Category: News

And the Winners are… 

The final day of the Congress rounded up with the Worldchefs Congress & Expo gala dinner, where there was free flow of networking and camaraderie. And of course, this is the crucial evening when results of the Global Chefs Challenge were announced.
 
We bring you the results: 

• Best Fish Award (Sterling Halibut) – Kare Andre Hjartholm, Norway – Global Chefs Challenge
• Best Meat (Veal) Award – Aleksander Vartdal, Norway – Global Young Chefs Challenge
• Best Meat (Veal) Award – Rahil Rathod, Canada – Global Chefs Challenge
• Best Use of Tea – Dammika Herath, UAE – Global Pastry Chefs Challenge
• Continental Director Medal – Jasmine Marie Nadres, Guam – Global Young Chefs Challenge
• Continental Director Medal – Raymond Fung, Macau – Global Pastry Chefs Challenge

EDUCATION AWARD – Gert Klotzke, Sweden 

HUMANITARIAN AWARD – Tony Khoo, Singapore
 
GLOBAL YOUNG CHEFS CHALLENGE Hans Bueschkens Trophy
        – 2nd runner – Aleksander Vartdal, Norway
        – 1st runner – Shayne McCrady, USA
        – Champion – Niall Larjala, Finland
 
GLOBAL PASTRY CHEFS CHALLENGE
        – 2nd runner – Marco Deidda, Italy
        – 1st runner – Loi Ming Ai, Malaysia
        – Champion – Lim Wei Hrn, Singapore
 
GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE
        – 2nd runner – Kare Andre Hjartholm, Norway
        – 1st runner – Kristian Vuojarvi, Finland
        – Champion – Jimmi Eriksson, Sweden

5 Things We Learnt Today About Food Waste!

Here are some staggering truths we learnt from the World Food Programme presentation:

1) In 2018, 3 million children will die from hunger-related causes.
2) The world produces enough food to feed 9 billion people each year, and our currently world population stands at 7.4 billion. Yet so many people go hungry. This is because one third of the food we produce is lost or wasted.
3) Zero Hunger has never been achieved in the history of mankind but is achievable in our lifetime.
4) Chefs can make a difference. We control the kitchens, suppliers, and customers we come through the doors.
5) One of the reasons that contribute to food waste is that social media has planted in us unrealistic benchmarks of what food should be. Join the #recipefordisaster movement by grabbing near-expired ingredients from your fridge, prepare a dish and share it on your social media with #recipefordisaster.
More info on www.wfp.org/recipefordisaster

One Ingredient, Zero Waste

We love the lunch packs prepared by the Electrolux Professional team, who creatively created a wholesome (and tasty!) meal out of..the carrot. In our lunch pack: Carrot Focaccia, Thai Carrot Soup and Chocolate Carrot Muffin. We’ll be happy to have more of these one-ingredient meals, won’t you say.

Living your Talk…

Here are some ways the Feed the Planet panellists reduce food wastage at home.

1) Clean out the fridge and use the ingredients to make salad dressings

2) Keep trimmings and make your own stock and broths

3) Just buy a little, and not in excess.

4) Make jams and compotes from ripe fruits

5) Use your freezer. When bananas start turning brown, chop and freeze them as it makes a good base for smoothies.

6) Collect broccoli stems (if you are not a fan) and make broccoli cream soup!

It was a lunch like no other this afternoon, when the 9 promising Global Chefs Challenge competitors whipped up their best. Hall 4 was transformed into a restaurant in the afternoon, where invited guests were served up competition dishes by competitors from Italy, UAE, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Singapore, Hungary, Scotland and Australia. All we can say is: It’s a tough choice for the judges.

We are pleased that Dato’ Mohd Sallehhuddin Bin Hassan, Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, officiated the opening ceremony of our Congress Expo at Hall 4 today. He was also shown the competition arena of our Global Chefs Challenge…

The Challenge Begins

The Global Young Chef Challenge kicked off with lots of sizzle and bustle. Competitors from Malaysia, China, Sweden, Norway, Italy, USA, Finland, Germany, Guam and Egypt cooked up a storm from 7 am in the morning. The second half of the day say the professional chefs take over the kitchens for the Global Chefs Challenge, with competitors from Japan, Norway, USA, Thailand, Denmark, Colombia, Malaysia, Germany, Iceland. The delectable competition dishes were served to invited guests, including sponsors, partners and VIPs. The Global Chefs Challenge competition continues to run tomorrow (Friday) and the Global Pastry Chef Challenge takes place on Saturday. Come cheer for the competitors

We Welcomed Some Stunning Speakers!

