7 Awards for Sunway University in Culinairé Malaysia 2011

6 students from the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Management (SHTLM) recently bagged awards at the Culinairé Malaysia 2011. The students took part in 3 categories namely, Cocktail, Mocktail and Fruit Flambe. Phuah Ng Kit and Shireen Tan who competed in the cocktail competition took home the silver medal each while Jessica Chang and Natasha bt Mohd Yusof who participated in the Mocktail category as well as Michelle Tan and Tan Vi June who participated in the Fruit Flambé category took home the bronze medal each.

From left to right: Tan Vi Jun, Michelle Tan, Chong Wei Tzeh, lecturer, Daniel Chong, Shireen Tan, Jessica Chang and Natasha Bt Mohd Yusof

 
Each student had to create an international recipe and showcase their creations to a panel of judges. Shireen Tan invented a drink that reflected her life. She cleverly put together a combination of flavours that gave the drink a bitter sweet sensation she called Monhistoire which means My Story in French. “I used granulated coffee and Guinness stout to give it a bitter taste and finished off with a fruity flavour for the base for an acquired taste of sweetness”. She added, “The whole experience was an eye-opener to me. You see competitors in a different light and learn skills you have never seen before and meet people from different industries”. Shireen lives by the quote “Dare to be Different”.

Jessica Chang invented “Home” an inspiration derived from her mother and her hometown in Sarawak. As Sarawak is famous for the harvest festival, Jessica opted for a grainy blend by adding barley to espresso syrup. Home was popular amongst her male friends. Despite having a short time to prepare, she was very comfortable during the performance. She said to future competitors, “Dare to step out of your comfort zone and you will realise your potential”.

Natasha bt Mohd Yusof who invented the Bambu which means bamboo in Italian was inspired by a 3 course meal, appetizer, entrée and dessert. She added a combination of coffee and balsamic vinegar to give a sour and acidic taste for the appetizer and used a Soursop blend with passion fruit syrup and lemon juice for the second layer as the main course. Natasha used green tea and syrup for a sweet finishing. The three layers combined into a green white and brown appearance giving a very Japanese feel as expressed by its name, Bambu.

Michelle Tan who competed in the Fruit Flambe category combined sour plum with apple cider vinegar, cempedak juice and puree with dry shrimp and Osmanthus flower powder to give the dish a sweet, sour and salty taste. The dish is called Eclipse because of the combination of colours that produces an eclipse effect. Michelle said, “The most important factor is confidence and learning how to sell your products. You have to be your own marketing person”.

Tan Vi June identified his ingredients but had a hard time figuring out the best combination and blend. He thought about his favourite food (Satay) and that was how Saté came about. He shared, “No matter how bad you think you are, you should go for it and you will never know”, to future students interested in entering a competition.

Chong Wei Tzeh, chef cum lecturer at Sunway University also took home the bronze medal for the Malaysia Pastry Cup category. The Culinairé Malaysia 2011 is the region’s largest culinary food and beverage service competition that is held in conjunction with FHM 2011. It is held to set a benchmark on the culinary and food and beverage related service standards in the Malaysian Hospitality industry.