singapore junior chefs club

Corrine's FHI Junior Asian Chefs Challenge experience

2011-06-02T15:51:00.002+08:00

Our first meeting was held at ToTT Store in November 2010. Some we had worked together before, some were acquaintances, while others were new. I remembered how we sat around the table, trying to be as comfortable as possible with people we have never seen before, not knowing who will be the ones fighting hand in hand with you on this culinary battle field.

Time was running out and we needed to gel quickly. All of us!

Nick, Tiffany and I were selected for the FHI 2011 Junior Asian Chefs Challenge which took place on the 7th April 2011. Prior to the competition we experimented on dishes, each and every component, to see what worked and work didn't. We received valuable feedback from our advisors, and made necessary changes each time we practised. We finally confirmed the menu we would be working on.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, we realised that certain ingredients were damaged along the way and could not be used. Equipments broke and we had to search the supermarkets the night we arrive. The team’s spirit was very down, and everyone was already feeling tired on the first day.

We were scheduled for competition on the third day of the trip. On the secong day, we did our mise en place with the help of Chef Tian Mu and Chef Athejo in the hotel’s production kitchen. We thank the hotel's chefs for there generousity and kind hospitality, even though they themselves participated in the event.

On the third day, the competition day, we woke up very early in the morning and did a final check on all the items needed to be at the hall. Caught up in a little jam, hiccups here and there, and we finally reached our destination. When it was the team’s turn to do kitchen set up, we realized that the stove wasn’t working well, the chiller broke down and we needed to be flexible with our initial plans. The technicians came in a while and managed to fix the chiller, which was a great relieve to us!

The two hours marathon started and we did nothing but the best, at least to our ability. Some equipments did not work and we ran short of time after the first hour but we knew we had to press on. Chef Tian Mu and Chef Athejo had been taken for a roller-coaster ride for the solid two hours, being absolutely anxious for us, while the team members were pushing on to complete and perfect the final touches.

At long last, the results were announced and we did not managed to clinch a Gold Medal for the club. Although our emotions we low, we were not defeated. We just knew we had to do a self- reflection and perform better in our next competition!

Fight on!

Best Culinary Spirits,

Corinne Ruth

Captain

My Hans Bueschken Global Junior Chef Challenge Asia selection experience

2011-05-31T11:15:00.000+08:00

Sweaty palms, racing heart, intense stare- emotions of an individual awaiting the news: the good or bad.

After lugging bags of mis en place to training for months, the day was here. I donned the ever pristine chef white; not an ordinary chef jacket- one with the nation’s flag. The pressure was on my shoulders, the eyes were set on me. It was do or die, make or break. I had to do it, I had to. The heart was heavy as I walked into the competition ground; I said one last prayer and started doing my thing. After four gruelling hours, appetizer, main course and dessert were served, eight portions each. I took a step back along with a breath of relief. It was a moment I’ve been waiting for, a moment I looked forward to. To dish out what I intended to on time, at the right temperature(s), the correct texture(s).

The hours that followed were taking a toll as we were awaiting the results to be announced a day later. It was here. The defining moment we have been waiting for. All those encouragements, well wishes, prayers, were they going to be heard, to be answered? “The Champion of the Hans Bueschkens Asia Selection goes to, Singapore!” That very point in time, there were too many thoughts going through my head, too many people I want to thank, far too many emotions that I could ever put in words. It was this moment that enabled me to affirm my achievements to date. To know I can do what I said I could. It was a humbling experience, in a very special way.

The ride was tough, but sure it was worth it. To look back and ask if I could do it all over again, I don’t know. But I know, I’ve proven to myself to not doubt what these hands can do. The silent heroes that rendered help along the way, I’m grateful.

Sean Lim

Winner of Hans Bueschken Global Junior Chef Challenge Asia selection

SJCC Membership for Work Year 2011/2012

2011-05-24T15:41:00.003+08:00

Dear Members and Friends,

Application and renewal for SJCC membership WY 11/12 is officially close. Please make your payment to the respective liasion officers by 27th May 2011:

ITE : Mr Benjamin Tan
RP : Mr Ignatius Leong
SHATEC : Mr Adrian Fun
TP (BCS) : Mr Gary Lim
TP (TCA/CIA) : Ms Lillian Lim

Membership for all existing WY 10/11 members will be terminated.

We thank you for your support.

Outgoing President's Message

2011-05-15T15:56:00.002+08:00

Dear Members and Friends of SJCC,

As most of you may have already known, and for those who are unaware of, I have stepped down from my role as President of the club since SCA Annual General Meeting in February this year. After serving two years as Head of Activities and five years as President, I decided it is time to make room for new blood, and allow new growth to the club, by taking a step back.

Nevertheless, I will not be completely out of the picture. I will still serve SJCC in its Public Relations whilst advising the new President of the club.

The past five years have been a great learning journey for me. It has also given me the privilege and opportunity to meet many professional Chefs and people in our industry, both in Singapore and abroad, far possibly than I could have. I would like to thank my mentors Chef Jasmine Ng and Eileen Phua for their tremendous support and guidance. They have been patient in teaching and I have acquired much from them. Things from attention to details to organization to people skills, the list goes on. They taught me that young chefs should not be afraid of making mistakes but make it an opportunity to learn from the mistakes made instead. They gave us the freedom to organize what, we, young chefs would be interested in, while always watching carefully at each step we took; guiding us when we required assistance and bringing us back on track when we strayed. I would also like to thank every one of you, especially my dear committee, who have given me utmost support and dedicated much of their personal time and service to the club.

Since we started the club in 2004, being the first junior chefs club to be formed in Asia, the club has been the catalyst, and benchmark of many young chefs clubs around the world. We have consistently stood by our vision and mission of inspiring and nurturing young chefs, by continually seeking fresh ideas and organizing educating activities for our members. Through these we encourage and inspire them to be much better chefs they can be of tomorrow. In the past year, we further introduced the Singapore Junior Culinary Team, which would officially represent the club and SCA in internationally competitions. Members have the opportunity to be tutored under professional chefs and excel themselves.

Together with the help of SCA, a distinguished organization which bonds and brands Singapore chefs, we have climbed great heights. I wish to thank the committee of SCA for their huge support and faith in us all these years.

As this chapter ends with a sweet aroma, a new chapter begins with adventure. I have passed this baton and important responsibility to Elvin Chew, the new President of the club. I am sure he will definitely do well and continue our traditions of inspiring and nurturing young chefs. I hope you will give him and the club as much support as you have given me.

Best Culinary Spirits,

Jasper Jek

President (2006-2011)

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

SJCC Fund Raising for Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Relief

2011-05-12T22:04:00.000+08:00

In aid of relief efforts in crisis hit Japan, Singapore Junior Chefs Club managed to raise a total of $10,000 through baking and selling cookies. The estimated number of cookies sold were 40,500 pieces.

All proceeds have been donated through the Singapore Chefs Association to the Singapore Red Cross Society Japan Disaster Fund.

This project by SJCC has led our young chefs to learn that their skills and expertise can be used for much wider causes, and that our profession plays an important integral role in people and the environment.

We would like to thank Phoon Huat, Pastry Mart, FoodXervices, Mr. James Tan and Family, Mr. Desmond Lim Kian Peng and Family for their generous support in us by donating the ingredients for this charity.

This project was accomplished with the fullest support from Temasek Polytechnic, School of Applied Science (Dip in Baking & Culinary Science), Chef Gary Lim, SJCC Committee and Junior Culinary Team, and all young chefs who contributed their time and effort. We would also like to thank all who had purchased the cookies and donated for this cause.

More photos here

SJCC Membership Renewal

2011-04-14T04:13:00.002+08:00

Dear SJCC Members,

For membership renewal, please CLICK HERE. All renewal application strictly closes on the 23th May 2011.

