It was a weekend, a Saturday. However, it seemed like a busy day at KDU University College, Damansara Jaya campus. Few school buses arrived at the venue, unloads a number of students. What's happening?
It was the call of the annual POWER CHEF COMPETITION! All hopefuls and future chef's-to-be tried their luck in the competition to be crowned champion.
You have probably heard of the Power Chef Competition, organized annually by KDU and KDU School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts. However, the competition is organized for secondary school students. This time around, a new twist is in. The Power Chef Competition took on a whole new level and organized the Power Chef Competition Teacher's Edition! This is Malaysia's fist ever Culinary competition for school teachers, as well as KDU's very first time organizing this. The competition took place at KDU University College, Damansara Jaya campus on 29th September 2012.
The Power Chef cooking competition is back for another
round of fun with its passion fuelled cook off amongst the most talented
aspiring young cooks.
The competition was held on 30th June 2012 at
KDU University College’s Damansara Jaya campus. The panel of judges comprises
of the all star team of culinary experts at KDU, meanwhile, a group of chef
students were also present to provide first aid and help monitor the
contestants’ works.
The competition started at an early 7 am and lasted up
until late evening. Hundreds of hopeful secondary school students turned up for
the exclusive competition, with their teachers and school counsellors trailing
not far behind as they each strive to win the highly competitive competition.
The Power Chef Competition 2011 organised by SHTCA (School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts) made a comeback once again, after a great turn out of last year's competition.
The event took place at the KDU University College, Damansara Campus. The competition saw 63 strong teams participating from different schools within the Klang Valley during the First and Second Rounds. There were 51 teams that made it to the 3rd Round and Quarter Finals.
Chef Raymond: Thumb's up! Ready to go. Let the competition begins.
Powering through a 15-minute menu preparation, a 10-minute ingredients gathering and a 45-minute pan and pot cooking, five teams of chef wannabes stirred up a storm outside the auditorium of KDU College. Within this tight time frame, these budding culinary talents from secondary schools had to prepare a starter (either a soup or a salad) and a main course for two.
A chef, an assistant and a teacher made up each team. Given a sneak preview of the table that was laden with a rich variety of ingredients from herbs, sauces, tumeric rice, cheese, chicken ham, chicken, vegetables and others, each team could create their own signature dish albeit without knowing what the secret ingredient was. The teacher could assist in menu creation, give suggestions on the recipe but forbidden to cook.
SMK Bandar Utama's teacher/counsellor, Ms Wong Yen Chen, was very excited. "Zainab Kamellopoulou is our chef and we're planning to whip up a most delicious Yummy Salad and tender, pan-fried chicken!" Cheering, clapping, motivating this team was a most ardent supporter: Puan Noraini bt. Ali, who's Zainab's mother.
Puan Noraini (right): a very ardent supporter. L-R: Team Yummy with school counsellor, Ms Wong and Pn Noraini
With rolled-up sleeves and apron-garbed, and at the word "Go!", the team members rushed to the pantry table scooping all the ingredients they needed. "Don't rush, don't rush," exclaimed Chef Yahya. "Just take what you need for now; you can still come back to the table to gather the ingredients!"
Chef Fami (left): “What’s the secret ingredient? You’ll soon find out!”
Slice, dice, saute - they did all that rapidly under the watchful eyes of the five judges. These were culinary experts from the industry: Chef Johari Edrus (Assistant F & B Director from Tradewind Corporation which owns a chain of hotels), Chef Rosham (Vice President of Chef Association Malaysia), Chef Dhillon (Executive Chef, Unilever), Chef Muluk (Chef at Food Services, Nestle) and Mr. Paul Neukirch (Director, Culinary Training International Sdn Bhd) Culinary Training.
"Cooking involves paying attention to hygiene, creativity and ingenuity. The competitors are given two very small frying pans and a pot. Time may be the essence but they need to cook the chicken really well. A small frying pan may not allow a thick piece of chicken breast to cook properly. Knowing that chicken is very susceptible to salmonella, the chef may decide to boil the chicken first or slice the chicken thinly before frying. We also look for the use of colour combination, the texture, the taste, the final display and set-up, and of course, the use of the mysterious ingredient."
The mysterious ingredient was finally unveiled by Chef Fami Taufeq, and they were ...... coconuts: grated, dessicated, fresh and in milk form. It has to be used in any of the two dishes.
The aromatic fragrance was in the air as the chefs finally give their main dishes a stir. Creative displays using carved fruits and vegetables enhanced the table set-up. The judges were eager to taste the food, and as they said, "This year's food taste better!"
SMK USJ 8 was last year's champion and team members, Md Saiful and Shahirah bt. Md Tamrin, were really hoping that they would keep do well enough to take the Champion's trophy home again with their Fried Spaghetti and Ham dish.
However, when the results were announced, they were 2nd Runner-up. They were happy to take home RM1,000.00, a hamper and certificates.
The Power Chef 2010 winner was: SMK Katholic, Team K & R who were Rachel Wong Poh Lye and Kristy Choy Ka Mun. They took home RM3,000, a Shield Trophy, certificates and wow, a laptop each!
