Culinaire Malaysia Awards Culinary Stars

KUALA LUMPUR – Culinaire Malaysia 2017 concluded on 29 Sept 2017 after four challenging days of

world class culinary competition held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) with the

Awards Presentation Gala Dinner graced by YBhg. Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director

General, Tourism Malaysia at the Grand Pullman Ballroom of Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre

Hotel and Residences.

96 distinguished judges from all over the world, headed by chief judge, renowned culinary expert,

Chef Willment Leong from Singapore, went through days & nights of deliberation in assessing each

and every participant’s skills which can only be concluded with a competition of no losers, as he

rightly pointed out, everyone walks out with an achievement of a lifetime.

As a result, 25 prestigious awards were bestowed upon the best of the bests in the industry and

region, followed by a total of 499 medals, consisting of Gold with Distinction (1), Gold (56) Silver

(146) and Bronze (296) out of the total of 1190 participants from 22 different countries.

This year, Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd was crowned the Most Outstanding Team in Culinary, alongside

Taylor’s University which was awarded the Most Outstanding Team in Catering Services award.

These team award were given to the team with highest total points across five different classes.

For individual classes, Jeunes Chefs Rotisseurs Competition 2017 Champion, Chef Amelia Ng from

Hotel Istana grabbed Most Outstanding Malaysia Global Chef 2017 award and Tan Wei Loon from

Academy of Culinary Arts Malaysia won the Most Outstanding Malaysia Global Pastry Chef 2017

award. Jeslyn Tan Jia Yee from Taylor's University took home the award of Gold Excellence Award -

Fruit Flambé.

Special award, WorldChefs President Ambassador Liaison Asia Award was also given out for special

recognition of skills, will, and talent to Chef Tracia Chan Qi Li from KDU University College. The rare

award was given out by Chef Alan Palmer, professional chef based in Sri Lanka.

For the winner of class 15-16, they will represent Malaysia for the World Association of Chefs Society

(WACS) cooking competition next year.

Speaking at the Awards Presentation, YBhg. Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab stressed on the

importance of competitions like Culinaire Malaysia not only in Tourism but more relevantly in

promoting international culinary standards and encouraging young talents of the industry. After

witnessing the event and the scores of winners from Malaysia, he is convinced that we have

successfully raised Malaysian culinary standards to a higher level, comparable if not higher than the

international scene.

“This is one of the reason why it is great to have a platform like Culinaire Malaysia that provides an

opportunity for young budding talents to shine and to be recognized by industry experts and

professionals”, said the Organizing Chairman, Mr. Khoo Boo Lim at the Awards Presentation.

Also present during the awards presentation was Mr. Sam Cheah (President, Malaysian Association

of Hotels), Mr. Alan Pyror (General Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre), Mr Alun Jones

(General Manager, MES-UBM), En. Mohd Hisham Tan Abdullah (President, Malaysian Food &

Beverage Executives Association), Mr. Kamaruddin Adnin (President, Professional Culinaire

Association) and Mr. Rick Chee (Managing Director, F&B Facilities Sdn Bhd).

Culinaire Malaysia 2017 was jointly organized by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH),

Professional Culinaire Association (PCA) and Malaysian Food & Beverage Executives Association

(MFBEA) with endorsement from the World Association of Chefs Society (WACS) and International Food & Beverage Association (IFBA)

About the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH)

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) is the umbrella body for hotels in Malaysia formed in 1974 and initially established by a group of concerned and dedicated hoteliers to bring about a more dynamic hospitality industry aimed at building a workforce of highly skilled, innovative and disciplined individuals. Its long-term goal was to enhance the efficiency of the hospitality industry, thus, bringing about a more dynamic Malaysian hospitality industry. MAH, as the official national network for the hotel industry, represents more than 900 hotels throughout Malaysia supplying a total of 155,287 rooms which is about 65% of the total number of hotel rooms available as guest accommodation in this country. With 13 chapters across the nation, MAH acts as a voice of the industry, working as one body to promote, protect, represent and advance the interests of its members.

About MAHTEC

MAHTEC Sdn Bhd commenced its fiscal year in 1998 to profile MAH as a human resource development provider and to upgrade the skills and knowledge of staff-in-service in the industry. MAHTEC is the training arm of the Association specializing in developing quality human resources in the hospitality industry. Highly specialized in the areas of Hospitality Skills Training and Managerial Development Training, all programs are facilitated by experienced and qualified Trainers through workshops and practical session.