Fonterra foodservices Pastry Challenge 2010 Hong Kong & Macou

Announcing the Official Founding of the Young Chefs Club and the Chinese Chefs Club

14-06-2010

It is with great pleasure that we announce the official founding of the

Young Chefs Club
and the
Chinese Chefs Club
on the 25th of May 2010

The turnout for the ceremony was overwhelming, with more than 400 guests from the Industry, Press, TV and of course, the very large number of Chefs with representatives from various provinces in Vietnam and even from Cambodia.

We had the honour to welcome

Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA)
Ms. Angela Dickey
Acting U.S. Consul General, Ho Chi Minh City
Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA)
Mr. Nguyen Chi Vien
Representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism
Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang
Secretary of Saigon Tourist Company
Mr Huynh Van Qui
General Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA)

With the launch of these new clubs, the committee has our work cut out for us. We have received a large list of topics which both clubs would like to be trained in.

To my greatest satisfaction, the first topic on the list is Food Safety and Hygiene. On this subject, Mdm Bui Thi Suong will be conducting a training session in June for the Young Chefs. Ms. Margaret Say from the USAPEEC has confirmed that she will sponsor more in-depth trainings for the Young Chefs and the Chinese Chefs on the same topic with a lecturer from Singapore.

The second topic is product knowledge. Beside members of the SPC committee, our long time supporter Fonterra has confirmed that they will hold trainings on dairy products. Interflour Vietnam has confirmed training on flour and flour products and Rich’s have confirmed training on non-dairy creams. Puratos will be giving demonstrations on bread making. MLA and USMEF have also confirmed their support.

Should there be any individual or company interested to contribute to the training of our chefs, please contact the undersigned, the SPC office or any of the SPC committee members.

We are very much looking forward to list you as a volunteer for this extremely important task.

With Culinary regards
Norbert

SJCC goes off island in the name of food waste reduction

Pulau Semakau Educational Trip Writeup

On a recent Sunday, the Singapore Junior Chefs Club organized an educational fieldtrip to Pulau Semakau, the world’s first of its kind offshore landfill. The purpose of the visit was to educate members on wastage in particularly food wastage and the importance of being responsible with Food. A total of 50 members attended the fieldtrip, alongside members of the SJCC committee. The trip started off with a 40 minutes ferry ride to the island, south of Singapore. The members were full of excitement on the Sun-deck of the ferry, some of whom were sitting a ferry for the first time in their life.

When asked about why SJCC decided to organize such a trip for its members, SJCC President Jasper Jek replied “What better way to allow members to learn about Food Wastage and its effects on the environment, than for them to visit the landfill and to see for themselves what happens to the food they waste in their kitchens and restaurants when they dispose them off. Chefs take a huge responsibility for the food they order, they produce and its wastage. This out of the kitchen trip will deeply impact our members, and what they learn will stay with them a long way into their career. As SJCC envisions nurturing future talents in the Food and Beverage field, reputed for their character, it will be good to have such a trip. Furthermore, it goes in line with what was presented in WACS Congress 2010 in Chile on Reducing Food Wasting.”

Upon arrival on the Pulau Semakau, the members were brought into the Visitors Centre, where they were presented a video about the landfill. Thereafter the guide briefed them about how the Landfill came about, the need for Singapore to have such a landfill and other aspects of the landfill. They were also taught about the process of what happens when things go into the rubbish bins. The members were surprised to learn that in 2009’s festive period, a total of 187 tons of food was wasted, and that when food waste is not treated properly, it gives off methane which is harmful to the environment. Members were also taught on the 3Rs: Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, and ways to reduce food wastage in the kitchen, e.g. using old bread to make bread and butter pudding.

After the presentation, members were brought onto mini shuttle buses to tour the landfill. The guide gave detailed explanation of the operation process which takes place on each location. The government has made efforts to make the island more recreation friendly by incorporating scenic locations for mangrove intertidal walks, bird watching, sports fishing, star gazing and others. The beautiful scenery of the offshore landfill gave members another impression of landfills.

In conclusion, we believe the fun and educational fieldtrip deeply benefited the young chefs and SJCC will continue to introduce ways to guide young chefs in the right path. We would like to specially thank Nestle Professional for their kind support and sponsorship for this fieldtrip, and making it possible!

