Being
the only all-female team, Quan Nhi Restaurant confidently showed their
eagerness and determination when received applause from the crowd, close
friends, colleagues and supportive relatives.
While
the team leader was discussing and assigning tasks to implement the menu, other
members of Cam Thanh Hotel, the only representative from Quang Ngai Province,
frowned and kind of expressed their concern.
Chef
Nguyen Huu Hau, team no. 73, was known for his extra calm and concentration
while cooking.
“45
shades of excitement” before entering the town market.
The
town market was located near the set, where hawkers and booths of vegetables,
spices, flowers, etc. were put up for chefs to choose.
Chef
of the Century, Eckart Witzigmann, was enthusiastic to try out different types
of local greens and herbs. In his opinion, the variety and freshness of
Vietnamese ingredients, spice and condiments help add colors and flavors to the
country’s exquisite cuisine.
Arriving
in Vietnam for the first time and attending the competition for Vietnamese
chefs, the Michelin star chef was quite impressed by the creativity based on
local ingredients. He said that being the winner was a great opportunity for a
chef to advance his career.
The
sound of chopping board, clinking utensils and smells of cooked food were
ubiquitous in the set of the competition.
Chefs
frowning and highly concentrating on their work could be seen from any angle of
their cooking stations.
After
a hectic cooking and tasting session, the chefs relaxed and smiled more often,
which brought them closer to each other.
This
year, the competition itself earned a great deal of credits thanks to the
reputable judge panel which included known professionals in the industry. In
the photo, the judges gathered at a banquet table to score the display during
the Grand Final on 6 December.
Outside
the cooking competition, judges are only normal people who never say no to a
fun group selfie. Pop singer Nguyen Phi Hung and Meritorious Artist Kim Xuan
were among those who participated in the panel as guest judges.
Mr
Ly Ngoc Minh, general director of Minh Long I Co., Ltd., introduced the chef
trophy for the competition’s fourth edition. This trophy was the first of its
kind in Vietnam, made using slip casting techniques and baked at the standard
porcelain temperature ranging from 1,360 to 1,380 Celsius degrees. It has three
parts including a chef statuette, a base of victory and a golden spoon, which
together depicts the winner whose confidence and charisma shine through his
eyes and attire.
Each
team in top 15 received a certificate from the organizing committee for their
effort and talent throughout the 6-month journey of the Golden Spoon Awards.
The
runner-up went home with a 100-million dong cash prize. Team no. 62 finished
second with the Best Creative Menu.
The
Best Nutritious Menu prize went to team no. 73 from InterContinental Danang Sun
Peninsula Resort.
Team
no. 77, Naman Retreat Resort Danang, was awarded for the Best Decoration.
In
recognition of their effort and tireless studies to create new recipes based on
unknown traditional spices and condiments, the Best Unique Traditional Menu was
presented to the ladies of team no. 1 from Quan Nhi Restaurant, Can Tho.
Chef
Le Vo Anh Duy, together with his team members from Binh Quoi 1 Resort, burst
into tears of joy when they were crowned to be the winner of the Golden Spoon
Awards 2016, which is called “the Oscar of Vietnamese cuisine”. (Photo
courtesy: Alobacsy.com)
The
winning team received congratulations from judge Ho Thi Hoang Anh (third to the
right) and Nelly Gocheva (first to the left), global editor of T Brand Studio
International, the brand-marketing arm of The New York Times.
By The Golden Spoon Awards