Sonthaya Kunplome, former
Minister of Tourism and Sports, and Pattaya officials launch Pattaya food &
Hotelier Expo 2012.
Pattaya Mail Team
Top hotel chefs from nine countries joined Thailand’s
best culinary artists for the 6th Pattaya Food & Hoteliers Expo.
The July 26-28 event at the Peach Convention Center in
Jomtien Beach featured nearly 20 contests in everything from fruit carving
and drink-mixing to deserts and Thai set menus. Cooking contests pitted
professional chefs against each other and offered opportunities for rising
university stars to try their hand at deserts, plate arrangement, Thai and
European dishes, flower arranging and cocktail mixing.
In its second year, the Culinary Cup international chefs
competition with teams from Australia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, China, Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan squaring off against their
Thai counterparts under the watchful gaze of the World Association of Chefs
Societies.
Bakery chefs demonstrate the
best way to make thick, creamy desserts.
Fifteen teams of five chefs worked just under six hours
in the “gourmet seafood challenge” to prepare a main course for 10 people
using a “mystery protein” Thai herb followed by 11 menus of gourmet live
seafood buffet containing salad, appetizer, tapas, soup, main course and
dessert.
The Hong Kong team, despite being delayed in the airport
for 16 hours by bad weather, won the 1st place HRH Princess Sirindhorn
Trophy and $3,000. Australia’s team finished second and the Czech Republic
third. Thailand’s best showing came from the Pattaya team, which finished
sixth.
In the Thailand competition, the Long Beach Garden took
top honors overall, with the Royal Cliff Hotels Group and The Zign Hotel and
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort turning in strong performances.
Among showcase competitions, the Royal Cliff won the Food
& Beverage Super Challenge with Centara second and The Zign third.
Hard Rock Pattaya Hotel’s
entry in the flower arrangement contest.
Long Beach Garden took first in the tapas display
category and the top two places in bed-making competition. The Royal Cliff
and Dara Samui took second and third in the tapas contest while the
dusitd2barquada placed third in bed-making.
Students from the Dusit Thani College won the
Thai-Western Fusion Competition with the Marriott Pattaya Resort & Spa
placing second and The Zign third. The Zign and Dusit College traded places
the wedding cake decoration category, while Impact won third.
Centara was the only hotel to place in the spa
competition, winning first over the Na Spa and Spa Silvadee. And in the
young chef competition, The Zign placed first, followed by Centara and
Woodlands Resort.
The event, sponsored by Pattaya, Chonburi Province, the
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Pattaya Chefs Association, Eastern Housemaid
Administration Club, Thai Eastern Food Administrators and Beverage
Association, was also a venue for more business representatives to display
food and beverage products, tools, equipment and household items used in the
hotel and restaurant industries.