More information on Pulau Semakau Landfill can be found on:

www.nea.gov.sg/cms/esd/brochure/TMTS.pdf

Bocuse D’or Asia In Shanghai

By Federico Michieletto:

In this Note I will like to congratulate my team Malaysia with  Chef See Lay Na , Commis Chef Gho Mio Di  Mandy , and Coach Marcel Kofler, with support of Chef David King and Chef Riccardo Ferrarotti  for winning the Bocuse D’or Asia In Shanghai .   

Attach our Menu and Philosophy to share with you all .

I will like also to extend the congratulation to  the following teams :

2nd Place: China

3rd Place: Japan

4th Place: Indonesia & best Commis prize winner

All above teams will proceed to Lyon 2011 Bocuse D’or in January next year .

foodcult-home

foodcult-home

www.foodcult.tv

What happens when you put chefs on the competition arena? Cooking like you have never seen before. FoodCult.TV traces the journey of the Singapore National Culinary Team as they prepare for the FHA Culinary Challenge and fight for the prestigious Battle for the Lion title.

WACS Young Chefs Club on Facebook

Come & share your thoughts and ideas, click on the picture below to join us on Facebook.

The Facebook link for WACS Young Chefs Club is:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/WACS-Young-Chefs-Club/125963590764424

FHA NationalTeams Cold Table Displays

National Teams Cold Table Displays

what an amazing year, very clean and clear work for many of the teams.

FHA National Teams Hot Cooking

The Battle for the Lion in the Restaurant of Nations was nothing short of extraordinary with great executed skill, brilliant plating and taste bringing the Lion back to its home is Singapore

FHA Gormet Team Challenge

This years Challenge was a closely contested battle with the teams producing their very best

FHA Hot Cooking Neptunes Catch

FHA Cakes and Carvings

FHA Plated Desserts

FHA Ethnic Asian Family Meal

FHA Plated Entrees

FHA Plated Appitizers 4&6

There were a large number of entries again this year here are some of the highlights

Congratulations to all the winners & participants at the FHA 2010.

Here are the results, look out for more pictures from the event coming up shortly...

The World Association of Chefs Societies Appoints Two New Young Chefs Ambassadors

At the recently held World Association of Chefs Societies board meeting in Melbourne Australia last week the world president Mr. Gissur Gudmundsson ratified the appointments of the two new Young Chefs ambassadors for the term of office 2010 to 2012.

The successful candidates chosen are:

Ms. Kelly Lee Conwell from the United States of America, representing the American Culinary Federation. Kelly’s training place was Johnson County Community College. She now uses and shares her acquired skills at Raphael Hotel in Kansas City, USA.

Ms. Sarah Primrose representing the New Zealand chefs Association. New Zealand. Sarah trained at The Culinary Institute of New Zealand. (Bay of Islands, Northland), and is now practising her art at The Pear Tree restaurant in Kerikeri, New Zealand.

Both of them recently attended the 34th WACS bi-annual Congress in Santiago, Chile where they participated in the Dr Billy Gallagher WACS Junior Chefs Forum, where over 60 young chefs from throughout the world participated in seminars, round table discussions and competitions.

The two candidates will take up their positions with immediate effect, they will be reporting directly to the chair of the young chefs liaison committee Mr. Andy Cuthbert. Their role will be to give input to the Presidium and board of elected continental directors on matters pertaining to young chefs from around the world.

At their appointment, they commonly stated:

We are thrilled and honoured to be chosen as one of the two students appointed as WACS Young Chefs ambassador from such an elite group. WACS has given young chefs worldwide an amazing opportunity to mentor, as well the opportunity to express their opinions on issues that matter to us. Now we are looking forward to meeting chefs from around the world and working on a great mentorship between the Junior Chefs and Senior Chefs.