To submit your application form & fees, please approach the following Liasion Officers from respective institutes:

- At-Sunrice Global Chefs Academy (SR) : Ms Pearly Wong
- Institute of Technical Education (ITE) : Chef Benjamin Tan
- Republic Polytechnic (RP) : Chef Ignatius Leong
- SHATEC Institute (SHA) : Chef Adrian Fun
- Temasek Polytechnic (BCS) : Chef Gary Lim
- Temasek Polytechnic (TCA/CIA) : Chef Lillian Lim
- ICASTEC : Chef Johnathan Tan

Your membership will be terminated if we do not received any update from you after 23th May 2011.For more information, please email Joab Wang at sjcc_joab@yahoo.com

We thank you for your support.

A Magical Culinary Journey Awaits YOU !!

2011-04-10T15:06:00.004+08:00

About SJCC Click HERE
A Magical Culinary Journey awaits you to be part of the Singapore Junior Chefs Club active members.
Membership strictly closes on 23rd May 2011.
To download SJCC Membership Application Form / Renewal, please CLICK HERE
For more information, please email Joab Wang at sjcc_joab@yahoo.com.

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2011

2011-03-22T02:16:00.001+08:00

Dear SJCC members, the much anticipated SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2011 is finally here.

Download SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2011 Briefing Pack

Lastest application and submission of recipes:

29 April 2011

SJCC Fund Raising

2011-03-16T20:32:00.006+08:00

Dear Chefs and Friends of SJCC,

In aid of relief efforts in crisis hit Japan, Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) will be baking and selling cookies to help raise funds. Each tub of Chocolate Cookies (approx 400g) at $10/- .

For orders please email Elvin Chew at sjcc_elvinchew@yahoo.com.sg or any other SJCC committee members.The dateline for the ordering is Wednesday (23th March 2011).

Our target for this fund raising is aleast 5K and all donation will go to Red Cross Singapore in aid of the crisis in Japan.

This Fund Raising is proudly supported by Temasek Polytechnic, School of Applied Science (Diploma in Baking & Culinary Science).

The Cookie will be baked and packed by SJCC Committee, Junior Culinary Team and our members at Temasek Polytechnic.

New Blood; Old Recipe

2011-01-17T00:37:00.002+08:00

Year 2011; a new beginning, a continuation, a journey we started barely a year ago. The Singapore Junior Chefs Club Culinary Team started off strong with an encouraging accolade of 1st Runner up at the 2010 Penang Chefs Challenge. The team was led by me, Sean Lim. Together with Benedict Yong, Corinne Ruth and Tiffany Wee. Not forgetting the ever supportive Team Assistants, Eunice Koh, Lays Poh and Ammierul. Since then, the team has grown to eleven members strong. The latest addition to the team will allow talents to be groomed and wider horizons to be exposed to discerning young culinarians- the aim and grounding principle(s) the Singapore Junior Chefs Club was set up for.

Two thousand eleven will be an exhilarating year for the SJCC Culinary Team with a line up of regional competitions like Food Hotel Indonesia and Battle of the Chefs, Penang 2011. Not forgetting the highly anticipated Hofex- WACs Hansbusken Junior Chef Competition Asia Selection 2011. This is a competition whereby young culinarians 25 and below battle it out to earn a spot in the Hansbusken Junior Chef Competition Korea 2012. A prestigious and adrenaline driving competition awaits the team.

The team’s intensive training sessions will be scrutinized under the watchful eyes of Chef Elvin Chew and Chef Tian Mu. Advice from our Nation’s culinary powerhouses, Chef Otto Weibel, Chef Eric Teo and Chef Tony Khoo will ensure a stronghold of defence against our regional and world competitors. With a wealth of experience and knowledge supporting us, the youth team hopes to fly the Nation’s flag high and mighty like our mentors have.

Together as a team we believe only hard work pays off. Talent is a gift and for those who lack, diligence ultimately compensates. Humility keeps us grounded and results are secondary compared to lessons and experiences gained in ethical competition.

Best Culinary Spirits,

Sean Lim

WACS Asian Presidents Forum 2010

2010-11-23T06:03:00.003+08:00

The World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Asian Presidents Forum was held in Daejon, Korea, from the 3rd to 4th September 2010. I was privileged to be part of the Singapore delegation to attend the Forum. Together with me, Singapore was represented by Edmund Toh, Vice-President of Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) and Jenny Tan, Branding and Communications of SCA.

It was a meeting of the Presidents of the various chefs associations in Asia. The meeting was chaired by WACS Asia Continental Director John Sloane. Along with him were President of WACS, Gissur Gudmundsson, WACS Continental Director for Africa and Middle East, Arnold Tanzer, and WACS Continental Director for Pacific Region, Glenn Austin. Also present, besides the respective associations’ presidents, were Cassandra Hayden, representing Women in WACS, and Charles Carroll who is coordinating the WACS Congress 2012. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I have read one of Charles Carroll’s books before, entitled Leadership lessons from a Chef: Finding time to be great.

The meeting was fruitful with many topics being discussed. Presidents of the various associations took to the podium and shared with their fellow counterparts the on goings of their association. Hong Kong Young Chefs Club, like us SJCC, had a representative for the meeting and shared on her club. The HKYCC has been doing great, and has had recent overseas exchange programs.

I briefed on our club and the perspectives our committee had on giving focus to young chefs for our profession’s future, being patient to young chefs and their mistakes, and guiding and encouraging young chefs in their work in junior chefs clubs. I also highlighted that each club can be unique and is perfectly fine to differ from one another, so long as it remains focus to the primary goal which is to inspire and guide young chefs. (E.g. some clubs are strong in competitions, some focus on membership figures; some do not have as many activities, while others are at their early forming stage)

President Gissur also gave us insights on new initiatives in WACS, such as Chefs Without Borders (A humanitarian aid project which chefs can play a big part in) and WACS’ endorsement of culinary institutions.

There were also paper presentations on Korean Food, WACS Congress 2012, and a Honey Candy making presentation (which reminded me of the Chinese Dragon Beard Candy). The Korean Chefs Association was a warm host, making sure there were translators around wherever we go, hosting us to sumptuous receptions, including a reception and outdoor concert graced by the Mayor of Daejon city.

Apart from getting used to having lots of Kimchi and Samgyetang, it was a productive trip of networking and gaining useful information to be shared with my committee and members.

Jasper Jek

President

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

SJCC RWS Tour Article

2010-10-19T20:57:00.009+08:00

Land of Far Far away

IT WAS a hot Saturday morning for a group of future young chefs to visit the land of Far Far Away showcasing lifestyles of the rich and fairy tales’ fantasy characters living within tall, graceful walls sweeping over a pavilion-covered courtyard.

On the 16th of October 2010, the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) organized an educational tour '' Discovering the New World – SJCC Educational Tour " to the Resort World Sentosa. Members from the SJCC get a chance to discover a whole new world that is truly rewarding. Resorts World Sentosa, is the leisure and gaming company that owns and operates Singapore’s biggest Integrated Resort, a 49-hectare development which is located on Singapore's holiday island of Sentosa.

The tour started on with warm welcoming refreshment prepared by a team of professional chefs at the Leo’s meeting room. We had a unique variety of food ranging from oven baked mini pizza, beautiful danish pastry to freshly steamed Tim sum and homemade sandwiches accompanied with coffee and tea. Our member’s definitely enjoyed the food prepared specially for us.

Thereafter, our members proceeded into the meeting room for a short introduction and presentation of the resort world’s daily operations. The sharing session was conducted by Chef Edmund Toh, the Executive Chef of the Hotels & Casino, Chef John Sloane, the Vice President of Food & Beverage and Chef Alan Orreal, the culinary production Manager from the Universal Studios Singapore. The session was indeed inspiring and enlightening for our young future chefs.

