At 6pm on September 29, the convention hall of Grand Hilton Hotel in Seoul was filled with culinary sparkles.
The spacious ballroom had been transformed into a state-of-the-art live cooking forum where 40 amateur chefs from 22 countries gathered to showcase their kitchen talents, using some of the world's latest cooking technologies through smart cooking appliances in LG Life Tastes Good Championship Global Final 2010.
Marked as the equivalent of the Olympics for amateur chefs, the LG Life Tastes Good Championship is a unique cooking competition that recognises the innovative, nutritious and delicious recipes created by everyday people from around the world.
Before reaching the global final stage, contestants _ ranging from students, housewives to office employees _ were to submit their recipes to the national committee before being selected to progress to the national live-cooking contest to prove if they were the best team to represent the country.
''Duck of Harmony'' by Siwawut Sriprapha and Khunuch Chanyudhasatr, two students from the International Culinary School of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, triumphed over some 200 recipes at the preliminary rounds in Thailand.
Smartly representing the exquisite character of Thai cuisine, this slightly adapted version of gaeng phed ped yang, or roasted duck in red curry, earned the Thai team the ''Stylish Chef Prize'', one of the seven awards at this global final championship.
''We picked this menu because we believed the red curry would perfectly exemplify the authentic Thai flavour and at the same time we would be able to play around with the duck to make the dish look more contemporary, more international,'' said Siwawut.
''However, not only were the taste and the presentation considered but also the composition of the dish. Because a typical gaeng phed ped yang usually includes fresh fruit, we saw it as a good opportunity to have fun with the colours, textures and tastes of tropical fruit.''
Unlike an ordinary form of the curry dish, of which shredded pieces of roast duck and fragments of fruit come bathed in curry, Siwawut and Khunuch's version looked sleeker and more westernised.
It presented neat slices of duck meat, previously pan-seared, glazed and oven-roasted, beautifully displayed on a bed of grilled pineapple wedges with thick red curry as a dressing.
The spiciness of the curry was toned down by the sweet and refreshing taste of grapes, cherry tomatoes and lychee juice, while the velvety blue-coloured jasmine rice gave an awe-inspiring look to the creation.
''Our blue rice seemed to get the most attention from fellow contestants and the judges. Many of them came to ask where we got the blue colour from. We told them it's from dok anchan (butterfly pea), which is a Thai flower, and they were thrilled,'' said Khunuch.
Hosting 500 or so guests from across the globe, including world-class celebrity chefs, international media professionals and other VIPs, this event was certainly no child's play. The LG Life Tastes Good Championship is the only international cooking competition for amateur chefs that is endorsed by renowned organisations such as the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) and Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute with support from top-star chefs.
Organised by LG Electronics, a pioneer in smart cooking technologies, the competition _ in its third consecutive year _ has brought together more than 20,000 contestants in its national, regional and global cook-offs.
The first contest was held in 2008 in Dubai. Thailand was appointed as the host country the following year, when Bangkok greeted culinary-inspired candidates from 13 countries with the ''Cuisine of Light'' concept.
The 2010 global final competition, which took place last week in Seoul, was celebrated under the theme ''World on Your Table''. It attracted culinary aspirants from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, Central America, South America, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East.
While the panel of judges for this year included Guy Martin, a 3-Michelin Star chef from France; Edward Kwon, one of South Korea's most cele brated chefs and a former head chef of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai; Sam Talbot, a highly-praised celebrity chef from the US; Gissur Gudmundsson, president of WACS and Franck Bruwier, chief consultant of Le Cordon Bleu Korea.
According to WACS's judging criteria, contestants received points based on their cooking techniques and skills, menu recipe, appliances utilisation, work plan, safety and sanitation, presentation and taste.
A ''smart cooking'' factor was also considered. This was to look at the minimum use of artificial flavour, and whether the dish was low in fat and cholesterol. Also considered was the use of animal products, waste of ingredients and nutritional balance.
''One of the most significant criteria for me is the taste,'' chef Edward Kwon, one of the committee members, declared. ''However, because different countries have different ingredients and tastes, as a judge I have to be open-minded, and to not compare. So what I look for is the balance of the dish. No matter where you're from, cooking is cooking, and it's all about balancing flavours.''
