27 January 2013

Otto Weibel & Norwegian Seafood Scholarship 2013


Promising Young Talents from Sky on 57 Win Prestigious
Otto Weibel & Norwegian Seafood Scholarship 2013

Singapore, 14 January 2013 – Chef Chua Guo Sen and his assistant Lee Fu Seng from Sky on 57 emerged as champions in the 4th Otto Weibel & Norwegian Seafood Scholarship Competition held last Saturday, 12 January 2013 at ITE College West.


The team won the judges’ hearts with their winning showcase of the culinary versatility and simplicity of fresh Norwegian seafood. Their prize is a two-week trip to Norway to learn about Norwegian seafood and produce, food culture, history and trends, which includes a week-long working internship in one of the Norway’s leading culinary establishments.

Young chefs, aged 19 to 25, competed in 13 teams of two in the preparation of a 4-course Norwegian seafood menu of hot and cold appetizer and a main course – consisting of Norwegian Atlantic Salmon, Live Diver Scallops and Fresh Atlantic Cod – and a dessert. The participants came from some of the top establishments in Singapore’s culinary scene, including the Es Group (Picotin Bistro), Tower Club, Les Amis Group (Bistro Du Vin), Le Bistrot du Sommelier, Marina Mandarin, Crown Plaza Hotel Changi, Pan Pacific Singapore, Table at 7, The Cliff Sentosa, ITE College West and Temasek Polytechnic.

“My deepest congratulations to the champions who displayed a profound understanding of presenting fresh Norwegian produce in their cooking skills and winning creations. I am convinced that their time in Norway will enrich their learning experience as young chefs,” said Christian Chramer, Regional Director of Southeast Asia, Norwegian Seafood Council, one of the key judges present at the competition.

Congratulating the teams who participated in this year’s competition, he added, “The future of the F&B industry looks bright with such young culinary talents, who have impressed us with their hard work, enthusiasm and creativity.” Also on the judging panel were Honorary Mentor President Chef Otto Weibel, honorary judge His Excellency Ambassador of Norway, Tormod C Endresen, media judge Wong Ah Yoke, Chef Edmund Toh, President of Singapore Chefs Association, and Frank Arne Naesheim, CEO of Snorre Food Pte Ltd.

Established by the Norwegian Seafood Council in the name of Chef Otto Weibel, to honour his tireless work in mentoring young culinary talents, the competition aims to promote Norwegian seafood among young, aspiring and upcoming chefs in Singapore and to support these talents in expand their knowledge and culinary experience. The competition is hosted by the Norwegian Seafood Council, supported by the Singapore Chefs Association and co-hosted by ITE College West.

26 January 2013

Culinary Education Without Border


Culinary Education without Border
07-01-2013

 Taiwan Chefs Association Young Chefs Club
“Culinary Education without Border”
Just before the New Year of 2013, Taiwan Chefs Association organizes a culinary workshop for the Young Chefs Club; we specially invite Chef Willment Leong from Thailand, to share his knowledge in International Culinary Competition with the young Chefs. The workshop was take part in two university of Taiwan, 12/26 in Taichung Hungkuang University and 12/28 in Taipei Jinwen University

The Workshop is basic in two topics
1/How to Become Professional Chef
2/How to Compete in Culinary Competition

Chef Willment is Singapore-Chinese, in 1991~1996 is Member of the Singapore Chef Association, 2007~2009 Broad of Director of Thai’s Chef Association, in 2009 he became the Vice President of Thai Chef’s Association,

Founder Chairman-Thailand Culinary Academy, Thailand Culinary Academy established in 2010, a cuisine Training Institute established specifically for the young chefs, In this 3 years Thailand Culinary Academy Training Institute winning international culinary competitions many award, he was one of the very important driving force.

Chef Willment has been emphasized that this is not a person's credit, this is a team spirit!
Young Chefs have a lot of energy, we have to step by step lead them in positive for the future.
In addition to Chef Willment, also leading Thailand Culinary Academy Training Institute students put into relief efforts 2011 Bangkok

Becoming a chef, Chef Willment is not pursuit of Fame and wealth, he would like to do is give back to the community!

Battle of the Chefs 2013 in Penang


Greetings from the Organizing Chairman of this "Battle of the Chefs 2013", Chef Darren Tan. Warmest greetings from Chefs Association of Malaysia, Penang Chapter / Penang Chefs!
Darren Tan Is my great pleasure and honor to invite you and your organization, once again to our "Battle of the Chefs 2013" to be held from 12-15 June 2013 at Straits Quay Convention Centre,Penang, Malaysia. 
It was with your strong support from previous Battles that our event was endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) as a Continental Category Event for this year and we are looking forward to elevate it to higher level of recognition for our future events. My sincere thanks to Chef Gissur & the Board for acknowledging our effort to lift the standard of Asian Culinary skills.
In our home front, the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Penang State Government had endorse this event as a National / State event and slated in the Tourism Calendar 2013 whereby international and domestic publicity will be emphasized. We have incorporate a theme for this year, "Celebrate Our Heritage" and we expect the chefs to prepare their dishes with their traditional and native ingredients to highlight the diverse ingredients from this region.
This Battle of the Chefs 2013 will see about 60 classes of competition events to be competed. We are expecting more than 1000 chefs, food & beverage personals and housekeeping mate battling it out for the various top honors.
This will be the biggest culinary event ever held in this region and had in-cooperate:
  • Penang Chefs Challenge (Live Team of 4 Chefs Hot Cooking)
  • Greenhorn Chefs Challenge (Apprentice Level Culinary Competitions)
  • Master Chefs Challenge (Professional Level Culinary Competitions)
  • MAH Penang Chapter Hospitality Challenge
    • Bed Making
    • Table Setting
    • Fruit Flambe
    • Flair King Bartender (Preparation of Cocktail & Mocktail)
    • The Lighthouse Asian Coffee "Battle of the Barista" Challenge
  • Tourism Malaysia Waiter Race
  • Food, Food Ingredients, Services & Equipments Exhibition