Soon after, our tour takes on a magical swing when our members break into groups of four and began their extraordinary VIP Tour in the universal studios Singapore. Princess Fiona, Shrek’s, Puss in Boots and the talking donkey from the land of Far Far Away castle came alive

that takes our experience into a whole new level with lots of pleasant surprises and good food provided during the tour.

Besides the Universal Studios Singapore, our members were amazed to visit the spectacular range of six world-class luxurious

hotels and places such as Osia, Palio, Rotunda, Crockfords Tower, Feng Shui Inn, Boulangerie, Fiesta & Pool, Bagus Café, Starz, Pool, Cabana, Coliseum, Compass Ballroom and Central Production.

Of course, the good times ended in a swift when we eventually parted from resorts world Sentosa, marking the closure of our short but memorable tour. On behalf of my Chairman and President, we would like to thank the staffs from the resorts world Sentosa for their tremendous hospitality for hosting such a wonderful and memorable Education tour for our SJCC members.

We really appreciate all the efforts that made this a successful tour and I am sure that our members are definitely looking forward for another wonderful event organized by the Singapore Junior Chefs Club.

Thank You.

Joab Wang

Events & Activities

Singapore Junior Chefs' Club

The Youth Arm of Singapore Chefs Association

Women in WACS

2010-10-16T01:55:00.000+08:00

Ladies, do join World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) in its Women in WACS initiative. The initiative strives to increase visibility of women chefs worldwide as well as supporting them in their efforts to advance their careers while balancing work and family. Join the Group!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=331331241005

Discovering the New World with SJCC

2010-10-07T22:59:00.011+08:00

8 More Days

For the Most EXCITING Tour

With the Singapore Junior Chefs Club

ARE YOU READY ??

*************************************

Dear Successful Participant's,

next week SATURDAY,

don't forget our Date at the Resort World Sentosa.
please check your e-mail for Tour Details.

any queries,please email me,

Joab Wang at sjcc_joab@yahoo.com

SEE YOU THERE !!

*************************************

THE SUN RISE FROM THE PENCIL BOX!

2010-10-02T16:53:00.000+08:00

1 October 2010 – The battle of the food gladiators continues, with the first ever Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Young Chef Pencil Box Culinary Challenge held in Singapore this week. This iron chef style battle amongst the young gladiators consisted of leading students from different culinary institutes battling it out to create innovative and inspiring dishes of Australian beef and lamb.

The winner for the inaugural event went to Karolyn Chua, a trainee student from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy . Currently attached at Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Chua won the challenge with her creativity and technical skills. “I feel relieved but at the same time happy, as I felt uncertain about what to create when I saw the ingredients at first” said Chua after the unveiling of the results. Chua trained religiously two to three times a week in preparation for the challenge. “I have learned a lot from my instructor during this period of time and this challenge has definitely exposed me to much more knowledge about food and cooking”.

Held previously only in Korea , the MLA Young Chef Culinary Pencil Box Challenge arrived on our shores for the first time this year! MLA has brought this competition to Singapore to recognise the high standard of culinary institutes here and the high level of professional students which are training to become Chefs. The aim of the challenge is to encourage creativity amongst young chefs to individually prepare a main sized portion of Australian beef and lamb, as the centrepiece ingredient, within the pressure of a competitive environment.

What makes this challenge different from others is that the ingredient list is kept confidential until before the actual competition starts. Unlike other competitions, the unique style of the Pencil Box is that after the unveil of the mystery ingredients, the participants are given half an hour to plan their menu and afterwards, two dishes are required and two portions of each must be prepared during the competition on the same day which will last one and a half hour and be presented to the judges for scrutiny!

The on the spot challenge was led by judging panel, Alan Palmer, MLA’s official Young Chef Pencil Box Culinary Challenge coordinator, Chef Yen Koh, executive chef of Unilever Food Solutions and William Gibb Taylor, course manager of ITE. “It is not just about the results but most importantly, the process and the experience the students can walk away with” Palmer said before the prize presentation.

The sponsors for the challenge include Stanbroke Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore Chef Association, Shatec Institutes’, and Unilever Food Solutions.

Chua took home a gold medal and S$1,000 in cash! The first runner up went to Creasperson A Carlos from Shatec Institutes’ and the second runner up went to Kelvin Tan from Temasek Culinary Academy . They each received a medal and S$500 and S$250 in cash!

As the curtains draws to a close, the MLA Young Chef Pencil Box Culinary Challenge was a success and hopefully it will come back bigger and better the next time round!

Competitions

2010-10-01T03:21:00.004+08:00

Its competitions frenzy with the recent SJCC-Nestle Professional Rising Chefs Challenge, and the MLA Black Box Singapore Challenge just passed us by. In just a month’s time, November, SJCC members can expect the Otto Weibel Norwegian Salmon Scholarship.

Competitions often offer attractive prizes; from book prizes, knives sets, cash prizes, fully paid overseas internships and experiences. However, one might ask if it is really worth competing in one? Afterall, there will always only be the top three people/ teams who make it.

There are chefs in the industry who introduced the term “Competition Chefs” to those who always compete. “He’s a Competition Chef, I’m not”, one would say. Many chefs feel that competing requires you to have a wealth of experience and talents. Contrary to that, I believe you will suceed as long as you put in your best in training and train from the best.

My personal view of competitions is not about winning or losing. Of course winning should be your biggest goal, but one should look at the smaller benefits it would bring you.

The process of training for competitions often stretches you beyond your daily routines and work. You’ll spend extra hours planning and experimenting dishes, then organizing your workflow to make your steps smooth. You’ll seek advise, learn and work much closely with your chefs. You’ll train and train till you perfect your dish and work. You’ll look into and organize other finer details such as transportation of equipment, tableware, menu cards , table display etc. You’ll read up about the organization/ company that is sponsoring and organizing the competition and learn about their products and services. All of the above, I would say a young chef would not do if not for competing in a competition. After the competition, he may put what he has learned along the way, into he's daily work routine.

Chefs should not be afraid of, or feel too discourage when losing a competition. Take it with stride, ask for feedback for improvements from the judges after each competition and learn from the mistakes. It’s the process of learning, experiencing and growing that counts. I would highly recommend young chefs to make a list of competitions they would wish to compete in within the next five years. It could start from junior competitions, team competitions, moving up to higher level competitions, and even national team competitions.

Here’s an example of a list.

Year 1

SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenege

Year 2

SJCC- Nestle Professional Rising Chefs Challenge

MLA Blackbox Competition

Year 3

Enter into the National Junior Culinary Team

Compete in FHA Culinary Challenge

Year 4

Otto Weibel Norwegian Salmon Scholarship Competition

Hans Bueskhans World Junior Challenge National Selection

Year 5 and beyond

National Team Selection

Global Chefs Challenge Selection

Bocuse D’or Selection

Team Manager for MLA Blackbox competition

Culinary schools should always give their students the fullest support they need. They should not only support those who have "talents", but always consider those who are eager to learn, sacrifice and give their all. When teams from schools lose a competition, their management should not be worried that the lost gave away their reputation, and cease sending teams for future competitions. This will only hinder young chefs from growing.

In conclusion, my words to young chefs would be, if there's a will there's always a way. Never stop asking till you get a satisfied answer or someone who can help you. There is always a win and a lost, but you are already winning if you tried your best.

Wishing all SJCC members a fruitful culinary adventure!