Caroline Boutoille, of France's one-woman team, who produced barbecued pork tenderloin with rosemary, mashed cauliflower and broccoli, frozen vegetables, and red pepper emulsion, seemed to come up with the best balance. She picked up the Global Grand Master Chef Prize, which included a tour package of five-star culinary experiences in Abu Dhabi, including tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the F1 VIP lounge, Paddock Club.
The second-highest prize, Global Master Chef, went to the German team, who presented zucchini flowers with lobster and scallops and spiced basmati rice.
Being some of the youngest contestants in the competition, Siwawut, 22, and Khunuch, 20, of the Thailand team, were very satisfied with their achievement. Other than a trophy, they also received a Lightwave oven, LG's latest high-tech yet eco-friendly cooking appliance using a charcoal heating system.
''I think our team was awarded the Stylish Chef prize because our presentation of the dish stood out,'' said Khunuch. ''We've gone through a lot of rehearsals and luckily we have a good team of experts from our university to help polish up our creation.''
Siwawut added: ''It's my first competition away from home, but being the youngest contestants somehow helped boost my confidence. I am happy with the result and most importantly I'm very happy that we were able to do everything as we had planned.''
When it comes to cooking, winning seems to come very smoothly for Thai contestants, especially for students from Suan Dusit International Culinary School. Last year, two teams from the school received two prizes at the LG global final round.
''Over the past few years, our students have won many culinary awards internationally, so we are quite familiar with world-class competitions,'' said Supapit Opatvisan, a culinary instructor at Suan Dusit International Culinary School and the coach to the Thai team. ''We are well aware of what the judges are looking for _ for example, the hygiene and work flow _ therefore, we have to be very careful with these issues.
''This morning a CNN reporter asked if we were pressured by the fact that Thailand has a reputation of always doing well on a world stage. That statement made me very glad to know that Thai contestants were pleasantly perceived among the international media.''
In terms of culinary dexterity, Supapit believes that Thai chefs, especially the younger generation ones, are second to none, but what they lacked was support from the government and private organisations.
''Young Thai chefs still need to improve their English communication and widen their culinary knowledge. Scholarships to further their education at well-respected schools overseas, or taking an apprentice at a prominent organisation, will help,'' added Supapit.
''I am truly impressed with how well and professional LG organised the event. I'd absolutely give it a perfect 10. And with cooperation from the government sectors, the event reveals to me not only that Korea is at the forefront of home cooking technology and know-how, but the country is also very serious in supporting its young chefs and promoting its cuisine globally. I can feel their best intention and devotion, and I hope to see that happening in Thailand, too.''
During the five-hour event, guests were treated to a number of gourmet dishes created by world-class chefs: Guy Martin, Sam Talbot, Edward Kwon, Isabelle Kaufman and Wolfgang Stoiber of the Formula 1 Paddock Club and Sanaz Minaie, a celebrity chef and publisher of a popular lifestyle magazine from Iran.
Representing the diversity of world cuisine, dishes included smoked salmon with avocado tarte and truffle yuzu; turbot with green tomatoes, star anise and pearl of balsamic vinegar; Arabian fesenjan stew; and bibimbap roll. The evening also featured live cross-cultural cooking demonstrations by these top chefs.
According to Young-ha Lee, president and CEO of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company, the Life Tastes Good Championship is a real carnival of cooking; mixing ingredients, cultures and people from all over the world. ''And while all contestants can enjoy the festival, some might see it as a platform to realise their dreams,'' he said.
LG also operates several cooking academies and cooking classes in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. While offering a chance to learn how to cook with the brand's appliances, the academies in Iran and Saudi Arabia have also become popular social events for women in countries where such outlets can be limited.
In Europe, LG's cooking classes have become a big hit with working mothers, while in India, they have emerged as a highly popular pastime for women who love to cook.
''Through our global cooking academies, cooking networks and our extensive experience in researching and studying cooking habits, LG aims to offer initiatives that create enjoyable and unique experiences for our customers,'' the company's president stated.
Together with Seoul City, LG will co-host the G20 Summit, which will take place in Seoul in November.
The company is drawing on its extensive culinary knowledge to present ''Infinite Taste of Seoul, Korea'' as part of ongoing efforts to promote Korean food internationally.
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