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Scholarship honors Chef Christie
and continues his legacy and impact on the culinary world
SINGAPORE – January 18, 2018 – At-Sunrice
GlobalChef Academy, a Worldchefs Approved culinary school, is pleased to
announce Lopen Namgay Tenzin as the first recipient of their Chef Christopher
Christie Scholarship. Lopen Namgay is Principal of Phajoding Monastery in
Bhutan, a refuge for underprivileged or orphaned boys. Lopen Namgay will relay
his culinary skills and knowledge from his time with At-Sunrice in Singapore
back home where he will teach and mentor members of the Guide Association of
Bhutan. This partnership solidifies At-Sunrice’s commitment to culinary
education worldwide and continues the legacy of Chef Christie, the former
executive chef of Marina Bay Sands, as a culinary mentor and teacher.
Lopen Namgay will travel to Singapore
from January 21-February 11, 2018, for a three-week immersion study programme
where he will learn from leaders with At- Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. While
visiting Singapore, he will attend classes and receive hands-on training from
At-Sunrice chefs. He will learn how to make basic pizza dough and recipes and
prepare Asian and Western vegetarian cuisines. His visit concludes with a pizza
(without using oven) making competition and a certificate presentation before
traveling back to Bhutan to educate the young monks at the Phajoding Monastery
and members of the Guide Association of Bhutan.
According to the Tourism Council
of Bhutan, 209,570 travelers visited Bhutan in 2016. Bhutan trekking guides
embark on multi-day journeys, leading tourists across the country and cooking
for them along the way. Lopen Namgay will work with the guides and guide cooks,
teaching them foundation skills and techniques, including new and innovative
ways to prepare quality meals using the seasonal produce and vegetables of
Bhutan for international travelers.
“Teaching is at the core of the Chef
Christopher Christie Scholarship, and mentoring was important to Chef
Christie,” said Dr. Kwan Lui, founder and director of At-Sunrice GlobalChef
Academy. “Through his visit to At-Sunrice, Lopen Namgay will pursue his passion
for cooking while empowering him to be a teacher and further impact the
culinary landscape of Bhutan.”
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy’s Chef
Christopher Christie Scholarship remembers and honors Chef Christie and his
numerous contributions to the culinary world, in both Singapore and around the
globe. In addition to his time as executive chef of Marina Bay Sands, Chef
Christie mentored more than 200 At-Sunrice culinary students. He won the World
Gourmet Summit Award of Excellence in both 2014 and 2017. Chef Christie died on
June 30, 2017, after battling cancer. In October 2017, Dr. Kwan Lui was on a
trekking trip guided by Garab Dorji, the president of the Guide Association in
Bhutan, where she met Lopen Namgay while visiting the Phajoding Monastery.
Lopen Namgay and Chef Christie’s shared belief in the Buddhist faith and
culinary education made Lopen Namgay the ideal first candidate for the
scholarship program.
“Lopen Namgay’s visit brings together
several Singaporean culinary professionals who share in Chef Christie’s love
for food and passion to teach,” said Dr. Kwan Lui. “The Chef Christopher
Christie Scholarship Program is a way for us to carry on the legacy and teachings
of one of our culinary greats. It is yet another example of how culinary
education has the power to reach individuals in all corners of the world and
influence lives. We look forward to hosting Lopen Namgay, enabling him to
pursue his culinary passion and carry on these teachings to others in
Bhutan.”
Lopen Namgay completed his Master of
Buddhist Philosophy at Tango Buddhist University in Thimphu and a three-year
meditation in Genekha under the instruction of His Eminence Dorji Lopen. He has
previously held the position of head teacher at Phajoding Monastic
School.
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy will
continue to identify and host recipients of the Chef Christopher Christie
Scholarship to remember the culinary great.
At-Sunrice
GlobalChef Academy is a Worldchefs Approved culinary school. The Worldchefs Recognition of Quality Culinary
Education program seeks to recognize educational companies, associations and
institution's which offer culinary and pastry art programs of various design
and size and meet or exceed global standards for quality culinary education as
established by the Worldchefs Education Committee. Recognized companies,
associations and institutions share in the future development of Worldchefs
global standards as the list of recognized programs continues to expand around
the world.
