The
2015 Golden Spoon contest winner was the Lotte Hotel Hanoi team, taking home
the coveted prize of VND 1 billion. They wish to write to the other
contestants, considering them as silent ambassadors, promoting Vietnamese
cuisine through the long journey of the contest. They have all successfully and
vividly demonstrated their profession and passion for authentic Vietnamese
dishes.
And, they are all young
chefs!
1-With a shy and
passionate look Chef Tran Thi Khuyen – a member of Thao Ngoan Wedding
Restaurant team in Dong Nai - makes a roll of colorful rice noodle, and has
attracted a journalist who is passionate in writing about cuisine. To him, that
look is the look of a chef who has fallen in love with her profession.
Chef Khuyen Thi Tran
The
passion was evident, and he came to know that this young chef in her 30’s
chased after Mr. Cuong Thinh Tran and begged him to allow her to attend the
Golden Spoon contest, even though her team had only two participants. The
guidelines of the contest stipulate that teams must have three members.
The slender noodles are made of many colors - black
(stained ash bamboo), blue (from green tea leaves), red (from “Gac” fruit),
violet (magenta plant) - under professional and talented hands were wrapped
around bamboo chopsticks. This is a side dish served with rice-noodle soup
cooked with “củ chóc”, chicken and
green soursop; one of the four dishes Ms. Khuyen presented in the southern
region semi-final round on October 28, 2015. It was particularly delicious, as
it always will be when cooked by a dedicated chef who loves her craft.
Dedicated Chefs
create stories of their culture through delicious dishes in the final round of
the 2015 Golden Spoon contest.
In the challenging “Secret
Ingredients” final round on December 2nd Ms. Khuyen faced the
challenging “Black Box”, and we again saw her dedication and leadership. She
coordinated and worked well within the team through delegating appropriately.
She created a unique menu that included dishes inspired by legends, and helped the
chefs from Dong Nai win second prize; awarded the category of food nutrition.
2. The third edition
of the Golden Spoon contest was a journey to discover and promote Vietnam’s
delicacies, not to mention the spectacular introductions and contributions of
the chefs. The “bông giờ” flower – plain in appearance, but after a heavy rain
its yellow and purple colors sparkle - from the Central region is one example.
Nguyen Cong Tru (32 years), represented Yasaka Huong Sen (Phu Yen province)
were excited to present to the judges the dish of shark fin and melon served
with “Bông giờ” flower in the “Golden Dish” semi-final round. “It is firm and
almost crunchy, but not fishy,” complimented artist and judge Kim Xuan. In the
preliminary round Mr. Tru’s team also introduced a chicken hot spot cooked with
first-time ingredient shiny-leaf prickly-ash.
Chef Tru Cong Nguyen
With 16 years of culinary
experience chef Tru Cong Nguyen started cooking while at school in a part-time
job to cover his tuition. His passion grew along with him and he decided to
travel to Ho Chi Minh City and enroll in a course to become a chef. After
graduation he stayed in HCM to look for a job, wanting to gain more experience.
After two years he came back to his hometown.
On the day of the
semi-final Chef Cong Tru only just recovered from illness. It was a long trip
from the central region to Ho Chi Minh for the contest, and he was visibly
tired and distracted during the two hour cooking process. But his dedication
and mouthwatering food from Phu Yen province won him the second prize. Though
he did not take home the top prize, his spirits were still high. He said, “Next
year the dish will be more modern and unique in both flavor and presentation.
You will see.”
3. Equally
disappointed was the team from Hilton Hanoi Opera, led by Chef Cong Thuong Tran
(27 years), also not making it past the semi-final round. “It was sad. It
seemed everything was against you,” shared Chef Cong. Even though the team is
from Ho Chi Minh City, they still woke up at 4:00 am to prepare all ingredients
and tools and head to the contest hall. Feeling nervous and worried, they came
a little bit earlier to have more time to prepare. But while they were setting
up the electricity was cut off unexpectedly and they had to use their phones as
lights to find their way.
Chef Cong Thuong Tran
Moreover, while Chef Cong Thuong Tran was working diligently, it seemed his his two assistants were
frozen; paralyzed with worry. Chef Cong understood that many young chefs
wouldn’t be able to deal with their nerve at a big contest like this. Chef Cong
said he couldn’t sleep for two nights thereafter. “After the contest was
finished I went to take a shower and cried unexpectedly! Although feeling
disappointed, I was still satisfied because I could meet and compete with so
many famous and experienced chefs,” shared Chef Cong. The lessons that Chef
Cong learned is that you must first challenge yourself and try to learn new
skills for presenting and displaying the dishes.
Although he didn’t win the
top prize, he found back his life balance quickly through his love for cooking
and jumping back into daily life. When asked if wants to enter the 2016 contest
he answered optimistically, “Why not?”
4. Another
young and passionate chef was Chef Tuan Quoc Do of Red Dao Restaurant, Sapa.
Running a business in a tourist city, Chef Toan has enough opportunity to
perform as well as introduce refined highland cuisine to tourists
enthusiastically. He also came to this contest with a desire to win and
showcase his regional ingredients. He prepared many foods that were modified
from new and unique spices, such as the sticky rice flower, “ô dây” tree, “thắng cố” tree, each traditional spices of H’mong people plus “hạt dổi” or “mắc khén”, typical spices of the Northwest provinces. His team
traveled from Sapa to Hanoi two days early so they could carry many kinds of
typical and spices to cook a slightly modified version of “thắng cố” dish. However, feedback from the judges was about
communication and the dish’s presentation. While Chef Toan had regrets about
not making it to the final round, he acknowledged that he had learnt many
useful lessons from the contest. His happiest feeling was about being able to
promote Northern Highland cuisine as well as show such rare and unique spices
to the diners.
Chef Toan Quoc Do
Ms.
Van Thi Bach Tuyet, director of HCMC Department of Tourism and guest judge of
the contest remarked,: "I feel the young chefs who came to this contest
are very enthusiastic, energetic, creative, dedicated ... you are the
ambassadors Vietnamese cuisine!"
Nguyen
Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
reaffirmed, "The contest was organized so as to be very professional, full
of enthusiasm and persistent. Spreading the contest across three regions helped
us to find the typical dishes in each throughout the country. It also inspired
the desire to introduce and promote cuisine as part of the Vietnam’s tourism to
friends, tourists and especially international travelers. Additionally,
Vietnam’s cuisine will add wind to the sails of our country’s tourism."
On the evening of March 12, 2015, the
organizers have awarded the first prize of the Golden Spoon Chef Cup and the
grand prize of VND 1 billion for Lotte Hotel Hanoi team. Four teams won the
second prize, respectively in four categories, including: Sofitel Plaza Hanoi
team for creative dishes; Ngoan Thao Wedding restaurant - Dong Nai team in for
food nutrition; Continental Hotel Ho Chi Minh City team for food presentation;
Kim Do Hotel Ho Chi Minh City team for rustic and traditional home-style food.
The Golden Spoon contest with a total prize of more than VND 3 billion
organized by Minh Long I Co. Ltd and financed by Ly's Horeca, under support of
two units of the Chamber of Commerce - Industry Vietnam (VCCI ) and the Vietnam
National Administration of Tourism.
Written by Tan Trung - Photo T.D
(According
to Nguoi Do Thi Newspaper)