With Culinary Spirits,

Jasper Jek

SJCC - Nestle Professional Rising Chefs Challenge 2010

2010-09-30T14:37:00.005+08:00

NESTLÉ PROFESSIONAL FOCUS ON YOUNG CHEFS

The Spotlight On Singapore’s Young Chefs And New Talents

The Second Annual Rising Chefs Challenge 2010

23 SEPTEMBER 2010 – As part of its commitment to nurture the young in the hospitality industry, Nestlé Professional along with the Singapore Junior Chefs Club organised the second annual Rising Chefs Challenge 2010 last Saturday, 18 September at Tourism Academy @ Sentosa. Eight teams of two junior chefs each competed ina gruelling challenge that saw them pittheir culinary skills to be recognised as the Rising Chefs of 2010. The teams from different culinary schools and restaurants were given two hours each to prepare a restaurant platter for five, focusing on creativity, technique, taste and nutrition using three Nestlé Professional products – MAGGI Chef’s Secret, MAGGI Mash Potato Instant Mix and Buitoni Coulis De Tomate.

Temasek Polytechnic proved to be the culinary college to beat when three of its teams emerged as the top three winners of the competition. The champion walked away with a challenge trophy, certificate and the ultimate prize of an all-expense paid trip to China to intern and train at one of the country’s top restaurants. The winner was The Secret Chefs. Made up of Temasek Polytechnic’s applied science students, Andy Tan and Ethan Goh, the duo created a restaurant platter that showcased their creativity.

Goh said, “We decided to make full use of a whole duck when we brainstorm for ideas for our dish. We sous vide the duck breast and served it with an orange carrot purée while the duck thigh was braised with the Buitoni Coulis de Tomate. The bones from the duck were used to make our cooking stock and we also featured a polenta crumbed foie gras to complete the dish.”

Team Temasek CCM (Calvin Tan and Piak Jia Ying) proved to be a force to be reckoned with as the first runner-up. Their creation of herb crusted lamb rack and spiced loin, ratatouille of Buitoni Coulis de Tomate, asparagus and glazed pearl onion, Maggi croquette potato with currant and berry sauce charmed the judges with their originality and creativity. They also took home a challenge trophy and certificate for their effort along with a knife set worth S$1,400. Tan revealed, “We really enjoyed using these products. They’re so versatile and we benefitted from it. It was definitely a good challenge for us as we managed to incorporate the three products seamlessly into our dish.”

The second runner-up prize of a challenge trophy, certificate and S$700 book hamper went to Pay Sin Wei and Jessica Tan of Team BCS, also from Temasek Polytechnic. They both also won the best hygiene title. Presenting a unique dish, the duo went with sous vide shark steak in spicy tomato avocado sauce, sour cream Duchesse potatoes and sautéed asparagus in raspberry infused hollandaise. Pay shared, “When we found out that we’re supposed to use the Maggi Mash Potato Instant Mix, we knew we had to create a new version of the famous Duchesse potatoes. We’re very happy with the results. Like our fellow competitors, we used the Maggi Chef’s Secret Seasoning as our flavouring. We omitted the usage of salt because it was better than salt, full of flavours!”

The remaining participants each received a consolation prize as well as a certificate and they are Team Cuscaden (Yeo Sheng Xiong and Muhammad Shawal), Team Victory (Jessica Tan and Rachael Koh), Team Les Atascia (Kiti Kui and Leong Li Ping), Team MK (Chia Jue Xian and Jeagan s/o Nadzan) and Team Republic One (Agassiz Kong and Wong Quinnson).

The adjudicators of the competition represented the who’s who of Singapore’s culinary scene. Led by the culinary godfather, Chef Otto Weibel himself, the panel consisted of Chef Eric Teo, president of the Singapore Chefs Association, Roger Frei, Nestlé Professional’s regional food manager for Asia, Oceania and Africa and Lydia Tan, nutritionist with the Health Promotion Board. Speaking during the prize presentation, Chef Weibel said, “The judges saw a lot of creativity today and a lot of effort put in by all teams. Everyone did a good job today. It’s important for junior chefs like all of you to constantly push yourselves and participate in competitions like these. Only then you’ll have the exposure and experience. It’s more important than winning but always remember to try your best.”

Also at the prize presentation was Jasmmine Wong, country business manager for Nestlé Singapore. Speaking on behalf of Nestlé, she offered, “I’m surprised with the quality of work we have here today. It’s very impressive and I want to congratulate every one of you. All of you will be very successful one day, in your own individual way. Just remember to keep asking the question – how to make yourself better.”

Winning Dish

Winning Team- The Secret Chefs: Ethan Goh & Andy Tan Chun Fu

As the curtains drew to a close, Singapore Junior Chefs Club and Nestlé Professional have once again organised a successful competition and there was already buzz for next year’s competition which promised to be even bigger and better.

TEMASEK CULINARY ACADEMY REIGNS SUPREME IN MEAT AND LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA BLACKBOX CULINARY CHALLENGE

2010-09-30T14:34:00.001+08:00

30 September 2010 – The gold medal and best establishment award in the prestigious Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Black Box Culinary Challenge has been awarded to Temasek Culinary Academy !

The MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge is a hands-on outside catering concept for young chefs. For the first time, the event was held truly outdoors at the Coliseum at Resorts World, Sentosa. The venue created an atmosphere for a battle of the gladiators or in this case, the battle of the food gladiators. The ten teams in the competition served two tables each in a banquet style setting gala dinner for distinguished guests and members of the local food and beverage (F&B) industry.

For this competition, the 84th competition held globally, the theme was simple, encourage inspiring and innovative dishes of Australian lamb and beef. The mystery 18 ingredients, were revealed a day before to the participants for the preparation of the four-course menu. The teams were each given just one hour to come up with a menu to impress the judges. The feature of the ingredient list was Kobe Cuisine D rump and White Pyrness lamb leg.

The first runner up went to Royal Plaza on Scotts and the second runner up was Shangri-La Hotel Singapore. Their prizes include a medal and S$1,000 and S$500 respectively. The other awards of the night include best table display that went to Grand Copthorne Waterfront, best appetizer went to Marina Bay Sands and the best main course went to Royal Plaza on Scotts. Temasek Culinary Academy also sweeps the awards for best soup and best dessert.

The guest-of-honour of the night was His Excellency, Australian High Commissioner Doug Chester.

The judging panel was led by Alan Palmer, global competition coordinator of MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge, Chef Rick Stephen, executive chef of SATS, William Gibb Taylor, course manager of ITE, Chef Yen Koh, executive chef for Unilever Food Solutions and Chef Tony Khoo, executive chef for Marina Mandarin. The sponsors that provided the ingredients and venue for the night includes Resorts World Sentosa, Kobe Cuisine, White Pyrness, Culina, Unilever Food Solutions, DiGiorgio Family Wines, San Pellegrino and National Foods.

As the night draw to a close, the event was a success and we look forward to the next time the MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge comes to town again!

Industry News: SIT-CIA launches degree programme in Singapore

2010-09-27T01:40:00.002+08:00

http://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/cia/

2010 Annual Chef Townhall

2010-09-08T13:22:00.000+08:00

On the 26th of June 2010, 40 young and aspiring Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) members were very privileged to have the opportunity to attend our annual Chef Townhall held at the Shatec Institute organized by SJCC. This year, we had the honour of inviting Chef Otto Weibel, Director of Kitchen, RC hotel private limited, Chef Eric Low, R&D chef, Nestle and last but not least, our very first SJCC junior competition team to grace the event.

Chef Otto Weibel started the event with a presentation entitled “Acing Competition”. Members were inspired and entertained by Chef Otto as he shared about his journey from a young boy to where he is today. In addition, he also elaborated on the little steps young chefs should take to become a promising and reputable Chef.

For the second part of the event, our SJCC junior competition team who did the nation proud took over the baton and gave a detailed presentation on their maiden competition which took place at Penang.

Last but not least, we had Chef Eric Low presented a very unique career path for all attendees. Members were amazed as Chef Eric shared his adventures and insights from all over the world while working on different yatches.

