Categories
GCC News

Jasmine Nadres: Lotte’s golden child and regional Global Chefs Challenge winner

Take one glance at the three dishes Jasmine Nadres submitted to the recently concluded Global Young Chefs Challenge South Pacific Region competition held on island, and it's clear the young gold medalist is headed for big things in life.

The competition falls under the umbrella of the Global Chef's Challenge Series, which is run by the World Association of Chefs Societies. Better known as “Worldchefs” in the culinary world, the international organization is dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines.

It recently held its regional competition on Guam, where Nadres blew the other competitors out of the water with an amazing three-course meal.

Nadres' dishes sound like something you would order at a restaurant far too expensive for the average person – flounder & lobster mousse paired with local micro greens and dragon fruit with orange vinaigrette and cilantro oil; pan-seared veal tenderloin and sweetbreads served with sautéed fall vegetables, rustic butternut squash and split peas in a pan demi; and a pineapple and milk chocolate mousse with coconut gel, assorted fruit medley and macadamia nut brittle in an Earl Grey tea sauce.

Yet during her interview with The Guam Daily Post, she made a surprising admission: Even with nearly 10 years of being a kitchen pro, she still gets shakey in the knees.

“It was the most nerve-wracking competition I've ever done,” Nadres said, although we find that hard to believe. Nadres has the confident poise and quiet dignity that comes from earning the position she holds at Lotte Hotel Guam – at just 23, the ProStart and Guam Community College Culinary Academy alum is already a junior sous chef who manages the hotel's banquet kitchen.

‘One of the committed ones’

When she talks about food, it's clear her knowledge is rock-solid. Also, her resumé is a mile long. This latest achievement of hers – beating out young chef representatives from Fiji, Austrailia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands to take gold – is one of several, and is indicative of the work she's put into her career.

“I wasn't just a regular student,” the GCC class of 2016 alum tells the Post. “I was one of the committed ones.”

Indeed she was. Her stint in the Simon Sanchez High School ProStart kitchen was a door opener, which led her to an internship and employment with the Hyatt Regency Guam. While still in high school, the upstart ProStart ward was an on-call kitchen assistant at first, sharpening her knives and skills with real-life experience.

Nadres and her fellow Shark chefs took first place in back-to-back ProStart islandwide competitions in 2011 and 2012, which earned her trips to the National ProStart Culinary Invitational in the states. And right after graduation, she took no break whatsoever, jumping straight into GCC Culinary Academy during the summer session.

When asked what kept her hungry for success in the culinary world, Nadres said she's grinding now so she can be a boss later.

“I'm young but I'm not getting any younger. I want to knock everything, so then I can have time for myself later on. I don't want to be working as an executive chef in 10 years. I want to be able to open my restaurant. I want to be an owner.”

And if she does happen to be working as a chef in the future, she sees herself in a Michelin-rated dining establishment.

In the meantime, she's having a great time at Lotte, where she's worked since 2015. What she's been enjoying is the new direction she's taken under the mentorship of her fellow, more senior Lotte chefs.

Nadres says in her experience she's been allowed to implement her own kitchen standards as well as recipes and dishes.

“That's what's good about the Lotte, because they have a standard but they can adjust to what you want to put out,” Nadres tells the Post.

It's easy to find something inspirational about Nadres' accomplishment, vision and drive. But when it comes to Nadres, the people she finds inspiration in are her parents, Jesusa and Jose Nadres.

 It was Jesusa's love for cooking Filipino staples like pinakbet, adobo and dinaguan that was the younger Nadres' first foray in the culinary world.

 “My best inspiration is my parents; they cooked at home. The best cook in my life is my mom. Old-school Filipino dishes – she's got it all down.”

Eating at the dinner table was always something she looked forward to growing up. When both her parents were working while Jasmine Nadres was a teenager, dinner was the time the whole Nadres family could get together to forget about the day and just chat.

“That was our bonding moment as a family. My mom always said we can't go to bed with an empty stomach, so she was always there to provide that for us.”

Nothing beats Mom's cooking.

But even if she's now an award-winning junior sous chef, she still knows her mom's pinakbet is better than hers.

“She puts something in there that she don't tell any of us,” she says with a laugh.

The next time you're at La Seine, say hello to one of Guam's brightest young chefs.

ARTICLE REPRINTED FROM THE GUAM DAILY POST: https://www.postguam.com/entertainment/food/jasmine-nadres-lotte-s-golden-child/article_ae0c7f0c-b944-11e7-9995-4f87866947dd.html

Categories
GCC News

Thriving chefs hone culinary craft in Global Chefs Challenge Regional Finals

OCTOBER 2017: The Micronesian Chefs Association hosted chefs from around the island as they put their culinary skills to the test during the first day of the fifth annual Salon Culinaire Black Box Battle competition Tuesday at the Guam Community College Culinary Arts Kitchen.

