MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release SHATEC INSTITUTES YOUNG CHEFS AND ALUMNI WIN COVETED AWARDS AT THE PRESTIGIOUS FHA2010 CULINARY CHALLENGE 27 April, SINGAPORE Shatec Institutes bagged one gold, two silver and two bronze medals at the FHA2010 Culinary Challenge (FCC), which is hailed as the most established culinary competition in Asia. Two young budding chefs from Shatec Institutes, Yeo Sheng Xiong and Roy Lim, demonstrated their culinary talent and creativity at the FCC, and won themselves the gold medal and the Best Apprentice Team Award in the Hot Cooking Two to Tango category. Other students from Shatec Institutes also won the silver medal in the same category and the bronze medal in the Hot Cooking Neptune s Catch. The victory did not stop there two student teams which comprises one culinary student and two service students did the institution proud and won themselves a silver and bronze medal each in the Dream Team Challenge. Sheng Xiong, 19, and Roy, 22, pitted their skills against 21 other teams from institutions such as At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy and ITE as well as representatives from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, and Germany. These Diploma in Culinary Skills students who have just completed their first year of studies at Shatec Institutes have trained diligently over the past four months under the guidance of Chef Saw Han Hun, Host Mentor of the Institute of Culinary Arts at Shatec Institutes. Training quadrupled to four times a week nearing the competition, and they had to juggle between the rigorous training sessions, classes and school projects. We are very grateful for the support from our host mentors, especially our coach, Chef Saw for his valuable guidance and advice. We feel very honoured to be competing alongside other apprentice chefs, whom I believe are a lot more experienced than us, said Roy Lim. He added that he would like to thank his families, friends, and schoolmates for their moral support and especially Sheng Xiong for the teamwork, without which this would not be possible. Sheng Xiong enjoyed the tremendous sense of camaraderie formed with his team mate and other participants from Shatec Institutes; it is this community and team spirit that Page 1 of 6
spurs him on, motivating him to put his best foot forward for this regional culinary challenge. According to Chef Saw, the training had been strenuous and intensive, but the students were determined and passionate to achieve their best performance at the competition. The main course created by Sheng Xiong and Roy is rather ambitious, but they have executed it very well, achieving a harmonious balance of taste, texture and flavour while maintaining the right doneness for the lamb, as well as a consistent food temperature. I am very delighted that they have enjoyed this learning process and have won themselves a gold medal, Chef Saw added. In the National Team Challenge another competition held under FCC, Shatec Institutes alumni have also done their alma mater proud. The Singapore National Culinary Team, of which five team members are Shatec Institutes alumni, amassed the gold medal as well as the coveted Lion trophy in Battle for the Lion competition. The team had also won the gold medals and awards in the Hot Cooking, Cold Display, and Dessert categories, and thus earning them the Best National Team title. We are very proud of our students and alumni who have showcased their finest performance at FCC. Their resilience, commitment and professionalism are testament to the Shatec Institutes unrivalled track record in producing some of the most outstanding culinary professionals in over 26 years, said Anthony Yip, Chief Executive, Shatec Institutes. As Asia s leading culinary, hospitality and tourism institution, Shatec Institutes is committed to providing a for its students to grow their potential and prepare them for success in their future professions. The FCC represents just one of the many opportunities that the institution extends to its students to hone their skills and compete with the best from the culinary fraternity at the national level. Selected students from Shatec Institutes will soon be participating in yet another competition, the McCain Creative Culinary Contest. In a battle that puts participants creativity and innovation to the test, they will use McCain s products to whip up creations that taste as good as they look. ----------------------------- Page 2 of 6