Rachel and Kristy were elated when they heard the results -
Champion of Power Chef 2010!
Below: The display of the Champion's carved water melon with
pan fried chicken pasta and garden salad on a green-checkered table cloth.
1st Runner-up was Team Sweet 16, from SMK Seksyen 16. They were Joeznadia bt Johan and Nuru Izati bt. Azami. They won RM2,000, a hamper and certificates.
Team Sweet 16: Joeznadia bt Johan and Nuru Izati bt. Azamim (SMK Seksyen 16)
4th Runner-up went to: SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4), Team 1.
5th Runner-up was Team Yummy from SMK Bandar Utama, who was also the winner for "Best Centrepiece".
Team Yummy, winner of Best Centerpiece, together with
their school teacher/counsellor, Ms Wong Yen Chen (right).
Left: Encik Shahrizal (Academic Dept Head, SHTCA)
The list of schools that participated in Power Chef 2010 were:
SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4), SMK Subang Jaya, SMK Damansara Damai, SMK Seafield, SMK USJ 12, SMK (P) Sri Aman, SMK Taman Sea, SMK Katholik, Sekolah Sri Bestari, SMK Bandar Utama, SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (3), SMK USJ 8, SMK Sinar Bintang, SMK Damansara Jaya, SMK Seri Bintang Utara, SMK St Mary,SMK Sri Hartamas,
SMK Manjalara, SMK Damansara Utama, SMK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam, SMK Alam Megah, SMK Seksyen 16 and SMK Bukit Jelutung.
To all these teams who had participated, you were just great! It was no mean feat to go through a few preliminary rounds, semi finals and finally, the finals! You have showcased your grit, passion and ingenuity.
As Donald Trump said, "Without passion you don't have energy, without energy you have nothing." But with the energy and derived passion, you can be a winner!
Many staff members from the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts had assisted this event. Judges for the preliminary and semi final rounds were: Mr Gabriel Lau, Chef Gerhard Albrecht, Dr. Rod Allan, Chef Azmil Haranay and Chef Hamirudin Nazir. Others who gave a hand in registering the students were Ms Vivienne Tan and Ms Bhawani. Ensuring the correctness of the scores was Ms Elaine Leong who assisted in collating and tabulating the marks for the judges.
A tradition at KDU College since 2004, the exhilarating Power Chef competition has nurtured competitiveness in many young talents. As Chef Fami said, "The competitors themselves have raised the bar - we're amazed to see the innovative display, the colour combination, artistry in food arrangement and set- up. And the food taste better too! These young people are quite remarkable!"
Malaysian's favourite food fare was given the limelight today at the KDU Power Chef 2010 culinary competition. Teh Tarik and Roti Canai took centre stage as 64 teams representing some 23 schools from the Klang Valley took part. It was indeed a clash of the titans as they battled for round 2.
When asked about the judging criterias, Chef Azmil Haranay said, “Besides good taste, we’re also looking for skills, creativity, presentation styles as well as the hygiene in food preparation.” Those are the tips, competitiors!
Students Tan Sue May and Samantha Yap from SMK USJ 12 were competing for the first time. They have never made Teh Tarik before but eager to demonstrate showmanship in their presentation, they challenged the norm by using a blindfold to “pull” the tea. It was a great effort on their part.
Irena and Siti Hawa from SMK Seafield USJ 2 were very hopeful that their technique in roti canai twirling would earn them a spot in the Preliminary Round 2 which is to be held next Saturday, on 3rd April.
Congratulations to the following teams that have made it to Preliminary Round 2.
School /Team SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 - BUD4 (1) SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 - BUD4 (2) SMK Subang Jaya - D'Olives SMK Subang Jaya - Smart Chef SMK Damansara Damai - Didian's Senior Chef SMK Damansara Damai - Didian's Junior Chef SMK USJ 12 - Bon Appetite SMK USJ 12 - Thyme to Eat SMK USJ 12 - Wok n' Roll SMK (P) Sri Aman - Placebo SMK (P) Sri Aman - O'Malley SMK (P) Sri Aman - Cherry SMK Seafield - Sensasi Delight SMK Seafield - Rasa Rasa Seafield SMK Taman Sea - Scarlett SMK Taman Sea - Function SMK Taman Sea - Glory SMK Taman Sea - G-Girl SMK Taman Sea - Glow SMK Katholik - K & R SMK Katholik - Milo & Kek Sekolah Sri Bestari - Creative Chef SMK Bandar Utama - Delicious SMK Bandar Utama - Yummy SMK Bandar Utama - Daisy Kitchen SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (3) - Cahaya SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (3)- Subway SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (3)- Epic Delicious Food SMK USJ 8 - Symphony of Taste SMK USJ 8 - Creative Art Crew SMK USJ 8 - Le Amour DE'U8 SMK Sinar Bintang - Eclipse SMK Bandar Utama - Hot & Spicy SMK Damansara Jaya - Panhead's SMK Damansara Jaya - The Sizzlers SMK Seri Bintang Utara - Sains Geek SMK Seri Bintang Utara - Art Geek SMK St Mary - Saint Two SMK Damansara Utama - SMK DU 1 SMK Damansara Utama - SMK DU 2 SMK Damansara Utama - SMK DU4 SMK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam - Aluminium 9 Chef SMK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam- Super Girls SMK Seksyen 16 - Sweet 16 SMK Seksyen 16 - Bird of Paradise SMK Seksyen 16 - Sixteen Girls SMK Seksyen 16- Power 16 SMK Bukit Jelutung - Chef Abroad SMK Bukit Jelutung - Chef Mania SMK Sri Permata -H2O
Battle it out, Titanic 'Chefs'! See you in the next round!
