A week of fierce culinary contests concluded on June 29 at BurJuman as the 2010 Middle East Junior Chef of the Year was crowned amidst a gathering of hundreds of chefs that had converged for the Dubai Summer Surprises signature event. Ramesh Fernando, a commis chef with the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, bagged one gold and two silver medals in separate categories to clinch the coveted title.
After winning only a gold medal in the 2009 competition, Ramesh said that over the past year he had set his sights on the Chef of the Year title and had trained accordingly. “I’m delighted not only because I won the Middle East Junior Chef of the Year but also because the competition was more challenging this time with chefs participating from recently opened hotels. This award is more than just recognition; it is an inspiration to become better and achieve culinary perfection.”
Originally from Colombo in Sri Lanka, Ramesh bagged medals in among the most demanding categories of the contest – five course gourmet menu, live cooking (fish), and live cooking (beef), adding that there is no room for error in the event. “You are given a time limit and you have to be creative, organized, and keep your calm. We try not to be affected by the change of surroundings and we have to be focused throughout.”
Wanchalerm Sukseekao, a chef artist at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers and known throughout the industry for his ice carving skills, added onto his tally of medals by taking home a gold and four silver. His successful streak has seen him win gold in the individual ice carving category for six consecutive years.
“The medals mean a lot to me but it shouldn’t be my primary focus otherwise my carving suffers. Rather, I try to challenge myself and enjoy what I’m doing. Ice carving is especially difficult as it taxes you physically and you need to know exactly what the carving will look like even before you begin,” said Wanchalerm.
A jury comprising of respected international chefs judge the event every year. This year’s jury featured chefs Marco Bruschweiler, Thomas Gugler, Zain Sidhu, Tarek Mouriess, Josef Ozeli, Hubert Oberhollenzer, and Gavin Duthie.