The Panel of International Judges will be selected from the pool of WACS Approved Judges and we are expecting a higher level of exhibits and creations be showcased by the participants this year.
In the mist of the great Battles, we hope you will not miss out to visit some of our Heritage site and savour the mouthwatering Penang cuisines. We hope we will make you feel at home when you are with us.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any query.
Thank You!
Chef Darren Tan
Organizing Chairman
Battle of the Chefs 2013


You can download the Rulebook by clicking on the link below:

04 January 2013

7 Unusual Things Great Bosses Do


7 Unusual Things Great Bosses Do
Where employees are concerned, great leaders don't take. Great leaders give--especially these seven things:

They give a glimpse of vulnerability.

To employees, you're often not a person. You're a boss. (Kind of like when you were in school and you saw a teacher at the grocery store; it was jarring and uncomfortable because teachers weren't people. They were teachers.)

That's why showing vulnerability is a humanizing way to break down the artificial barrier that typically separates bosses from employees. One easy way to break down that barrier is to ask for help.

But don't ask the wrong way. Don't puff out your chest, assume the power-position, and in your deepest voice intone, "Listen, John, I need your help." John knows you don't really need his help. You want him to do something.

Instead ask the right way. Imagine you've traveled to an unfamiliar place, you only know a few words of the language, and you're both lost and a little scared.

How would you ask for help? You would be humble. You would be real. You'd cringe a little and dip your head slightly and say, "Can you help me?" Asked that way, John would know you truly needed help. You've lowered your guard. You're vulnerable. And you're not afraid to show it.

By showing vulnerability, you lift the other person. You implicitly recognize her skills while extending trust.

And you set a great example: Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness.

It's a sign of strength.

They give a nudge.

From the employee's point of view the best ideas are never your ideas. The best ideas are their ideas, and rightly so. So don't spell out what you want done. Leave room for initiative. Leave room for ownership.

When you describe what you want to be done, paint with a broad brush. Give employees room to take your ideas and make them their own.

They'll do more than you imagined possible--and they'll feel a sense of satisfaction and gratification that simply following instructions can never provide.

They give unexpected attention.

Everyone loves attention. Unfortunately you don't have unlimited time to devote to each employee.

So make the most of the time you do have. Don't just comment on the big stuff, the stuff you're supposed to focus on.

Notice a small detail. Praise a particular phrase she used to smooth the transition from customer conflict to problem resolution. Praise how he swung by another employee's desk to grab paperwork he could deliver on his way to another office. Pick something small, something positive, something helpful--something unexpected--to show you really pay attention.

Pick out details and employees know you're watching--in a good way--and not only will they work harder, more importantly they will feel better about themselves.

They give employees a break.

He messed up. Badly. Not only are you a little pissed, this is a teachable moment. You feel compelled to talk about it, possibly at length.

Don't. For a good employee, the lesson is already learned. Catch his eye, nod, let it go, and help him fix the problem.

Once in a while employees can all use a break. When they get one they never forget it. And they try really hard to show they deserved that break--and to make sure they never need another one.

They give a peek inside.

My boss was nearly yelling at a supplier who hadn't met a key timeline. It wasn't ugly but it was close. In the middle of their "discussion," when the supplier glanced away, he turned and winked at me.

My boss was signaling that his emotional display was partly for effect, that he had a plan in mind and that I was in on things. I was an insider. We were partners.

We were in it together.

It's easy, as an employee, not to feel like you and your boss are in it together. Make sure your employees do. Give them occasional peeks inside.

They give an undeserved compliment.

Compliments don't always have to be earned. Sometimes a compliment can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When you see something in employees that they don't see--at least not yet--they often try hard to fulfill the belief you have in them.

That happened to me. I went out for wrestling in ninth grade and was nervous, scared, intimidated--pick any fearful adjective. It fit. A week or so into practices I heard the coach talking to one of the seniors. "That kid there," he said, referring to me, "will be a state champion by the time he's a senior."

He was wrong. It turned out I wasn't. But I immediately felt more confident, more self-assured, and incredibly motivated. Those feelings lasted for a long time.

He believed in me.

And I started to believe in myself.

They give a hat rack.

Employees who need something--whether it's a day off, a favor, a break, a chance--often come to you with hat in hand.

They're vulnerable because they need.

Take their hat and hang it up for them. You may not be able to provide what they want, but you can work through their issue with compassion and generosity and grace.

Never let an employee stand with hat in hand. It's one of the worst feelings possible--and one you can make instantly disappear.

Source: Small Business Advisor              

03 January 2013

CAM Youth Chef Jan 2013 activity


Greetings Chef ,

Seasons Greetings & Happy 2013 to all of you from us here in Malaysia

Attached is our Activity for the month of Jan .


Sanjay
Chairman
Youth Chefs Club Malaysia