themselves which were then reviewed in terms of suitability to the theme and availability of ingredients.
Although freedom of creativity was given, he said the chefs helped fine-tune the students’ dishes.
“The students could choose which chefs to work with for the competition. They then practised four times a week for a month depending on their free time and class schedule.”
“We evaluated their work from every aspect such as cooking techniques, taste and texture, and the plating of the dishes.”
The students worked hard for the competition, he said, adding that he was happy and proud to see them grow personally and professionally.