The four-day series of competitions saw chefs ranging from the high school-level ProStart and GCC students to junior, professional and master chefs. The event offers them the opportunity to develop their craft while learning more about food preparation techniques, creative presentation, variety and time management.

With the exception of the ProStart competition, where high school students were introduced to their ingredients 10 days prior, the style of the Black Box Battle forces the chefs to think on their feet as the competitors have no knowledge of their ingredients until just before the competition begins.

Southern High School, Okkodo High School and John F. Kennedy High School's ProStart instructors put their teams of three up for the challenge. The students were expected to prepare an entrée for three in one hour, to include starch and protein elements, and vegetables. While some students had up to three years of culinary education, others had just one month or less.

“It really made me feel pressure,” said Tyla Woodall, a ProStart student from JFK High School. “It's the real competition. It's not just your chef yelling at you, 'Get things done,' it's people walking around, really pressuring you.”

Woodall said the competition is just her first step, and she plans on sticking with a culinary career.

“Being that this was our first time, it was pretty intense hearing all the other schools communicating with each other super loud. It kind of scared me a bit,” said Jermaine Gamboa of Southern High School.

Since Gamboa was younger, he has always wanted to open a restaurant and believes he can go far in the kitchen. Wanting something new on the island, he hopes to travel around the world and infuse international cuisines with CHamoru fiesta food.

Angelita Lujan, also from Southern High, said she hopes to improve her cooking skills and start a little business, then grow it for her mom, Pearl Lujan.

“I would like to serve local food. I'm more comfortable with cooking local,” she added.

“I'm proud and happy that they're here. I just want the best for her,” said Pearl Lujan. “I'm glad that she clicks good with her teammates because that's important in the kitchen. I give them a lot of props for joining the program. We need that at our school.”

Two of the three students competing for Okkodo High already work as part-time pastry chefs at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. All three students have competed before and won first place for the Guam ProStart competition. They also competed in South Carolina in April, placing second nationally.

The day proceeded with a kitchen filled with over a dozen busy junior chefs, who work as cooks and chefs at establishments around the island.

Junior chef Christopher Chien, who is a cook at the Lotte Hotel Guam, said the first heat of his category was fun but really intense. Despite the rush, Chien was confident his entrée was executed well. He said he plans to open a restaurant in the future, with a focus on Mexican or Central American cuisine.

“There's some wiggle room, but for sure it is an intense competition, not knowing what you have before the competition starts.”

The Black Box Battle threw a couple of curve balls at the juniors. They had not one, but two proteins to prepare with their starch and greens.

“We had this one bone in the lamb that's not supposed to be there,” said Dominik Pablo, a cook at Niu Fusion and competitor in the junior chef segment. “Usually it's removed, but they put it on, so it was tough to separate it.”

Pablo said his goal is to become a fine-dining chef. He's been cooking for about seven years and said his specialty is beef.

The competitions will continue through tomorrow and include an open pastry chef competition.

Today and tomorrow, Salon Culinaire will also hold the World Association of Chefs' Societies World Chefs Regional Finals for the Pacific region, showcasing global chef and young chef competitions, along with a global pastry competition.

Winners of the competitions will be honored at an awards banquet at the Westin Resort Guam tomorrow night, and the winners of the regional finals will head to the world finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Biennial World Chefs Congress and Convention. www.worldchefs2018.org

Reprinted from the Guam Daily Post: https://www.postguam.com/entertainment/lifestyle/if-you-can-t-stand-the-heat-thriving-chefs-hone/article_c376db0a-ad8a-11e7-9f7b-fb7d5d8ce81b.html

 

Categories
GCC News

Meet the Asia Regional Global Chef, Global Pastry Chef and Global Young Chef, TUCC 2017

Bangkok, June 5, 2017: After three days of intense competition at the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge at THAIFEX – World of Food Asia in Bangkok, Global Chefs Challenge (GCC) series Asia regional winners have been selected in the categories of Global Chef, Global Pastry Chef, and Global Young Chef.

For Asia Global Chef Teerapat Teeyasoontranon, Thailand Chefs Association and the Thai Culinary Academy, and Asia Pastry Chef Pan Shih En, Taiwan Chef Association, the next stop is Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018, July 11 – 14 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Global Challenge Young Chef Asia regional winner will compete in the next GCC Young Chefs finals, competition details available soon.