What a day! Besides a number of workshops, an open day, and the Power Chef finale, the 9th of April also was the day when the 4th Hot Cat Tour hit KDU College.
Our Hospitality Race alludes to Hotel, Catering andTourism, the main pilars of hospitality.
Sixteen schools from around KL and the Klang Valley, a total of 57 teams, came over to KDU to battle against one another in a treasure hunt / race, that demanded stamina, knowledge of the world and the hospitality industry and strong team spirit.
We had 12 exciting tasks prepared for the participants. The race took them all through the college, end even to the car park area, where they solved puzzles, prepared dishes, identified foreign countries and almost teared down the Student Service Centre. Sweat dripping and out of breath they were chasing for more clues. At around 11:15am, the first team had completed the last activity, our “Minefield”, and crossed the finish line. It was almost ten minutes later, that the next teams entered the minefield and the outcome here could not have been any closer. It was literally only one second, that decided between second and third place. So, here are the results:
2nd Runner Up: SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4, B Runner Up: SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4, D Champion: SMK USJ 12, Rainbow
The champion team took home a cheque over RM1,000 and of course our challenge trophy.
We're sure, to see many more teams from all those school for the next installment of this event in 2010!
For more information on the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA), explore their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my or KDU College site at www.kdu.edu.my
You may also contact KDU College counsellor, Mr. Jerome Heah at 03-7728 8123 Ext. 625 or E-mail: best@kdu.edu.my
Chef Raymond: Thumb's up! Ready to go. Let the competition begins.
Their task? Cupakes. Sweet! 
Powering through a 15-minute menu preparation, a 10-minute ingredients gathering and a 45-minute pan and pot cooking, five teams of chef wannabes stirred up a storm outside the auditorium of KDU College. Within this tight time frame, these budding culinary talents from secondary schools had to prepare a starter (either a soup or a salad) and a main course for two.
A chef, an assistant and a teacher made up each team. Given a sneak preview of the table that was laden with a rich variety of ingredients from herbs, sauces, tumeric rice, cheese, chicken ham, chicken, vegetables and others, each team could create their own signature dish albeit without knowing what the secret ingredient was. The teacher could assist in menu creation, give suggestions on the recipe but forbidden to cook.
SMK Bandar Utama's teacher/counsellor, Ms Wong Yen Chen, was very excited. "Zainab Kamellopoulou is our chef and we're planning to whip up a most delicious Yummy Salad and tender, pan-fried chicken!" Cheering, clapping, motivating this team was a most ardent supporter: Puan Noraini bt. Ali, who's Zainab's mother.
Puan Noraini (right): a very ardent supporter.
L-R: Team Yummy with school counsellor, Ms Wong
Slice, dice, saute - they did all that rapidly under the watchful eyes of the five judges. These were culinary experts from the industry: Chef Johari Edrus (Assistant F & B Director from Tradewind Corporation which owns a chain of hotels), Chef Rosham (Vice President of Chef Association Malaysia), Chef Dhillon (Executive Chef, Unilever), Chef Muluk (Chef at Food Services, Nestle) and Mr. Paul Neukirch (Director, Culinary Training International Sdn Bhd) Culinary Training.
Team Le Amour DE'U8: Md Saiful and Shahirah bt. Md Tamrin (SMK USJ 8).
Rachel and Kristy were elated when they heard the results -
Below: The display of the Champion's carved water melon with
1st Runner-up was Team Sweet 16, from SMK Seksyen 16. They were Joeznadia bt Johan and Nuru Izati bt. Azami. They won RM2,000, a hamper and certificates.
Team Sweet 16: Joeznadia bt Johan and Nuru Izati bt. Azamim (SMK Seksyen 16)
5th Runner-up was Team Yummy from SMK Bandar Utama, who was also the winner for "Best Centrepiece".
Team Yummy, winner of Best Centerpiece, together with
See you next year!
Irena and Siti Hawa from SMK Seafield USJ 2 were very hopeful that their technique in roti canai twirling would earn them a spot in the Preliminary Round 2 which is to be held next Saturday, on 3rd April.
Congratulations to the following teams that have made it to Preliminary Round 2.
Battle it out, Titanic 'Chefs'! See you in the next round!
What a day! Besides a number of workshops, an open day, and the Power Chef finale, the 9th of April also was the day when the 4th Hot Cat Tour hit KDU College.