Source: http://www.wacs2000.org/wacs2009_beta/en/news/news.php?cat=wacs&id=2766

40th WorldSkills Calgary, Canada

40th WorldSkills Calgary, Canada - Reported By Andreas Muller
The 40th WorldSkills 2009 was hosted in Calgary, Canada from September 2-7, 2009

Home to Cowboys, oil refineries and Canada’s banking and industrial giants, Calgary was to many competitors, experts, visiting delegations and visitors the place to showcase and see firsthand the latest trends, techniques and competence what WorldSkills has to offer. From hairstyling to refrigeration, there was a variety of ways to get a better understanding of what skilled trades and technology careers have to offer; not only in our country, but all over the world.
WorldSkills competitors and experts were given the opportunity prior to the competition to tour through the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains at Banff National Park- a truly unforgettable experience to experience a warm welcome reception of live local music, and a gourmet BBQ meal at a nearby Ranch. WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd. had organized a truly Western-Canadian spread of food, drinks, music and hospitality to follow this exciting expedition.

The week-long preparation and competition showcased the skills brought together by the finest young professionals under the age of 22 years in trades and technologies from 51 Member countries/regions. More than 900 Competitors in 45 skills vied for the gold medals and awards over four days of intense, often highly stressful competition. Hong Kong was present under the WorldSkills Category 34-Cooking Trade with competitor Mr. Luk Wai Shing, Wilson, former trainee of the Hospitality Industry Training and Development Centre Food Preparation-Western and myself as expert.

The food service industry encompasses a wide and interesting range of job opportunities for cooks. While specific duties vary depending on the type of establishment, it is the cook's responsibility to prepare meals that are both appealing and nutritious. They are also responsible for food costing, safety and sanitation.
Over the 4 day competition, competitor from 34 nations had to compete in 7 Modules the following tasks:
· prepare, season and cook a variety of foods according to given instructions
· create and test new recipes as per Mystery Basket Module
· operate machinery associated with food preparation
· carve meats, determine portion sizes, arrange foods and add sauces, gravies and garnish to servings
· bake desserts and pastries
· prepare buffets such as platters and showpieces
· oversee menu planning, estimate food requirements and obtain the necessary food from storage or from suppliers to maintain an inventory of kitchen provisions
· prepare and follow budgets
· supervise kitchen staff

Throughout the competition, Chef Sing has performed the given task to his best ability. He has shown endurance and his competency status along European, Asian and Northern American competitors are in line with international standards. He has performed his assigned task with passion and has gained reputation by many experts for his adoptive mode in handling the competition in a fair and flexible way.

The 40th WorldSkills Competition is officially over. The medals, awards and certificates have all been distributed on stage to the hard working competitors of WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

Germany, Korea and UK have been awarded Gold medal, whereas Chinese Taipei have been awarded a Bronze medal. Unfortunately there were no Silver medal awards and 17 nations have been awarded a Medal of Excellence by performing above the 500 point marking system.
It is proudly to mention that Hong Kong, under the WorldSkills Category 34-Cooking has placed itself into the rank of 14 out of 34 nations.

The closing ceremony of the 40th WorldSkills Competition took place in the Corral at Stampede Park. All 45 skills announced their champions, followed by the Best of Nation, presented by the WorldSkills board of directors. At the end of the event, the WorldSkills flag was passed on from WorldSkills Calgary 2009 to the next competition host, WorldSkills London 2011.

German Junior Chef wins Gold at the World Skills

Germany
Florian Neumann wins in Calgary
German Junior Chef wins Gold at the World Skills

With one point ahead (533) wins the 20 years old Florian Neumann from Maritim Hotel Berlin/Travemuende at the Worldskills in Calgary, Canada the gold medal.

With a very short distance behind him came in the Korean Junior Chef Park Sun Hung and also Adam Smith from GB with the Taiwanese Chen Chian-Hung.
Important for the victory of the young German Chef was his possibility of concentration, his working systems, cleanness and his Professionalism. The judes were looking the winner out by a blind tasting.

The competition tasks contained several working modules like 30 pieces of fingerfood, four hot fish dishes, four hot desserts, four lamb dishes, 30 Mini-desserts and also a mystery basket as a special task for all 33 participating Nations.
To watch the Video from the award ceremony go to Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcDt7utgwso