For Chef Teeyasoontranon, this is his 8th gold medal. “I feel so proud that I will be a representative of Thailand and so excited to join the Global Chefs Challenge finals in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “Of course, I will have to do a lot to prepare myself, I will practice to do my best for the people of Thailand.”

Chef Pan Shih En is newer to competitions, at the age of 19 she is just beginning her pastry career – an outstanding accomplishment for such a young chef. “Although I do not have as much pastry experience as other competitors, I believe that with commitment and determination I can make it,” she said. “It is an honour to have this opportunity… Now, I will get to represent Taiwan to compete in the Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018 Global Chefs Challenge Pastry finals. Thank you to my university mentor, to Taiwan Chef Association, and to my family for giving me this opportunity. I will continue to do my best and try my best to win the global competition [next year].”

Chef Yang Yang Shen, aged 24 years of China, is a Chef at the Shanghai Disney Resort. In an interview, he said he appreciates the chance to have this opportunity to go to World Congress, thanks his teacher Edward Zhong, and will work even harder than before to train everyday at work.

Though they hail from different Asian nations, what these winners share is their commitment and dedication to rigourous training schedules. Chef Pan Shih En for example trained 12 hours a day for 49 consecutive days – on top of managing other commitments.

Big congratulations to our winners and also to all of the competitors of this year’s GCC Asia regional event. Big congratulations also go out to the international judging panel led by Dr Rick Stephen, and the organizing committee led by Willment Leong for an extraordinary competition.

The GCC Series Finals see 20 teams from around the world competing to be the best. Seven spots are reserved for regional qualifiers like TUCC winners. Other regional qualifying rounds will take place in Europe, Americas, Africa Middle East, and the Pacific Rim.

Twelve qualifiers come from Restaurant of the Nations from IKA or World Cup, and the host country, this year Malaysia, takes the final spot.

The GCC finals for Global Chefs and Global Pastry Chefs will be held at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 11 – 14, 2018. The Global Young Chefs Challenge finals were recently held at Sirha, home to the prestigious Bocuse D’Or. Planning for the next Young Chefs Finals are still underway.

 -30-

About the Global Chefs Challenge Series

The Global Chefs Challenge Series is where the world’s best chefs meet to compete in three categories: the Global Chefs Challenge, the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge, and the Global Young Chefs Challenge.

Global Chefs and Global Pastry Chefs face off at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo, a don’t miss bi-annual global event attended by chefs from more than 100 countries.

The next GCC Series final takes place at Asia on Plate – Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018, from July 11 – 14, 2018.

Global Young Chefs compete in a Young Chefs Challenge Final, held for the first-time this year at Sirha, the international trade show that is also home to Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup. Stay tuned for details about the next GCC Young Chefs Finals.

www.worldchefs2018.org

 About the Global Chefs Challenge

In the Global Chefs Challenge Finals, the best chefs in the world aged 26 and up compete to show their skills, and to prove how adaptable they are in the day-to- day challenges of running a kitchen. Their culinary creations must follow guidelines such as being appetizing and tasteful, while also showing off exemplary plating for ease of service.

About the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge

xpect top performances from the cream of the crop at the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge Finals. Competitors work to prove they can meet the standards of the world’s most modern patisseries, while showing an appeal to the five senses, along with knowledge, extraordinary technique and of course versatility.

If you wish to prove your pastry skills are world-class, contact your National Chefs Association for information about selection in your country today!

About The Global Young Chefs Challenge

The Global Young Chefs Challenge was created in 2002 by Worldchefs to promote and groom young chefs in their culinary careers. The competition is open to chefs aged 25 and younger.

Until this 2017 edition, The Global Young Chefs Challenge was run simultaneously with the Global Chefs Challenge and the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge, a world-respected competition.

This year for the first time ever, the Global Young Chefs Challenge Final was held at Sirha, the international trade show that is also home to Because d’Or and the World Pastry Cup.

About Worldchefs

The World Association of Chefs' Societies (Worldchefs) is a non-political professional organization, dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines.

We accomplish these goals through education and professional development of our international membership, through skills-building and competitions, and through sustainability and humanitarian initiatives. As an authority and opinion leader on food, Worldchefs represents a global voice on all issues related to the culinary profession.

www.worldchefs.org
www.howtofeedtheplanet.com

www.worldchefs.org/Certification

Contact

Andrea Petruzella 
PR & Marketing Manager
WORLD ASSOCIATION OF CHEFS SOCIETIES – WORLDCHEFS LTD
[email protected] 
mobile + 33 (0) 6 37 66 50 99
office + 33 (0) 1 46 87 65 10

 

 

 

 

Categories
GCC News

Global Chefs Challenge regional event fierce and inspiring

Bangkok, June 2: Asia’s Regional Global Chefs Challenge Regional Semi-Finals started yesterday and continue until tomorrow, with Young Chefs, Global Chefs and Pastry chefs vying to win top spot to move on to the Worldchefs Congress & Expo July 2018 world finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

So far the competition – and the pressure – has been fierce!