During the break, there was a refreshment set-up by courtesy of Shatec Institutes. On behalf of SJCC, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Chef Otto Weibel, Chef Eric Low, SJCC junior competition team and Shatec Institute for making the forum such a great success!

2010-08-14T01:42:00.003+08:00

Junior Pastry World Cup

For the first time, pastry chefs below 23 years old in Singapore will have a platform to expose and display their pastry skills and talents.

The first Juniors Pastry World Cup is sponsored by Relais Desserts and Academy of Italian Master Confectioners and has among the Honour Committee Membership, personalities such as MOF Paillasson Gabriel, Frédéric Cassel, Igino Massari, etc.

The event will take place from January 23-24, 2011 in Rimini during the SIGEP, International Exhibition Artisan Production of Gelato, Pastry, Confectionery and Bakery.

It is an opportunity for comparison and an experience of growth for those who, in the future, will bring greatness to world of confectionery; the first necessary and fundamental competition for a young professional life at top technical levels.

If you are a Pastry Chef (Students) who is below 23 years old (born after January 1, 1988), possesses the qualities of a team player and is good in either chocolate showpiece, sugar showpiece, preparation of chocolate cake, and a dessert, We would like to encourage you to participate in this National Pastry team selection competition 2010 to join in this prestigious event.

This competition is open to all Hotels, Restaurants young Pastry Chefs, both for professionals and students based in Singapore. The competition will select one best A) Chocolate creation and one best B) Sugar participant to represent Singapore.

You may download the application form and rules and regulation of the competition at the following links:
*Rulebook
*Application Form

Stated below is the programme of the competition:-

Date - 4 September 2010 ( Saturday)
Competition Time - 8 am- 3 pm
Venue - Shatec Institutes Pte Ltd, 21 Bukit Batok Street 22, Singapore 659589
Winner presentation - 4.00pm

Should you need further enquiries, please contact Kenny Kong at kenny.kong@fairmont.com
Thank you and look forward for your support.

Kind regards,
Kenny Kong
President
Singapore Pastry Alliance
Member of Singapore Chefs Association

Educational Tour at RWS

2010-08-11T11:41:00.001+08:00

Dear Members,

Registration is now OPEN for all SJCC members.

Discover the New World at Resort World Sentosa

2010-08-02T16:05:00.002+08:00

Good day to all,

Very quickly, we see the month of July passing us real quickly and now we're in the midst of starting our month of August when our Nation's birthday and the Youth Olympic games are nearing. Soon, we will be having an article posted on the interview we had with Chef Kenneth Francisco who is part of the organising committee in the YOG up in our website.

Despite all these, what is up and coming is the tour we are planning in the month of October to the Resort World Sentosa,Singapore. Join us to discover the new world and experience the most exciting tour.Here are some of the objective we would like to achieve:

1. Understand what goes on in a resorts' daily operations.

2. Understand how a centralised kitchen operates and learning of the latest culinary technology.

3. Interact with the industry seniors and understand the job scope of being in the service industry (Culinary and Front-line).

So why wait ? We're left with only 40 seats available !!! Look out for this event !!!

*This educational tour is only limited to members of the SJCC and is welcomed on a first come first serve basis.

For more information and details, please email Joab Wang at sjcc_joab@yahoo.com

SJCC Nestle Pro Rising Chefs Challenge

2010-07-22T13:18:00.002+08:00

Dear Members,

We present to you the SJCC Nestle Professional Rising Chefs Challenge

Feel free to download the Nestle Package we have put together, should you have any enquiries, please contact Athejo at sjcc_athejochia@yahoo.com.sg for more information.

For the Rule Book: "Click Here"
For the Recipe Sheet: "Click Here"

Be sure to download them and send it to Athejo as soon as possible!

*please note that registration closes on the 20th of August, so what are you waiting for???

Here is the link for more information. please click "HERE"

membership

2010-07-01T20:46:00.000+08:00

the club.
The Club is formed officially on the 1st May, 2004. And the number of members have been growing since... Our members include young chefs and culinarians from institutions and organizations such as At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, ITE, Republic Polytechnic, SHATEC Institutes, Temasek Polytechnic, and many others from the culinary industry.

The annual memberships subscription is S$50. Why wait? Start cooking NOW!
Check with your institution's Liaison Officer to find out more.
Recruitment drives are held twice a year, in May/June and December/January.

criteria.
Current student who are from local culinary related institutions or training centers.

entitlements.
Membership Card (with dining benefits)
Site Visits
Educational Tours
Field Trips
Culinary Workshops
Junior Cooking Competitions
Annual Family Day
Annual Dinner & Dance
CNY Lo Hei Dinner
6 issues of Cusine & Wine Scene Magazine

To Sign Up or for more details, email your institutions' Liaison officer or email Belinda at mailto:sjcc_ngbelind@yahoo.com

Pulau Semakau Landfill Educational Trip Writeup

2010-06-23T00:19:00.001+08:00

Pulau Semakau Landfill Educational Trip Writeup

On a recent Sunday, the Singapore Junior Chefs Club organized an educational fieldtrip to Pulau Semakau, the world’s first of its kind offshore landfill. The purpose of the visit was to educate members on wastage in particularly food wastage and the importance of being responsible with Food. A total of 50 members attended the fieldtrip, alongside members of the SJCC committee. The trip started off with a 40 minutes ferry ride to the island, south of Singapore. The members were full of excitement on the Sun-deck of the ferry, some of whom were sitting a ferry for the first time in their life.

When asked about why SJCC decided to organize such a trip for its members, SJCC President Jasper Jek replied “What better way to allow members to learn about Food Wastage and its effects on the environment, than for them to visit the landfill and to see for themselves what happens to the food they waste in their kitchens and restaurants when they dispose them off. Chefs take a huge responsibility for the food they order, they produce and its wastage. This out of the kitchen trip will deeply impact our members, and what they learn will stay with them a long way into their career. As SJCC envisions nurturing future talents in the Food and Beverage field, reputed for their character, it will be good to have such a trip. Furthermore, it goes in line with what was presented in WACS Congress 2010 in Chile on Reducing Food Wasting.”

Upon arrival on the Pulau Semakau, the members were brought into the Visitors Centre, where they were presented a video about the landfill. Thereafter the guide briefed them about how the Landfill came about, the need for Singapore to have such a landfill and other aspects of the landfill. They were also taught about the process of what happens when things go into the rubbish bins. The members were surprised to learn that in 2009’s festive period, a total of 187 tons of food was wasted, and that when food waste is not treated properly, it gives off methane which is harmful to the environment. Members were also taught on the 3Rs: Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, and ways to reduce food wastage in the kitchen, e.g. using old bread to make bread and butter pudding.

After the presentation, members were brought onto mini shuttle buses to tour the landfill. The guide gave detailed explanation of the operation process which takes place on each location. The government has made efforts to make the island more recreation friendly by incorporating scenic locations for mangrove intertidal walks, bird watching, sports fishing, star gazing and others. The beautiful scenery of the offshore landfill gave members another impression of landfills.

In conclusion, we believe the fun and educational fieldtrip deeply benefited the young chefs and SJCC will continue to introduce ways to guide young chefs in the right path. We would like to specially thank Nestle Professional for their kind support and sponsorship for this fieldtrip, and making it possible!

More information on Pulau Semakau Landfill can be found on:

www.nea.gov.sg/cms/esd/brochure/TMTS.pdf

Penang Chefs Challenge Team Manager's Report

2010-06-22T18:36:00.002+08:00

Penang Chefs Challenge Team Manager's Report

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I hope all is well! A team of young junior chefs were selected to represent the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) for the 4th Penang Chefs Culinary Challenge. It was held at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) from the 3rd of June to the 6th of June 2010. The Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) Junior Culinary Team was led under the command of Joab Wang (Team Manager), together with his main team, Sean Lim (Team Captain), Benedict Yong, Corinne Ruth and Tiffany Wee. The team was assisted by the team assistant Eunice Koh,Poh Lay Hwee and Ammierul.The team was also under the guidance and advice by Elvin Chew (Team Coach),Chef Gary Lim and Chef Derrick Lau (Team Advisors).