For more information and photographs in high resolution, please contact: Teresa Chua Assistant Manager, Brand & Communications Shatec Institutes Tel: (65) 6415 3516 Mobile: (65) 97564482 Email: teresachua@shatec.sg Catherine Teo Executive, Brand & Communications Shatec Institutes Tel: (65) 6415 3522 Mobile: (65) 96981648 Email: catherineteo@shatec.sg About Shatec Institutes Since 1983, Shatec Institutes has built a sterling reputation as Asia s leading hospitality and tourism lifestyle institution. It has an extensive alumni of over 25,000 professionals across the globe, and has produced more chief executives, general managers, tourism entrepreneurs, executive and medallist chefs than any other institution in the region. Shatec Institutes highly experienced faculty of consultants and educationalists take an industry leadership role, offering fresh thinking and new capabilities in human capital development through its seven specialist institutes. These aim to cater to the evolving needs of emerging tourism lifestyle sectors in the new century. It has also played an instrumental role in shaping the tourism manpower landscape, receiving the prestigious Most Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award from the Singapore Tourism Board. ----------------------------- Page 3 of 6
APPENDIX A PHOTOGRAPHS Chef Saw Han Hun (Team Coach and Host Mentor at the Institute of Culinary Arts of Shatec Institutes); Chef Eric Teo (President of Singapore Chefs Association and Executive Chef of Mandarin Oriental Singapore); Roy Lim and Yeo Sheng Xiong (Diploma in Culinary Skills students at Shatec Institutes; gold medallists and Best Apprentice Team at FHA2010 Culinary Challenge). Both Chef Saw and Chef Eric are Shatec Institutes alumni. Yeo Sheng Xiong and Roy Lim (Diploma in Culinary Skills students at Shatec Institutes; gold medallists and Best Apprentice Team at FHA2010 Culinary Challenge). Chef Paolo Zambrano (judge at FHA2010 Culinary Challenge and Executive Sous Chef of SATS Inflight Catering Centre I), Roy Lim and Yeo Sheng Xiong (Diploma in Culinary Skills students at Shatec Institutes; gold medallists and Best Apprentice Team at FHA2010 Culinary Challenge). Yeo Sheng Xiong and Roy Lim (Diploma in Culinary Skills students at Shatec Institutes; gold medallists and Best Apprentice Team at FHA2010 Culinary Challenge). Page 4 of 6
APPENDIX B LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS AT FHA2010 CULINARY CHALLENGE 1. Individual Challenge: Hot Cooking Two to Tango Apprentice Competition (Practical) Best Apprentice Team Two to Tango Award Yeo Sheng Xiong (Diploma in Culinary Skills) Roy Lim (Diploma in Culinary Skills) Silver medal Johnston Teo (Diploma in Culinary Skills) Allen Susanto (Diploma in Culinary Skills) 2. Individual Challenge: Hot Cooking Neptune s Catch Bronze medal Kan Lip Ken (Diploma in Culinary Skills) 3. Dream Team Challenge Silver medal Lim Yi Yin (Diploma in Culinary Skills) Yang Dan Helen (Diploma in Hotel Management) Huang Kang Yi Carrie (Diploma in Hotel Management) Bronze medal Wan Jia Wei (Diploma in Culinary Skills) Tan Jo Ring (Diploma in Hotel Management) Zhang Zhi Yong Hanz (Diploma in Tourism Management) 4. The National Team Challenge Best National Hot Cooking Award Best National Cold Table Award Best National Desserts Award Best National Team Award Page 5 of 6
Singapore National Culinary Team Tony Khoo Team Coach Executive Chef, Marina Mandarin Hotel (Shatec Institutes alumnus) Director of Competitions, Singapore Chefs Association Leons Tan Team Manager Executive Chef, Coffee Club Pte Ltd (Shatec Institutes alumnus) Honorary Secretary, Singapore Chefs Association Yen Koh Team Captain Corporate Executive Chef Asia and Africa, Unilever Food Solutions Asia Pte Ltd (Shatec Institutes alumnus) Kong Kok Kiang Executive Sous Chef, Grand Copthorne Waterfront (Shatec Institutes alumnus) Yew Eng Tong Sous Chef, The Cliff Lee Boon Seng Chef de Partie, Equinox Complex, Swissôtel The Stamford Nicole Wong Pastry Sous Chef, Swissôtel The Stamford Page 6 of 6