The task: produce a seafood or fish starter, veal main, and dessert using fruit, chocolate and Dilmah tea: on the clock in two hours, for 3 people, in an unfamiliar kitchen, with a panel of esteemed international judges looking on. The results have been mouthwatering. Well done to all the competitors for your hard work and dedication.

Chef Corentin from Cambodia had this to say about his performance; “Ooofff – it’s finished! Lots of things happen in this two hours,” he said in reference to the intense time-limit set on chefs, with points deducted for going over. A head chef in Siem Reap, this was his second competition but he admitted he felt a little bit sad over the results –working with unfamiliar equipment is a challenge he said.

Judges Aminath Shaanee, Abdulla Sobah, and Ishag Solih were unanimous that the level of competition was extraordinary, stating the chefs excellence as well as the vigilant management from the lead organizers as reasons this event stands out, perhaps unsurprising given the vast experience and global esteem of the international judging panel, lead by Dr Rick Stephen, Continental Director – Asia for Worldchefs.

When asked how to keep personal bias – say a preference for savoury versus sweet – from affecting the results, Chef Shaanee explained that it is all about discussing the results together as a panel. “You judge as an individual but also as a team,” she said.

For chefs and judges alike, the chance to have the opportunity to be a part of the competition is a driving force of getting involved. So much is learned through competition, and industry standards are raised by pushing chefs to their best.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's competition and to find out who will go on to compete in next year's GCC Final, Worlchefs Congress & Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. And don’t miss your chance to register today for discounted rates to attend the Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018. www.worldchefs2018.org
#worldchefs2018 #thaifex2017

[PHOTO CAPTION: CHEF CORENTIN ENTRY, SEAFOOD STARTER]

-30-

About the Global Chefs Challenge Series

The Global Chefs Challenge Series is where the world’s best chefs meet to compete in three categories: the Global Chefs Challenge, the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge, and the Global Young Chefs Challenge.

Global Chefs and Global Pastry Chefs face off at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo, a don’t miss bi-annual global event attended by chefs from more than 100 countries.

The next GCC Series final takes place at Asia on Plate – Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018, from July 11 – 14, 2018.

Global Young Chefs compete in a Young Chefs Challenge Final, held for the first-time this year at Sirha, the international trade show that is also home to Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup. Stay tuned for details about the next GCC Young Chefs Finals.

www.worldchefs2018.org

About the Global Chefs Challenge

In the Global Chefs Challenge Finals, the best chefs in the world aged 26 and up compete to show their skills, and to prove how adaptable they are in the day-to- day challenges of running a kitchen. Their culinary creations must follow guidelines such as being appetizing and tasteful, while also showing off exemplary plating for ease of service.

About the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge

xpect top performances from the cream of the crop at the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge Finals. Competitors work to prove they can meet the standards of the world’s most modern patisseries, while showing an appeal to the five senses, along with knowledge, extraordinary technique and of course versatility.

If you wish to prove your pastry skills are world-class, contact your National Chefs Association for information about selection in your country today!

About The Global Young Chefs Challenge

The Global Young Chefs Challenge was created in 2002 by Worldchefs to promote and groom young chefs in their culinary careers. The competition is open to chefs aged 25 and younger.

Until this 2017 edition, The Global Young Chefs Challenge was run simultaneously with the Global Chefs Challenge and the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge, a world-respected competition.

This year for the first time ever, the Global Young Chefs Challenge Final was held at Sirha, the international trade show that is also home to Because d’Or and the World Pastry Cup.

About Worldchefs

The World Association of Chefs' Societies (Worldchefs) is a non-political professional organization, dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines.

We accomplish these goals through education and professional development of our international membership, through skills-building and competitions, and through sustainability and humanitarian initiatives. As an authority and opinion leader on food, Worldchefs represents a global voice on all issues related to the culinary profession.

www.worldchefs.org
www.howtofeedtheplanet.com

www.worldchefs.org/Certification

Contact

Andrea Petruzella 
PR & Marketing Manager
WORLD ASSOCIATION OF CHEFS SOCIETIES – WORLDCHEFS LTD
[email protected] 
mobile + 33 (0) 6 37 66 50 99
office + 33 (0) 1 46 87 65 10

Categories
GCC News

FTC Designated Regional Chef Training Facility by the World’s Oldest Gastronomic Society

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