The Penang Chefs Challenge (PCC) is now on its 4th edition, and has grown in popularity since 2004. Teams from Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia pitted their culinary skills in this competition. The panel of judges comprised of notable personalities from the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS).

In no more than 30 days, the team went through eleven rounds of demanding training and numerous meetings under the strict supervision of Elvin Chew and Joab Wang. The team left Singapore on the 2nd of June 2010 ready and anxious to cook up a storm. The competition kicked off on the subsequent day with the qualifying round with a total of 31 junior teams. The team went through few rounds of "knock-out battle" and qualified themselves for the grand finals on the last day.

The team may have been awarded the overall 1st runner up, however in my eyes, their skills level and kitchen etiquette were at a much higher standard than most of the other participants. My team showcased their excellent team work and was able to form bonds over that short period of time. Their hard work and dedication was portrayed throughout. We were given the opportunity to train at Temasek Poly, Marina Mandarin Hotel and Shatec Institute. I'd also like to thank Nestlé Professional for their support as a sponsor. In addition, Chef Tony Khoo, Chef Jasmine Ng and Chef Eileen Phua from the SCA/SJCC committee provided valuable coaching and feedback which helped to enrich the team's experience.

As the team manager for the SJCC Junior Culinary Team, I am proud to have been bestowed the opportunity to manage and lead the pioneer junior team. I would like to thank the club's president Jasper Jek and his committee for their faith in me. With that in mind I was able to plan and organize the trip successfully. Their debut overseas performance boosted their confidence levels and I am certain that we will continue to conquer the challenges ahead of us. This experience leaves me with great inspiration to continue my art in the culinary field. On the 7th of June the team returned to Singapore with honor and pride. The team captain Sean Lim is quoted as saying that the journey was "a bittersweet, fruitful, tiring, fun, enriching and bold one". It was a pleasure for all of us. Thank you.

Kudos to all!!!!!

Joab Wang
Team Manager
Events & Activities
Singapore Junior Chefs' Club
The Youth Arm of Singapore Chefs Association

Edu trip to P. Semakau

2010-04-30T14:53:00.001+08:00

Constellation with The Stars, 11th - 25th April 2010

2010-04-14T00:50:00.000+08:00

World Gourmet Summit is an annual gourmand event that showcases & recognises well renown chefs from around the world while providing us the chance to appreciate good food & wine.

Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd has graciously extended a 30% discount to all SCA and SJCC members for anyone who is interested to attend the Culinary MasterClass of any guest Chefs listed below.

Seats are moving fast, so please do not miss out on this rare opportunity.We hope to see many of you at WGS!

For further details and to make reservations, check out www.worldgourmetsummit.com

Culinary Master Classes Available

Dieter Kaufmann Culinary Masterclass

Ben Shewry Culinary Masterclass

Andrea Berton Culinary Masterclass

Lai Yau Tim Masterclass

Food Safety Forum

2010-03-30T17:15:00.000+08:00

The Food Safety Forum is back after a sell-out in 2008. This forum will be held on a bigger scale in 2010, to address the full spectrum of food safety issues from farm to fork. There are challenges at every step and the possible solutions that leading experts and practitioners have will be presented.

For more information and to register, click here or visit http://www.foodnhotelasia.com/food_safety_forum.htm.

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Trip, Thailand

2010-03-18T12:26:00.001+08:00

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Trip, Thailand

21 February – I was surprised when I was called up by chefs, and asked if I was available on the first to third of March, for the educational trip to Thailand. Without much thought, I said I would loved to, but on second thoughts I was afraid that I would not be approved of my leave. (Thankfully I had my leave approved.) Afterwards, I learnt that it would be a visit to the Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) group, the leading agro-industrial and food conglomerate of Thailand.

1 March, Day 1 – We gathered at the wee hours of the morning for breakfast and checked in at the airport. This is where our journey begins….

Touching down in Thailand, we were greeted by “chaperons” from CP who would be taking us around during our entire visit. We were then split into 2 groups, for easier maneuvering.

We headed south to our first “food stop” for lunch at Pattaya, where we were treated to fantastic seafood, by the beach. It was heaven… with the sea breeze, the sun and good food.

It was then followed by a long ride, where we arrived at the shrimp farm, our official first stop, the Roi-Petch Shrimp Farm. It was well equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technology, with an automated system in place to ensure optimal breeding conditions of the White CP Shrimp. Ensuring the strictest controls to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Before entering the bio-security area, we were required to don lab coats and rubber boots, followed with a strict regime of sanitizing our hands and boots. These serve as preventive measures to limit the risk of introducing any pathogens which would compromise the breeding and quality of the shrimps in the farm.

Here, where we learnt that the 480 hectare shrimp farm houses shrimps in different modules of which the shrimp are cultivated; from in the Nursery Phase (25 days), Intermediate Phase (50 days) and the Grow out Phase (50 days), producing up to 15MT per pond/crop.

We then headed to our hotel, checked-in and went for yet another wonderful meal, by the beach.

2 March, Day 2 – Right after our breakfast, we headed straight to the shrimp processing and R&D Centre. The shrimps that we saw at the shrimp farm just the day before, arrived at almost the same time, and were headed for noble cause. At the processing line, we saw the various methods of which the shrimps are processed to what we would find on our plates. Marinated, skewered, battered, bread-crumbed, whatever you name it.

We then sampled a total of 13 of their shrimp products, not forgetting their famous CP Shrimp Wanton. It was a most enjoyable experience, and coming from someone like me who previously did not really enjoy seafood it definitely goes to show the quality and freshness of the ingredients used, as well as the immense effort and dedication that their chefs put into preparing the dishes.

Heading northwards to the next destination, we had another long ride, checked in to our hotels, and headed out for dinner. This time, we met with more of the staff from CP, who came all the way from Bangkok.

3 March, Day 3 - Following the day of the shrimps, we went to CP's chicken slaughter house. Thankfully it was a quick ride from our hotel to the slaughter house and shrimp farm. With my previous encounter in KL where I learnt of how chickens were slaughtered the “old-fashioned way”, it was with a heavy heart when I left for the farm, not knowing what to expect. But thankfully, we arrived at yet another integrated farm, of which we were briefed of the life of "the Happy Chicken", from hatching to shackling. We were assured of CPF's humane and efficient practices, from the Feed mill, Hatchery, Farms to the processing plant. Every procedure was well-organised and closely monitored to ensure the efficiency of their company, where even simple steps such as the sending of chickens from farm to plant are tracked with the use of latest onboard GPS systems in the delivery trucks.

On a tour around the processing and further processing plant, we also got to see the entire process, from livestock to final packaged product. Surprisingly, the tour lasted a short span of only a few hours. This goes to show that the processed products are handled very efficiently, with automated systems in place, to minimize human contact, ensuring that the products that are sold are sterile and fit for consumption.

After the quick tour, our hungry stomachs were treated to a scrumptious lunch, specially prepared by the CPF Main kitchen brigade chefs, whom are also actively involved in the Thai Chefs Association. Utilizing mainly CP chicken products, we tucked ourselves in to finger-licking goodness, with dishes using products like the roasted chicken breast steak and the spicy fried half cut middle wings. The dishes were tasty and well presented, highlighting the freshness and quality of CP Chicken high tech farming & processing techniques with every course served.

