Maldives culinary competitions

Congratulations Chef Ahmed Fatheen – Master of Seasoning 2017

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Congratulations Chef Ahmed Fatheen – Master of Seasoning 2017

The Knorr Master of Seasoning 2017 title has been bestowed upon a very talented chef from the Maldives – Chef Ahmed Fatheen.

After winning the local round here in the Maldives, Chef Fatheen was sponsored to compete in the finals of the Master of Seasoning competition which took place from 17th until 21st September in the United Arab Emirates. The competitors each had to prepare a mouth-watering chicken dish in which Knorr Chicken Stock Powder was featured, the judges awarded their scores based on innovation and creativity as well as how flavoursome the dish was.

Chef Fatheen enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai to take part in a Culinary Masterclass organised by City & Guilds London. He had the unique opportunity to fine-tune his culinary skills on Cook & Chill, Plating and Presentation as well as gaining tips on how to prepare for competitions. Through this exciting opportunity he was able to compete in the global forum and put the Maldives firmly on the culinary map.

Maldives culinary competitions

Chef Fatheen with some of the Bestbuy Maldives team

 

Ismail Hilmy, Bestbuy Maldives’(BBM) Managing Director, said: “We at Bestbuy are happy that our efforts in sponsoring Chef Fatheen have resulted in him winning the Master of Seasoning competition. We are proud of Chef Fatheen and he has brought great respect for himself and the Maldives hotel industry – indeed a great achievement”.

Mohamed Mazloom, Director/CEO of BBM said: “We are absolutely overjoyed that Chef Fatheen – a highly talented chef we are helping to groom – has surpassed extremely talented and experienced chefs from countries with enormous culinary advancements such Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and come out on top as The Master Of Seasoning 2017. This goes to show what a young lad from a tiny country can achieve with big dreams and a pair of knives.”

Fatheen currently works at Bandos Maldives and General Manager, Ismail Rasheed, was full of praise for his award winning chef: “Fatheen is not only a Chef; he is an artist and a designer too. He is a very talented, creative and innovative person with a pleasant attitude. He is not in Culinary as a job, but as his passion. Unlike other Chefs, rather than just cooking, he does his research on new innovations in culinary art and goes with trendy and stylish ways of cooking and garnishing. Fatheen is without a doubt the best Maldivian Chef”.

Of his own achievements, Chef Fatheen said: “It is a great honour for me to win the Master of Seasoning 2017. For me, it means not only earning a championship title in a cooking competition but also an opportunity to stand in the global arena. I was able to learn from and compete with some of the world’s best through this opportunity. I was also able to show the world the fascinating and profound culinary culture of the Maldives.”

Culinary Challenge Maldives

Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge 2017 winners announced

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The 2017 International Culinary Challenge saw over 600 entries compete in more than 20 categories during the four day event at the Hotel Asia Exhibition.

Bestbuy Maldives are extremely proud to be the main sponsors of this prestigious event, in it’s 13th edition. The Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for industry professionals to showcase their culinary talents and services to the public; it’s an invaluable networking arena for resorts and suppliers alike.

The panel of international judges had a very difficult task in judging the different categories – the calibre of contestants was, yet again, very high. As well as the individual category awards, the main awards were, Most Outstanding Chef, Most Outstanding Pastry Chef and the coveted Best Culinary Establishment award – the ‘Alan Palmer Challenge Trophy.’

The winners of these main awards were:

  • Most Outstanding Chef – Truong Vinh Co – Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma
  • Most Outstanding Pastry Chef – Indra kumar Limbu from Hulhule Island Hotel, Maldives
  • Best Culinary Establishment, the ‘Alan Palmer Challenge Trophy’- first place went to Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma, second went to Velaa Island Resort and third to Hulhule Island Hotel.

Bestbuy Maldives would like to extend their warmest congratulations to these outstanding chefs and culinary teams. Of course, the competition would not be a competition at all without the other competitors and a big thank you goes to everyone who took part in this, the 13th Hotel Asia Exhibition & International Culinary Challenge 2017.

View All Results

Hot Cooking – Lamb

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Sathiska L. Wijesundara
Como Maalifushi
Gold

Kallimudin Sheikh
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

B.A.D. Fernando
Adaaran Prestige Vadoo
Gold

Naveen Jayawardene
Dusit Thani Maldives
Gold

Malith Madhushan
Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives
Gold

R.G. Kannan
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa
Gold

Creative Asian Dish

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Shibu Poolenkara
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Sugam Tamang
Constance Moofushi Resort
Silver

Sandy Poon
Summer Island Maldives
Bronze

Bread and Pastry Display

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Sisira Kumar
Hulhule Island Hotel
Gold

Balakrishna
Hulhule Island Hotel
Gold

Heshan Fernando
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Dress the Cake

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

R. B. M. Shanaka Nishantha
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

W.D. Ranil Sameera
Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon
Silver

K. Sameera Lakmal Perera
Coco Buduhithi
Silver

Desserts

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Nishan Randika Liyange
Como Maalifushi
Gold

Sumeda Srilal
Anantara Dhigu Maldives
Gold

Nalaka Weerathunga
Sheraton Full Moon
Gold

Tapas / Finger Food

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

T. Manoj Primal Peiris
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Ronnel Go
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

Prasan Laksiri
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Novelty Cake

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Indra Kumar Limbu
Hulhule Island Hotel
Gold

