The first seven of the 24 teams of elite chefs from the region completed their first round at the end of last week, going head to head producing spectacular and innovative cakes, desserts and fine pastry dishes, desperate for a chance to win the crown of ‘Anchor PastryChef 2010’. The Anchor PastryChef 2010 follows the hugely successful ‘Anchor MasterChef Challenge’ back in January, which saw Chefs Edward Mair and Jay Williams from The Westin Mina Seyahi walk away with top honours. With this competition, Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, once again challenges the crème de la crème of the culinary world with the objective of crowning the top pastry team in the GCC. This competition only focuses on pastry, and is part of a series of events hosted by Fonterra, which are designed to assist industry with skills development and recognition of top achievers. The New Zealand-based company is passionate about providing opportunities, events and workshops by ‘culinary masters’ for chefs to learn from. The competition is being held at Fonterra’s Culinarium, their very own, state-of-the-art innovation kitchen, throughout June. Marwan Hassan, General Manager for Fonterra Foodservice, comments they were over-whelmed with the number of entrants they received from the leading establishments in the Middle East. “We had eight teams competing in the MasterChef Challenge in January – we have whittled the entrants for this new challenge down to 24 teams. We wanted this competition to reflect our long-term commitment to the region and how we play an integral part in recognizing talent and skills of the chefs in the GCC. The only way we can achieve this is to allow more chefs to compete, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their culinary skills. “The teams are coming from across the GCC bringing with them a diverse range of culinary expertise, whether this is pastry techniques or creative flavour combinations. They all have one thing in common – they are extremely talented individuals,” adds Marwan Hassan. “Fonterra produces world-class cream and butter, and basic ingredients which are key in professional kitchens and are of course, integral to the pastry recipes the chefs are preparing during the competition,” says Chef Peter Hallmanns, Advisory Chef for Fonterra. Recipes will be judged by adhering to WACS (World Association of Chefs Societies), recommended standards. A panel of independent and accredited pastry chefs will determine the top pastry team in the region. “The culinary flair we have seen so far and the innovative ways the chefs are using the ingredients is spectacular, this is a competition that is already showcasing the industry’s future great pastry chefs,” comments Chef Peter Hallmanns. “It’s not just the generous prize money we are awarding that is feeding the chefs’ desire to win, all three final teams will be given the opportunity to attend an all expenses paid, specialized, three-day training course, on the latest global pastry trends. Chef Peter concluded: “The benchmark has definitely been set, and if the standard of food produced so far is anything to go by, the remaining teams are going to have to produce the best creations of their careers!”
