Winners of CATRION International Chefs Competition celebrate in Da Nang
Winners of the CATRION International Chefs Competition
Winners of the CATRION International Chefs Competition, Jetsetter's Palate, celebrated aboard Poseidon cruise boat tonight. Awards were presented as APOT attended cruised along Han River in Da Nang City. Presented by APOT CEO Jeremy Clark and Founder Keerthi “HappyK” Hapugasdeniya, the winners are as follows:
- Best winner overall: Chef Doi Thi Ngoc Diep
- Most outstanding entree: Chef Vo Quoc Viet
- Most outstanding appetizer: Chef Kelvin Vu
- Most outstanding dessert: Chef Hoang Van Thuong
- Most outstanding passenger preference meal: Chef Chaminda Galahitiyawa
- Best in kitchen: Chef Vo Quoc Viet
The competition took place November 26 at at Ariyana Beach Resort, a short shuttle ride from Furama Resort. The competition invited cooks to present an appetizer, main course and dessert that follow all necessary airline catering regulations. The competition provides young chefs the opportunity to learn what goes into creating meals for airline passengers.
Earlier this week, Chef Thomas A. Gugler, President of Worldchefs and CATRION, told the competitors, "Cook what you know, bring your culture to the world through food. Do that, and you cannot fail."
Cooks were invited to present their meals to the panel of of judges, including Gugler and Doan Van Tuan, Executive Chef for Furama Resort, Furama Villas and Ariyana Convention Center. They examined the dishes, tasted each one and offered real-time feedback to cooks, providing explanations on what works in airline catering and what is not realistic. The judges evaluated the dishes on presentation, taste, food safety and airline suitability among other criteria.
Images of the celebratory cruise below:
Best winner overall Chef Doi Thi Ngoc Diep (middle) accepts her award with Mr. Nguyen Duc Quynh, Director General of Indochina Beach Hotel JSC - Furama Resort (left) and APOT Founder Keerthi “HappyK” Hapugasdeniya
Chefs during the ceremony aboard the Poseidon cruise boat