IN ANOTHER dominating performance by the SuperClubs resorts, the 38th Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's Professional Culinary Arts Exposition climaxed with Grand Lido Braco walking away with the coveted Dutch Pot trophy, the symbol of islandwide culinary supremacy.
Grand Lido Braco won for best performance by an establishment.
The seven SuperClubs properties totalled over 20 gold, 62 silver, 79 bronze medals and 39 certificates of merit between them.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW
But, the highlight of the show was the newest category the Master Chef Mystery Basket competition, which was won by Adrian Weichenberger from the Starfish Resort in Trelawny.
It was a category judged not only for taste but also for presentation and creativity along a vegetarian theme. Participants were given a basket, clueless as to its contents. They were given one hour to prepare a dish using the mystery items. In his basket, Weichenberger found a large variety of local fruits including, pineapple, banana, mango, lime and grapefruit, vegetables, spice and herbs, tofu, protein substitutes, a variety of beans, grains and peas and Asian sauces.
The chefs got approximately 45 minutes to create a recipe but Weichenberger completed his in 35 minutes. They then selected ingredients needed. They were also judged on ability to minimise waste, so ingredients needed had to be fairly exact. One hour was given for the chefs to complete the dish but Weichenberger did his in 59 minutes.
To the judges' delight and taste buds, Weichenberger created honey-peanut crusted tofu with chick peas puree presented on crispy vegetables and sweet potato roesti accompanied by a mango yogurt and pineapple chutney. It gave him the gold medal in the category as well as the JCDC's Master Chef award, $30,000 and the Governor-General's trophy.
In another first in the history of the competition, the Bartender of the Year was won by a female, Alicia Essor from Hedonism II. That performance earned her a two-year scholarship from the Western Hospitality Institute to study for an associate degree. The scholarship is valued at $75,000 per year.