Following our lunch, it was time that we had to head back to the airport… Despite being only a short three-day tour, we had a packed itinerary full of learning and mouth-watering experiences. It was an honour to visit CP Food farms and processing plants together with the seniors of the Singapore Chefs Association, and Celebrity Chef Forest Leong, who is also the ambassador for CP in Singapore, to learn about its brand, products, and processes.

With this short trip to CPF’s farms and processing plants which was a one-of-a-kind learning experience, we carried along with us a better knowledge of Charoen Pokphand Foods, the CP brand and its products, and how stringent it is in its quality control. I now look at CP with a different light and understanding.

By Belinda Ng, Singapore Junior Chefs' Club

CNY Greetings

2010-02-09T15:17:00.001+08:00

French Wine and Dine dinner

2010-01-11T17:31:00.001+08:00

The French Wine and Dine dinner organized by Sopexa recently at GourmetPlus was a delightful and enjoyable one. This dinner was held in conjunction with the Concours Cuisine 2009, a friendly culinary competition between junior chefs like me, focusing on French cuisine and techniques. Being my first ever competition, was really an eye opener for me. All the nerves and adrenaline at the final day was amazing yet scary at the same time. Up until the time when the last dish came out, a sigh of relief was a common thing that everyone faced. The dishes that were prepared were judge by a distinguished panel of chefs as well as industry related people. Because of the competition, I get to meet many myriad of trainees as well as chefs that are passionate about what they are cooking and presenting, they gave us, aspiring chefs, many advice on how we could improve our dish and also motivating words. This platform would not have been possible for me if not for Sopexa’s organization for the competition.

I was really excited when I heard from them that they are organizing a follow up dinner with the competitors as well as some of the judges and members of the Singapore Junior Chefs’ Club. When we arrive at GourmetPlus, we found the place very cozy and homey. There were many products from France around, like their red wine vinegar and what really surprises me was that the place even had a wine cellar of their own. It really exudes a very homey and comforting French bistro kind of feeling, where people would come here after a long day for a nice hearty meal and get together with friends. It was definitely a right place for the gathering!

Once we sat down, we were served some Cremant and home made gravelax on blinis orange and dill sauce. It was like small pancakes with smoked salmon on top, accompanied with dill sauce. The taste of the salmon together with the dill sauce merged so well together with the taste of the chives and the soft yet surprisingly fluffy blinis. It truly was a delightful way to start of the evening together with the Cremant d’Alsace.

Shortly after, Chef Mus gave us a short summary on French Cuisine and how it has evolved from Classical French to Nouvelle French and till Modern French cuisine, the differences and the people behind this food evolution, such as Paul Bocuse and Auguste Escoffier. I was really interesting getting to learn about the rich history of French cuisine and the many part of France that has different ways of doing different dishes and the history that goes behind those dishes and up till this day, these many dishes are still being served and in many different forms due to different intepretations by many different chefs but using almost the same classical techniques.

While we were enjoying our wine and blinis, we also had a talk on wine and the art of wine appreciation by Ms Jenny Tan, a wine journalist. It was like a 101 on how to drink and appreciate wines. For example the steps on appreciating it like swirling the wine globe so that the flavor of the wine would come out and how to coat your palate with the wine, which is to make sure that you can actually get to taste the actual flavor of the wine. She was also talking about wine from France, particularly wine from Alsace. We were also taught the importance of wine pairing. Like how wine could actually affect the way food tasted. It made us realize how important wine is in the culinary world and it is something that we have to take note of when we are creating a dish that has wine in it or when we want to pair a dish with wine. It is definitely not something to be overlooked.

We had wine that was made in France served to us and we also got to know a little history of the wine. That really gave us a much better appreciation of the things that we were drinking. While drinking, we were served our second course of Light Lobster Bisque, saffron emulsion tortellini of blue prawn. The first mouth full of the bisque was simply wonderful. It was really very flavorful and rich. All of us on the table shared the same thought as well. It had that rich lobster taste that really stayed in your mouth together with the tortellini, it was a perfect match. Coincidentally I was thinking to myself “that were the same ingredients I used in my competition and he actually created something so soulful from his own repertoire.”

The third course was Pan seared Cod Fish Carrot and Cardamom Emulsion and Tempura of Enoki mushroom. The cod fish was really well cook and went well the emulsion that it was sitting on. Chef Jean Rene’s cod fish dish had an absolute balance that would leave you craving for more.

After the cod fish was served, we were served with French Duck Breast Glazed with Honey and Raz El Hanout and Thyme Sauce together with a French red wine. The duck breast was really juicy and I really enjoyed the skin that was on top of the duck. It was crisp and sweet. And the best part was that the red wine really brought out the flavor of the duck.

To round the whole meal off, we had Home made Nougat Ice cream with Raspberry coulis. Wow, the difference between home made ice cream and factory made ice cream is really apparent. There was a crunch in every bite of the nougat ice cream, with loads of nuts and nougat in it. My sweet tooth could not resist finishing up the whole plate.

This was definitely a night that started and ended great. With soulful French food, wonderful French wine and delightful companies, what more can anyone ask for?

By Poh Lay Hwee, candidate of the Concours Cuisine 2009, and member of the Singapore Junior Chefs' Club

2010-01-08T17:47:00.000+08:00

Time flies, and another new year is about to unfold…

As 2009 comes to a close, I would first like to wish all a year of many happy new beginnings. This year, saw SJCC through its Fifth Anniversary, of which we tried new things as we learnt together, with activities such as the Junior Chefs’ Forum, and visits to new unexplored places, namely Myco Farm, as well as Indoguna. The Singapore Junior Chef's Club were also entrusted with new responsibilities such as running the show for the Dinner and Dance, and these of course enabled us to learn under the guidance of the seniors.

In the coming year, the Singapore Junior Chefs' Club will continue to strive and we hope to bring more interesting and new activities to our members and juniors.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, including all chefs who have guided us along the way, all members for their support and participation in our activities, the advisors and the liaison officers who have helped in every way (from recruitment to taking care of the members needs during our trips and activities). Of course, not forgetting the committee who have taken time off, and for their commitment in the club, ensuring that all events and activities run smoothly. These would not have been made possible, if not for everyone’s efforts and participation.

I believe together we could create more magic, in 2010.

Before I sign off, I would once again like to wish all members and our committee a year of continual learning. May you find joy and happiness, thus succeeding in all your endeavours!

With best Culinary Spirits,

Belinda Ng
Vice President
Singapore Junior Chefs' Club the youth arm of Singapore Chefs Association

Vice Chairman Message - Gary

2010-01-04T12:23:00.004+08:00

To all our young and aspiring chefs wannabes, a Happy New Year to all of you. I hope that the year of 2009 had been a fruitful one for you and that 2010 will be a better one.

A new year marks a new start for all of us in the culinary journey. We saw many of our young chefs competing in competitions throughout the whole of last year like the Nestle competition, Tabasco competition, USA Turkey competition, Norwegian Salmon competition and many more.

This year, we will also get to see more of these competitions and an exceptional one, which is the Food Hotel Asia 2010. I am sure that most of you will be taking part in different categories of the event and I wish you all the best and hope that you will do your organization proud and do Singapore proud. For those who are not taking part, I hope that you will be able to attend the event and support the team of chefs from Singapore and give them the fullest support. It will also be a good platform for those of you who want to compete in future competitions.

Lastly I wish you all the best in all your culinary adventures and challenges. Once again Happy New Year to all of you, the future chefs of Singapore.

Best Culinary Spirits
Gary Lim
Vice Chairman
Singapore Junior Chefs' Club the youth arm of Singapore Chefs Association

French Wine and Dine

2009-12-30T23:37:00.000+08:00

Dear culinarians,

Please see attached poster for the French Wine and Dine event that would be coming up. Hurry and send your answers to your respective Liaison Officers, to stand a chance to win yourself a seat.

