Knorr’s Master of Seasoning 2019 competition got off to a storming start on 15 May with the first of its three regional heats, in conjunction with the Yala Hoteliers Association. The venue was the Cinnamon Wild Yala Hotel, where over 25 chefs and bartenders from hotels within the Yala region sweated it out to gain a place in the finals. Each contender was in with the chance to win the ultimate prize, a tour for two to Malaysia with an exclusive one-on-one Master Class with the UFS Malaysian Culinary team.
Drink up!
The competition kicked off with nine bartenders shaking their stuff in the Mocktail competition. Their secret ingredient? Knorr Lime Seasoning Powder
Judges Mr Channa Ekanayake (F&B cum Resident Manager at Eden Hotel) and Mr Dammika Gunathilake (former senior F&B lecturer of SLITHM) deliberated before deciding on their beverage winners.
The winners
First place: Mr Pasindhu Namal of Jetwing Yala Hotel
Second place: Mr Chamara Kasun of Cinnamon Wild Yala Hotel
Third place: Mr Shehan Banuka of Wild Coast Lodge Hotel
The main event
Then came an intense 90 minutes while 18 chefs hungry for success battled it out for a place in the national final. Their tools? A culinary black box of seasonings from the Knorr range a table of fresh ingredients, and a lot of skill, hard work and imagination.
Judges Chef Saman Wijerathne (Executive Chef of Unilever Food Solutions – Sri Lanka and Maldives) and Chef Shantha Peiris (Executive Chef of Amanwella Hotel, Tangalle) had tough decisions to make to decide on the ultimate Master of Seasoning 2019 Yala regional competition winners.
The winners
First place: Chef Kumarage Srimal of Jetwing Yala
Second place: Chef Tuan Rizwan of Wild Coast Tented Lodge
Third place: Chef Pradeep Srimal Priyankara of Uga Chena Huts
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