It's not always easy for female chefs to compete for medals against their male counterparts in international culinary contests, as the profession is largely male dominated. Nonetheless, Hong Kong's first ever all-female team of chefs struck gold after their hard work in the recent FHA (Food & Hotel Asia) 2008 Gourmet Team Challenge held in Singapore. The five team members were all young chefs from different catering settings in Hong Kong. Among them was Katherine Li of The Hong Kong Jockey Club!|s Happy Valley Clubhouse, who was excited to earn her second medal in international competition, following an earlier taste of success in the "Hong Kong International Culinary Classics 2007".
The Gourmet Team Challenge is a category of the FHA Culinary Challenge, a highlight event of FHA 2008 which was celebrating its 16th edition this year. A total of 11 teams from five countries and regions competed in this category, including a team from Hong Kong which was the only all-female group among them. They were delighted to come away with a gold medal as well as being ranked second in the contest for Best Gourmet Team.
The competition required each team to prepare an edible cold buffet for 30 people in a caf?m setting. It had to comprise 24 dishes including appetisers, meat platters, seafood platters, desserts and a bread basket, all of which have to be displayed to their best advantage. The judges awarded marks for the ingredients, food hygiene, cooking, taste and setting, as well as the overall presentation.
Katherine Li from the Club's Derby Restaurant and Bar was responsible for the meat contribution to her team's entry. She has sound credentials in this area as she won a silver medal for her dish Roasted Rack of Lamb and Stuffed Lamb Loin with Truffle and Mushroom Duxelle in the "Hong Kong International Culinary Classics 2007". She was delighted with the opportunity to gain further valuable experience through her participation in this leading Asian competition.
"All five of us had spent many overnights preparing for the competition, and the whole process enabled me to appreciate the importance of teamwork," Katherine commented. "Although this is my second time to win an international award, I always remind myself not to get too proud, as I know that there is still a long way to true success. I will keep on learning and strive for excellence."
The Club's Head of Hospitality Services (Special Projects and Planning) Fritz Sommerau said it was really encouraging to see the team strike gold in the Gourmet Team Challenge. "There is a lot of ability and potential among Hong Kong's young lady chefs and they can definitely achieve even more with continued dedication," he observed.
"I'm especially proud of our own staff member Katherine's contribution to this honour for Hong Kong. The Club is always supportive of staff who participate in industry competitions, indeed we specifically encourage our young cooks to join culinary contests in order to demonstrate their skills, learn from their counterparts and share experiences, all of which help them attain a new level. In fact, it is a long standing commitment of the Club to train new blood for the local culinary industry," Sommerau added.
FHA 2008, one of Asia's largest international food and hospitality events, was held from 22 to 25 April at Singapore Expo. The FHA Culinary Challenge is an internationally acclaimed competition that attracted over 600 top chefs from 21 countries and regions this year.
