Young chefs wok their magic
By ANDREA FILMER
THE air was thick with the whiff of piping hot pasta mingled with anticipation and anxiety.
Side by side, five teams of two aspiring chefs hurried around small gas stoves surrounded by containers of chicken, bacon, sausages, prawns, cockle spats, and a variety of kitchen utensils.
With the allotted 20 minutes almost up, it was not yet time to relax.
A team of two chefs cooking up a storm at their respective station during the competition.
Things went right down to the wire at the Power Chef Competition 2009 finals in KDU College Penang.
Chung Ling High School’s Aun Yi Yang and Goh Yi Zhang slaved right down to the last second with the garnishing, having taken up a most elaborate plan for their conchiglie (pasta shells) carbonara.
The hard work paid off for the pair of 16-year-olds when they walked off as competition champions after the judges announced their decision.
“Compared with the dishes from the other teams, there was obviously a lot more effort put into their presentation which made the food look more appetising,” said Chef Association of Malaysia, Penang Chapter secretary Peter Chan during the judging.
Champions: Goh (left) and Aun posing with the Challenge Shield and their trophies.
Chapter chairman Audee Cheah also noticed the different styles of cooking involved in the dish.
“They took the time to pan-fry some bacon and sausages for the end design and also tried to make a different sauce to drizzle around the pasta,” said Cheah.
A total of 126 upper secondary students from 18 schools in the state participated in the competition orga-nised by KDU College Penang for the second year running.
The number of participants was trimmed down to five teams after four rounds of contest — salad making, open sandwich, cake decoration and fried noodles.
Aun and Goh's winning culinary masterpiece.
Aun and Goh took home RM800 in cash along with the Challenge Shield, trophies, and hampers after besting their 17-year-old competitors: SMK Convent Light Street’s Margaret Chew and Linda Lee, Chung Ling High School’s Tian Hang Shu and Quah Chun Eu, who were awarded second and third place respectively.
The college principal Dr Chong Beng Keok who presented the awards to the winners together with state Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang, said the competition was aimed at grooming talented future chefs.
“The competition provides secondary school students who have a great interest and aptitude for the culinary arts an opportunity to showcase their talent and bring their culinary magic to life,” she said.
Date Written :
1/26/2010 11:50:17 PM
Category:
General News 2010