Tuesday, 22 May 2012
By Calvin Yang
Phnom Penh Post
The Topaz
Restaurant team will represent Cambodia for the first time at the Black
Box Culinary Challenge in Australia tomorrow. Photograph: Photo Supplied
A team of young Phnom Penh chefs, with barely more than 35 years of
experience between them, will be looking to take on the world tomorrow
when they compete in the global finals of the MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge in Australia.
The
MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge is a team chef competition showcasing
the culinary talent of young chefs from around the Asia Pacific region.
Since
its inception in 1996, the contest has seen more than 3,500 current and
potential five-star chefs taking part in over 86 affiliated events.
This
year, 15 teams from various five-star hotels, restaurants, culinary
schools and catering companies across the globe will participate.
These
include The Westin Chosun Hotel from Korea, The Henry Jones Art Hotel
from Australia and the Intercontinental Cairo City Stars from Eygpt.
This will be the first time Cambodian chefs compete in the final cook-off.
“It
is an honour to be able to represent the country against world-class
chefs from around the world,” Sopheak Pov, executive chef of Topaz
Restaurant, said. “It is a very heavy responsibility. But I believe we
can pull it off.”
The quartet, comprising Sopheak Pov, Sun
Chanrotana, Sek Sivanthonn and Hem Phyra, made history last year when
they captured the gold medal at the national stage of the Black Box
challenge held in Phnom Penh.
The victory granted the team from
Topaz Restaurant a ticket to compete at the biennial competition, which
will be held tomorrow in Hobart, Tasmania.
“When we applied to
join the challenge, I thought it would be a good experience for our
team,” recalled Arnaud Darc, managing director of Topaz Restaurant. “It
was a pleasant surprise to have won against teams that had the
experience of earlier contests.”
In a black box competition, each
team is provided with a black box filled with mystery ingredients
including prime Australian meat, goat meat and sheep meat as well as
seafood, spices, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
The
teams are then given one hour to devise a four-course menu using all of
the ingredients before preparing the meal for a panel of international
chefs and guests.
The top three teams will receive gold, silver and bronze medals and cash rewards.
“In
a black box challenge, there is no way of knowing what dishes to
prepare beforehand,” Sopheak Pov said. “But I am confident of getting
the silver medal because with my experience, I can get the flavours and
taste out of the food.”
Two years ago, the former Comme à la
Maison and River House Restaurant chef was sent to France for four
months to work with Michelin-starred chef Alain Dutournier.
“The
important thing is that we have to work as a team,” Sopheak, who has 10
years of experience at the restaurant, added. “It is like football, you
can’t win if you play it alone.”
To prepare for the competition,
the quartet has gone through two dry runs simulating the black box
format, followed by a four-day study trip to Singapore to review the
creations of some of the top restaurants.
This has resulted in
several new Topaz Restaurant dishes created to popular acclaim such as
tuna tatare mixed with wasabi and jasmine rice and lobster ravioli in
Kampot green peppercorn.
“I am grateful that our young chefs
have been given the opportunity to gain experience on the world stage,”
Darc said. “In the future, I hope to create more of such opportunities
to widen their horizons to new achievements and to bring in some fresh
ideas and techniques.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Calvin Yang at ppp.lifestyle@gmail.com
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