Persatuan Juru Masak Malaysia Cawangan Pulau Pinang
馬 來 西 亞 廚 師 公 會 檳 城 分 會 馬 來 西 亞 廚 師 公 會 檳 城 分 會馬 來 西 亞 廚 師 公 會 檳 城 分 會 馬 來 西 亞 廚 師 公 會 檳 城 分 會
CHEFS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA, PENANG CHAPTER
MEMBER OF WORLD ASSOCIATION OF CHEFS SOCIETIES (WACS) ADDRESS: 26-B, Rangoon Road, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
TEL/FAX: 604-2268659 EMAIL: campg2005@yahoo.com WEBSITE: www.campg.org
“A TASTE OF GOURMET EXPERIENCE”
The SALVATION ARMY Penang Fine Dining Dinner Treat
12th September 2009, 7.30pm at Logan Road, Penang

Our 2 years old Penang Junior Chefs Club (PJCC) with its committees and members, working together with a team of trainee service staffs plus a few trainees’ mass communication personnel and with a little guidance from CAM. Pg Chapter Committees treated a group of 80 guests from the Salvation Army Children Home with a 5 course fine dining western set dinner and performances entitles “A Taste of Gourmet Experience” recently.

The purpose of serving a Fine Dining Western Set Dinner to the youth is to provide them an opportunity to experience the uniqueness of fine dining of hotel services and to educate them the proper table etiquettes which may fully prepared them for their future undertaking. Our junior chefs and team hope that through this event, they can show & shower their love and care to these little guests of The Salvation Army thru their presentations of food and show.

We are honored to have so many Distinguished Guests and Sponsors amongst us on that night. We would like to record our sincere appreciations to all our sponsors for their supports and understanding of our cause, as without their kind and generous supports & contributions of the ingredients, products & equipment, we will definitely not been able to accomplish this very unique event hence contributing & delivering this ‘life long experience’ to the happiness of this very special group of the youth.

Lastly, we wish to express our very heartfelt thanks & appreciation to all our colleagues, helpers and well wishers in supporting and assisting us in making this very noble and meaningful event a great success. Thank you!

Reported by: Khor Ying Jia Organizing Chairman PJCC Secretary

A ALL WOMEN CHEFS TEAM OF MANDARIN STAR WINS BOCUSE D'OR ASIA 2010 MALAYSIA SELECTION.

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 September 2009 – This year marks the first time that Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur has participated in the Bocuse d'Or competition and is proud to announce that See Lay Na, Junior Sous Chef at Pacifica, has emerged as the winner. Lay Na outstanding and creative dishes added with her dedication has made her outshine all competitors.
After her successful debut, Lay Na and her assistant, Mandy Goh, will be representing Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur at the Bocuse d'Or Asia 2010 competition that will be held in Shanghai, China. In the Shanghai competition, pressure is building as it stands a chance for her to be qualified for the Bocuse d'Or 2011 that will be held in Lyon, France. They will be coached by Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur's Executive Chef, Marcel Kofler, who has been motivating and inspiring them with his knowledge on culinary arts.

"Throughout the years that Lay Na has been with Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, she has shown lots of perseverance and her work has always been notable. The dishes designed by her was remarkable and has made a great impression with all the judges and peers," said Executive Chef Marcel. "We truly believe she will excel in the next competition and we hope she come back as a winner!"

See Lay Na joined Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and has shown dedication since her first days at Mandarin Oriental. Her positive competitiveness has rewarded her with many accolades on national cooking competitions such as the Culinaire Malaysia 2007 where she took two Golds and one Silver medal. Lay Na and Mandy both have been instrumental in the opening of Pacifica, Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur's fine dining seafood restaurant. Accustomed to each others talents, and led by Lay Na's leadership skills, their teamwork is remarkable and the understanding with little spoken words during service hours makes them a very well attuned crew.

Named after Chef Paul Bocuse, the Bocuse d'Or competition is a world chef championship that is frequently referred to as the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games. Each team has 4 hours and 35 minutes to prepare two elaborate presentations, a meat dish and a fish dish. The jury that consists of renowned chef judges will make their evaluations based on the level of perfection, in terms of technical skills, cooking sophistication, creativity and visual beauty.

Photography of Mandarin Oriental is available to download, in high and low resolution, in the Photo Library of our Media section, at http://www.mandarinoriental.com/.

Sydney Culinary Challenge Day 2&3

Culinary Art


MLA Team Event

2009 Sydney Culinary Challenge

This week WACS Junior is in Sydney for the 2009 Sydney Culinary Challenge we will be bringing you all the live action from the show and surrounding events.