Lifetime Achievement Award for Merrill J Fernando

Tea Inspired Gastronomy ended with much heart today. After the presentation by long-time partner Dilmah, Worldchefs presented Mr Merrill Fernando, the founder of the family-owned Ceylon tea company with a special Lifetime Achievement award. Known for his unique philosophy of “business is a matter of human service”, Mr Fernando has built humanitarian work into the global business Dilmah. Other than the MJF Foundation, which has built a culinary centre to empower the less privileged, Dilmah also starts from home – by ensuring that their tea pickers are well-taken care of, and not marginalised.

We Organized Before Your Eyes the Educator’s Forum!

With some outstanding topics, Worldchefs top members shared their thoughts and knowledge on: 

• Digital Accreditation and Global Certification
• Global Networking
• Recognition of Quality Culinary Education
• Worldchefs Academy
• Sustainability Education

We also Met all the Culinary Industry Leaders at the Expo

Did you make a trip to Hall 1 ,2 and 4 to check out the latest technology and equipment! Our friends from Electrolux Professional were dishing out delicious bites from time to time! 

Finally, for those who didn’t have the chance to come at the congress & expo, Chef Charles Carroll prepared some podcasts for you to listen: 

• Thomas Keslinke http://bit.ly/2Lzt2mK
• Argio Barbargiou http://bit.ly/2uB197r
• Neil Abrahams http://bit.ly/2uzsQ0u
• Edgar Buhrs http://bit.ly/2Nwo5eO
  
• Alvin Leung http://bit.ly/2uzsQxw

What Happened on the First Day of the Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018?

It is a lot more than a simple Congress!

The Worldchefs Congress & Expo brings together more than 4000 chefs, industry leaders, culinary enthusiasts and gastronomy fans who learn about the culinary trends and innovations, compete in the Global Chefs Challenge and discover their best life experience. 

Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018 took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. 

The Congress included four busy days of action programmed between July 11 – July 14, 2018 and the Expo featured world class exhibitors from across the culinary world. 

Congress & Expo is a hallmark tradition of Worldchefs and has been organized in over 37 cities across the world bringing together more than 110 member countries throughout its illustrious 90 years young history. 

Warm Welcomes by our Congress Chairman, Andy Cuthbert & our President, Thomas Gugler!

Stockholm, Sweden, 12 July, 2018

A playful
toolkit has been developed by Worldchefs and AIESEC with the support
of the Electrolux Food Foundation to educate school children about sustainable
eating. The joint initiative calls to action to raise awareness about
sustainable food . The toolkit is pre-launched
on July 13 at the annual Worldchefs Congress, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The new
toolkit, is based on the UN initiative World’s
Largest Lesson, which introduces the Sustainable
Development Goals to children and young people. At the Worldchefs Congress,
gathering hundreds of chefs from around the world on July 11-14, the Electrolux
Food Foundation is together with Worldchefs and AIESEC introducing the beta
version of the new toolkit, and calling chefs to join the
initiative.  The day will be fully devoted to sustainable cooking and
the need to reduce the current amount of food wasted in the world.

Young
volunteers from the international youth-led network AIESEC will also use the
toolkit, as part of the ongoing volunteering efforts on responsible consumption supported
by the Foundation. The Electrolux Food Foundation also
supports the Worldchef’s Sustainability Curriculum to
help the next generation of chefs use resources more sustainably.

“We’re
very happy to back this call to action at one of the most important events for
chefs in the world,” says Malin Ekefalk, Director of Social Responsibility.
“Chefs are role models, who have a strong voice and influence over many people
in the world. The Electrolux Food Foundation is delighted to count on them to
really make a difference in the way to handle this global issue.” 

“It’s a
devastating fact that 30% of the planet’s resources go to waste. If we can act
smarter we can easily feed the planet,” adds Ragnar Fridriksson, Managing
Director, World Association of Chefs Societies. “The chefs have a key role to
play in addressing this issue. With our passion, we can inspire more
responsible use of resources for the sake of future generations. We should also
re-think our own recipe and bring more awareness to our industry on the
importance of sustainable cooking. I’m calling upon all chefs to act now and
start make a difference today,” 

Since
2016, Worldchefs, AIESEC and the Electrolux Food Foundation together have been
driving the Feed the Planet partnership to
inspire better eating and cooking habits among consumers and professionals and
to support people in need.  

For more information about Electrolux Food Foundation,
click here.