Diploma in Culinary Arts students Benjamin Tan, Cassandra Law and Shane Tan from Taylors College, School of Hospitality and Tourism (TCHT) combined their skills and talents to win first place in the inaugural Taste of Italy Cooking Competition 2008.

Organised by the Italian Trade Commission (Trade Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy in Malaysia), the competition saw four teams from Taylor’s College, Legend International College, Nilai International University College and Sunway University College compete against each other for the championship title.

Each team was made up of three students. In four hours, they were required to whip up a set of authentic Italian dishes, namely ravioli, risotto, roast lamb and tiramisu for five people. They had to develop original recipes using traditional Italian ingredients and create dishes that retained the authenticity of Italian cuisine.

“It was the first time joining a culinary competition for all three of us so we didn’t expect to win!” said team leader Cassandra. “It’s a great feeling to be recognised for giving our best and we would like to thank our chef lecturers and Chef Claudio Giovanni from Allegro Café for their guidance in preparing for this competition.”

Pradeep Nair, Taylor’s College Chief Operating Officer congratulated the team members for shining in the competition.

“They rose to the challenge and demonstrated their breadth and depth of culinary knowledge and skills. They are proof of the quality of students groomed by TCHT and I’m confident they are on their way toward becoming outstanding chefs in the near future,” Pradeep said.

The panel of judges for the competition were Dr. Gianpaolo Neri, First Secretary of the Embassy of Italy in Malaysia, Chef Federico Michielleto, Vice President of Chefs Association of Malaysia (CAM), Chef Daniele Sarno from Il Tempio Restaurant and Chef Bonaventura Mansi from Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The judging criteria included creation of concept, cleanliness, taste and texture, presentation and professionalism.

In his comments to the contestants, Chef Bonaventura advised them to limit wastage of ingredients and be daring in their cooking. He congratulated them for their accomplishments and encouraged them to build on the experience.