Asian Culinary Cup Day 4

LIVE Vegetable, Ice Carving and Gourmet Team Challenge.

Asian Culinary Cup - Day 3, Bangkok

Ice Carving
Today's Ice Carving saw the first of the team event of 3 people given 5 blocks of ice and 2 hours to complete their piece. Tomorrow, there will be 9 more teams competing in this area.


Bocuse d'or
8 competitors produced 3 courses for the judges to sample in modern French cuisine, paired with wine. This category is a showcase of the best hot cooking techniques from the competitors. The winner will compete in the Asian Final and the winner of that round will represent asia in Lyon, France next year. This is the world's most prestigious individual cooking competition.


Gourmet Team
Today was the second round for Gourmet Team, it was a continuation between South Korea, Malaysia & The Czech Republic.


Vegetable Carving
The first GOLD with DISTINCTION, along with 2 other GOLD medals were awarded to 3 Junior Taiwanese competitors for vegetable carving display:
Gold Medal with Distinction
Mr Yang Sheng Kai - 22 years old, presented 2 lizards catching a dragonfly.
Gold Medal:
Mr Ye Guo Zhen - 21 years old, presented a scene from the rainforest pond.
Mr Wei Shih Chieh - 26 years old, presented a mythical female figure with a Chinese lantern.


LIVE Plated Dessert
Open category LIVE plated dessert saw a large number of competitors producing some modern dessert ideas.

WACS Asia Pacific Africa Forum

Day 2 at the Asian Culinary Cup

Today we witnessed a full day meeting of regional presidents from across Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East for the APA Forum.



Sitting in on the day's activities were members of the WACS Executive Committee, WACS President Gissur Gudmunsson, Vice-President Hilmar Jonsson and Secretary-General
Helgi Einarsson. Alongside them were members of the board, committees and invited guests.

Presentations from member countries were given alongside a report on Junior Chefs and the launch of the Dr Billy Gallagher Junior Chef programme for the WACS congress in Chile. On top of this, a special educational section on Thai Jasmin Rice and Thai Seafood.

The Forum attendees were treated to lunch at the Gormet Team Buffet event and then it was back to work for the afternoon session. By the end of the day, it was decided that the next APA Forum would be held in Korea in support of their preperation for the 2012 WACS Congress.

A copy of the Dr Billy Gallagher Junior Chef programme is now available for download by clicking on the link below:
http://www.2shared.com/file/7562715/f7f57e7a/Billy_Gallaher_Junior_Chefs_forum_2010_Prog_30Aug.html

Day ONE - Asia Culinary Cup

Day ONE of the Asia Culinary Cup, Bangkok 2009

Below you will find pictures of showpieces, vegetable carving, ice carving; along with some Hot Cooking action. There's also a sneak look at the Judge's dinner hosted by the Blue Elephant Restaurant.

Showpieces


Vegetable Carving


Ice Carving


Hot Kitchen


ACC Dinner

Asia's 1st Culinary Cup - Opening Night

WACS President Gissur Gudmundsson and WACS Advisor for Junior Chef Global Development, Alan Orreal at the Opening Night of Asia's 1st Culinary Cup, Bangkok.

Friends & colleagues enjoying the evening...

One of the 16 International teams ready to face fierce competition ahead.

WACS President Gissur Gudmundsson & Continental Director John Sloane welcoming the Chinese Delegation.

The Taiwanese Team in high spirits ready for the next 4 days.

The Korean Junior Team catching a quick photo with Chef Alan Orreal.

Just a handful of the many international judges on hand & ready to execute a smooth and fair adjudication for all the competitors.

Parade of nations attending the first ever Asian Culinary Cup in Bangkok, Thailand.

VIP guests & officials launching the official opening.

Bangkok Culinary Cup

This evening will see the beginning of the 1st Asian Culinary Cup. WACS Junior will bring you all the action from each day so keep tuned to this site.

During this week, we will also cover the WACS APA Forum LIVE from the city of Angels, Bangkok.
There will be a special interview with the WACS President and the launch of the long-awaited Billy Gallagher Junior Chefs Forum programme for Chile 2010.