Sisira Kumar
Hulhule Island Hotel
Gold

Fathmath Suha Fiyaz
Athi Cakes
Gold

Fruit & Vegetable Carving

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Sisira Kumar
Hulhule Island Hotel
Gold

Arunya Somchai
Hulhule Island Hotel
Silver

Iwan Ara
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Hot Cooking – Beef

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

R. A. Upali Sri Samarathunga
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Gold

Charuna Dhanushka
Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives
Gold

A. Nalaka Gaya
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Sathiska L. Wijesundara
Como Maalifushi
Gold

Truong Vinh Co
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

Hot Cooking – Seafood

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Nguyen Truong Dat
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

D. M. C. Dissanayaka
Embudu Village
Silver

Musthafa Adnan
Hulhule Island Hotel
Silver

Tea Challenge

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Iyyappasamy Gnanapragasam
Cheval Blanc Randheli
Gold

Bulathge Mahesh Hemantha
Dusit Thani Maldives
Silver

Rachelle Gomez
Anantara Kihavah Villas Maldives
Bronze

The Perfect Steak & Omelette

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Shibu Poolenkara
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Laiju Paul
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Bronze

Ibrahim Naeem
Hulhule Island Hotel
Bronze

Maldivian Dish

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Ahmed Nizar
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Truong Vinh Co
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

Aminath Abdul Rasheed
Kandolhu Island
Gold

Desserts (Display)

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Baharudin Che Isa
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Silver

K. Sameera Lakmal Perera
Coco Buduhithi
Silver

Ahmed Shifau
Anantara Dhigu Maldives
Bronze

Hot Cooking – Fish Fillet

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Hussain Simad
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa
Gold

Lakshitha Srilal Karannagoda
Cheval Blanc Randheli
Gold

Sumindu A. U. Koralage
Como Maalifushi
Silver

Hot Cooking – Poultry

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Nguyen Thi Cam Nga
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

Truong Vinh Co
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

Sujeewa Madushanka
MLGH Vakarufalhi Resort
Silver

Iced Mocktail

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

I Kadek Ari Sutrisna
One & Only Reethi Rah
Silver

Bulathge Mahesh Hemantha
Dusit Thani Maldives
Silver

Deepak Somanna Devaiah
TSMIC Amillafushi – Baa Atoll
Silver

Cold Salad

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Ahmed Naseer
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Bronze

Chouki Dhan Rai
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Bronze

Ha Nguyen Thanh Long
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Bronze

Hot Pasta Appetizer

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

A. Nalaka Gayan
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Truong Vinh Co
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
Gold

K.G. N. Dhanushka Sanjaya Kumara
Constance Halaveli
Gold

Team Challenge

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Ruwan Sameera & Debojyoti Mondal
Lux* South Ari Atoll
Gold

M. G. S. Keerthi Siriwardhana & R. R. Janaka Rathnapal
Anantara Dhigu Maldives
Silver

Ishara Danesh Silva & Evanka Perera
Como Maalifushi
Silver

Plated Hot Dishes

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

T. Manoj Primal Peiris
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Ismail Naseer
Hulhule Island Hotel
Silver

Supun Udara Kodithuwakku
TSMIC Finolhu – Baa Atoll
Silver

Young Chef

Competitor Name
Resort / Hotel Name
Award

Duong Danh Lich
Velaa Island Maldives
Gold

Anu Prasath
Hulhule Island Hotel
Silver

Chananya Nutnok
Cocoa Island by Como
Silver

Bestbuy Maldives Chef Leong Masterclass

Chef Leong gives participants food for thought at Culinary Masterclass

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MALDIVES’ CHEFS PICK UP TIPS FROM WORLD RENOWNED CHEF, WILLMENT LEONG

120 participants took part in the latest Culinary Masterclass with world renowned Chef Willment Leong on Saturday 26th August. The event, the fifth of its kind, was hosted jointly by Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) and Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (MECS) and was held in the Ras Malaan Ballroom at Hulhule Island Hotel, Maldives.

Bestbuy Maldives Masterclass EventThe day was packed with presentations and demonstrations where Maldives’ chefs were able to gain tips and insights from a leader in their field. Most of the participants are due to take part in the 2017 Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge in September this year. The chefs from the Maldives will be competing amongst a record number of participants and competition will be fierce so events such as the Culinary Masterclass are important to their success; BBM are committed to enhancing the skills of the nations chefs and placing the Maldives on the Worlds’ culinary map.

Chef Leong inspired the participating chefs with stories and advice; he urged the participants to step out of their comfort zones, choose fresh over expensive ingredients as well as lots more tips for the International Culinary Competition ahead of them. A high school rather than a university education has not stood in the way of success for Chef Leong, the world renowned chef is the Founder Chairman of Thailand Culinary Academy and previously gained over 20 years experience with the Raffles group of hotels where he held the position of Culinary Director, he is now a freelance consultant.

The successful Masterclass included: presentations by Chef Willment Leong, demonstrations by Chef Leong, Chef Alan Palmer- Project Director, Hotel Asia, and Chef Ahamed Fatheen & Chef Ismail Naseer – Silver Award Winners at HOFEX 2017, as well as a Q & A session.

Bestbuy Maldives would like to thank Chef Willment Leong for his time and efforts in putting together such an informative and inspiring presentation. Thanks also go to the enthusiastic participants who will now take the information and skills back to the resorts of the Maldives.

Keep an eye on the latest events to ensure you don’t miss out on the next Culinary Masterclass.