Behind the white, elegant facade of Penang’s Straits Quay and as the gentle ocean breeze swept by, a storm of a cooking nature was brewing in the Convention Centre. It was the annual Battle of the Chefs (BOTC) with more than 850 budding chefs pitting their skills in categories of western cuisine, pastry making, sculpture, cake dressing, carvings and niche categories such as US potato cooking. With a theme of “Celebrating Our Heritage”, the local flavours were represented by a ‘roti canai’ competition where contestants endeavoured to make the fluffiest Indian flat bread while Malay cuisine took the stage with a traditional Malay cuisine category and a special ‘ketupat’ and ‘rendang’ competition; both dishes being synonymous with Malay cuisine. As a representation of a greater picture in the hospitality industry, the expertise of front liners was given recognition with a Fruite Flambe and table setting competition.
Endorsed by World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), BOTC attracted participation from 20 countries, including 44 judges who came from all over the world.Aligning itself with the WACS International Chefs Day theme of “Food Source Sustainability”, participants were only required to prepare 2 plates of their creation instead of the previous 4 plates in efforts to reduce wastage. Evaluation of the competitors was of the highest degree as led by Chef Otto Weibel, a WACS Approved Judge and together with his team, judging was meticulous and stringent. 27 gold medals, 98 silver and 225 bronze medals were awarded to deserving participants while a total of 283 received Diploma recognition for their spirit of participation. Malaysians were on their best performance and swept many awards and special mention goes to Thailand Culinary Academy which proved to be a major contender, taking home the prestigious PENANG GOVERNOR CHALLENGE TROPHY FOR BEST ESTABLISHMENT.
As contestants were busy behind their stoves, visitors browsed the display area to admire impressive sculptures and the art of plating. Industry professionals like Chefonic made a presence with its product demonstration of the Electrolux combination oven – almost indispensable modern equipment in today’s kitchen while well-known brands like MAGGI and Pritchitts sponsored the ingredients for the competition, an added challenge for the participants to find creative ways to use them. There were also interesting demonstrations such as Nyonya Cuisine by expert chef Mdm Tan Bee Lee, noodle pulling show by Cheah Ee Wei and a Nestum-oriented demonstration by Nestle Chefs. BOTC was also backed by the GST Group, ASAHI Kitchen Equipments, Berjaya University College for Hospitality, Star Cruises, to name a few.
Battle of the Chefs 2013 was organised by the Chefs Association of Malaysia, Penang Chapter and is regarded by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture as an instrumental event to highlight Penang’s status as World Heritage City. As the state is strongly referred to having one of the best foods in the world; “Celebrating Our Heritage” is truly fitting to bring the name of Pearl of Orient to a global stage.
For more information, visit: www.battleofthechef.com.my