Free Beds in Chile For Junior Chefs

Click on the image for all the information on how Junior Chefs can get FREE Accommodation for the WACS Congress 2010

Opening of South African Chefs Association Centre for Culinary Excellence

South African Chefs Association (SACA) would like share with you the pride and joy they have in celebrating the opening of the South African Chefs Association Centre for Culinary Excellence at the School of Tourism and Hospitality University of Johannesburg.

Click here for more information and pictures.

From BCP Junior Chefs & their competition experiences

The BCP Young Chefs Club has kicked off with some serious competition results and a range of medals and international recognition. With the news that Alex Tanuhardja, the first student to benefit from the BCP’s support, has won the Asian nomination for next year’s Global Chef’s Challenge with his senior chef from Bulgari, the program is certain to grow.

A few of the junior chefs, who had competed at the recent Jakarta Salon Culinaire & also at the HOFEX, have written about their own experiences (see below). They have all expressed their gratitude to their seniors and mentors for their support & guidance & in making their dreams a reality.

Recipe for Relief

From five star hotels to the IDP camps, members of the Chefs’ Guild have taken up the challenge to cook 30,000 meals a day. Chathuri Dissanayake reports

For many of the 300,000 people living in the IDP camps in Wanni, a simple hot meal has become a luxury they hardly dare dream about. Wanting to make at least a little difference in the lives of these Sri Lankans who have seen so much suffering these past few months, the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka has stepped in to help by doing what they know best; cooking.The programme they will launch along with Give2Asia, and Sarvodaya, aptly named ‘Helping Hands’, will see members of the Chefs Guild cooking 30,000 meals a day for those in the IDP camps.

For the chefs more accustomed to working in the state-of-the art kitchens of the country’s five star hotels, this is indeed a challenge but they are more than willing to rise to the occasion.“When we saw what was happening and the situation in the camps we knew we had to step in and help in any way we could. Many of the people were donating dry rations and some were providing cooked food which has the likelihood of going bad. People who are cooking inside the camps have no technical knowledge or the experience needed to cook for a large number like 250,000 people. We have the technical knowledge and the experience and we thought we should share it with them and make their burden easier to bear,” said Chef Gerald Mendis, Chairman of the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka.

“When the tsunami struck our shores, we stepped in and provided cooked meals to the affected people. Give2Asia was a partner there as well. I spoke to Sharadha de Saram, the Programme Consultant for Give2Asia Foundation and she immediately stepped on board and also suggested that we partner with Sarvodaya Foundation which is already providing food for the IDPs,” said Chef Mendis.

They went to work straightaway. “We set about implementing the programme as soon as we agreed on the concept. The day after the initial meeting we went to Vavuniya to assess what needed to be done,” said Sharadha.
The Chefs Guild plans to provide three meals a day for the 10,000 IDPs in Manik Farm camp Zone 2, Sarvodaya blocks 1, 4, 5, 8, 9. They have already made improvements to the community kitchens there.

Different menus have been planned and consideration will be given to nutritional aspects. The food is provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) whereas all the ingredients and improvements in the diet will be provided through donations from the public (see below).“We have spoken to a number of hotels and hotel management companies such as John Keells Holdings and Jetwing Hotels and they have promised to help,” said Chef Mendis.

Eight chefs will go to Vavuniya every week and will cook in six community kitchens that have been set up in the blocks. "Our chefs have the capability to do anything with any food and create a good meal anywhere from five star conditions to a community kitchen so we can adjust to any situation," said Haleesha Weerasinghe, President of the Chefs Guild who will be going to the camps.

“Cooking food for so many people is no easy task. We have to look at doing it systematically and we have to micro plan about issues such as quantities to prevent any possible wastage or shortage because the numbers in each zone are different. For this we need technical know how in cooking. This is where the chefs can come in a big way,” Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, Executive Director of Sarvodaya said.

“We are hoping to come up with a programme for these youth to be trained in cookery. So when they get out of the camp they will be able to make a career out of it. We lack the funds and are looking for donors to set up a proper programme,” Sharadha said.

The Chefs Guild and Sarvodaya are appealing for donations of rice, dhall and spices- chilli powder, turmeric, roasted curry powder, coriander powder, goraka, cinnamon, Maldive fish, salt, mustard seeds and ginger for the project.

For information contact Subasena de Silva at Sarvodaya on Tel: +94 777635015 or +94 112655110, or e-mail: sarsube@sarvodaya.org