The event is jointly brought to you by SOPEXA and the Singapore Junior Chefs Club.

2009 DnD

2009-12-12T11:14:00.001+08:00

Please RSVP with your respective Institution LOs by 17 December 2009

Shatec Institutes: Chef Adrain Fun

TP Baking & Culinary Science: Chef Gary

Temasek Culinary Academy: Chef Lilian

ITE: Chef Edwin

Had enough of your Tabasco Fix?

2009-12-03T13:52:00.008+08:00

"Who ever gets enough of Tabasco?"

Dear fellow culinarian,
Its been a few months since the Tabasco HotChef Competition, and still a long while before the next.

Well, I came across this little article, and thought I should share it with you and work on it on my next available off day... (:

If you are keen in doing your own little Tabasco terrarium, please visit: http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/tabasco-bottle-terrarium.htm
Disclaimer: Please note that the link and contents of the website does not belong to SJCC and it is not an official or recognised site of SJCC.

Have fun, and till next time! If any of you would like to share with us what you have done, please feel free to contact or email us.

D&D'09 teaser

2009-11-29T01:20:00.011+08:00

"Killer, Diller, Chiller,Thriller here tonight..."

Something BIG is coming to you soon this 21 December 2009

International Chef Day 2009 and SCA Family Day

2009-10-30T14:07:00.003+08:00

The International Chefs Day has been marked as a special occasion by culinarians to salute the profession and create awareness of the profession of being a chef.

It has been a tradition since 2004, of which the Singapore Chefs would get together to do something meaningful. This year, it was exceptionally meaningful that The International Chefs Day was held in conjuncture with the SCA Family Day, at Vanilla Pod Restaurant and Bar. It was a fun-filled evening with food and activities lined up for the young and old alike.

Allowing the chefs and their families to get together, bonding them closer within their families, and in appreciation of the family’s support to their profession.

There were games for the children, stage activities to involve the families, and food for all. But as all this was taking place, two other teams of chefs were keeping themselves just as busy.

The Singapore Chefs’ Association, National Team was waiting to serve diners, from the public for the first time to raise funds for ChildAid, a charity concert that supports the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and the Business Times Budding Artists Fund. The team (which came in fourth position out of 22 countries at the Culinary Olympics in Germany last year) will be whipping up an exclusive 5-course dinner*, paired with exquisite wines, thanks to the various sponsors from food and wine distributors.

We would also like to applaud the team of young chefs from various institutions and their mentors, who kindly came forward to assist with the 200kg Steer roasting. Working around the clock for 2 full days in an open space outside the restaurant, the teams came in shifts to ensure that everyone could enjoy their meal throughout the night. The experiences learnt during the steer roasting provided LIVE lessons for the mentor and the students such as learning about different parts of the beef and of temperature control etc….

INAUGURAL SUCCESS FOR SINGAPORE YOUNG CHEF GAMES 2009

2009-10-13T01:36:00.001+08:00

INAUGURAL SUCCESS FOR SINGAPORE YOUNG CHEF GAMES 2009
BY NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD EXPORT COUNCIL

The grand final of the Singapore Young Chef Games 2009 by Norwegian Seafood Export Council came to a successful end on Saturday, 3 October at the Temasek Culinary Academy. The event provided a platform for the young aspiring chefs in Singapore to showcase their budding talent and skill as eight teams (each comprising of two students) from various institutions including Institute of Technical Education Singapore, Temasek Culinary Academy and Shatec Institutes came up with innovative and nutritious dishes using Norwegian salmon as the main ingredient and incorporating elements of the different continental cuisine allocated to them, such as African, Asian and Australasian cuisine – inspired by the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore next year.

The competition rounded up a series of seminars on Norwegian salmon conducted at the three culinary institutes aiming to deepen the product knowledge about Norwegian salmon along with its proper handling techniques among the students as well as its nutritional value and versatility.

Rosella from Shatec Institutes emerged as the proud champions of the competition, with members Creasperson A Carlos and Melissa Liew Sau Mei successfully pulling off ambitious dishes that reflected their maturity in executing sophisticated techniques such as sous vide, home-smoking and charcoal-grilling, etc. The crowd was visibly moved by the winning team’s achievements as many were caught wiping a tear away as the all-female team collected their well-deserved award – an all expense paid 5D4N trip to World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. When asked about her thoughts on winning, Carlos shared “I’m truly shocked and happy. I couldn’t hold back my tears because to be honest, we didn’t think we’ll win. We were given one of the hardest continents and we had to get some of our ingredients from Africa to make sure that our dishes were authentic”.

First runner-up Temasek Torques, consisting of members Sean Lim Xin Hong and Aletheia Heah Shu Qing and second runner-up Temasek Commis, consisting of members Calvin Tan Qian Heng and Piak Jia Ying from Temasek Culinary Academy performed commendably as well. They won cash prize of S$500 and S$300 respectively.

Chief Judge Chef Rick Stephen, Executive Chef of Singapore Airport Terminal Services and member of Singapore Chefs Association, was happy with the performance of all the teams in the competition. He did, however, mention that it would be beneficial for the young chefs to have more practice working with a delicate ingredient like Norwegian salmon. The filleting class held prior to the competition by Chef Karl Dobler, campaign ambassador for ‘Norwegian Salmon – Mega Tasty’ and one of the judges, proved to be extremely important as the students learnt invaluable skills on how to handle delicate fish such as Norwegian salmon which will be useful in their future culinary careers.

The other judges, namely Chef Jimmy Chok, Executive Chef of The Academy Bistro, Mr Todd Farr, Assistant Director of Projects from Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd, Leow Sooi Mee, dietician and nutrition consultant and Mika Tomiyama, Regional Manager South East Asia of Norwegian Seafood Export Council were all impressed by the overall performance of the young chefs. In particular, Farr shared that he found the passion displayed by the young chefs during the competition especially inspiring.

Other distinguished guests that graced the event include Norwegian Ambassador Her Excellency Janne Julsrud and Chef John Sloane, Continental Director Asia of the World Association of Chefs Societies.

Overall, the competition proved to be a tremendous success and it was indeed inspiring to witness the passion and dedication of the young chefs at the competition.

http://www.asiacuisine.com/

Junior Team Competition in Dubai

2009-10-08T11:58:00.003+08:00

Junior Team Competition in Dubai

An Invite from the UAE Culinary Guild for

The Emirates Salon Culinaire 2010 (Junior Culinary Teams)

From the desk of Alen Thong

Coordinator - The Emirates Culinary Guild
Director - The Emirates Salon Culinaire

Please accept this as our invitation for your junior culinary team to participate in our Golden Coffee Pot Junior Challenge at our 2010 salon culinaire.

We are expecting c. 1,500 entries to the salon and we have engaged the services of 20 international judges to take care of all adjudication matters.

Entry to the Junior Challenge - the details of which are attached - is by invitation only.

As we are restricted to inviting just eight teams we would be most grateful for your soonest indication of your initial reaction to our invitation.

For details, please download the document

Teams that are interested to join, please contact Jasper at sjcc_jasperjek@yahoo.com

http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/singchefs/

SJCC Forum 2009 writeup

2009-09-09T11:30:00.005+08:00

Need advice on your career path? Is being a Chef what you really want to be? What better way than to attend a forum by renowned guest speakers Chef Eric Teo, President of SCA, and Chef Sam Leong, Director of Kitchens of Tung Lok Group.

On 29 August, 60 SJCC members were privileged to have the opportunity to attend such a forum at Shatec Institutes organised by Singapore Junior Chefs Club. Chef Eric Teo started the forum with a presentation entitled “Are you sure you want to be a CHEF”. Members were inspired and entertained by the ever humorous Chef. Chef Eric Teo shared about his journey from a young boy into what he is today now, and the little steps young chefs should take to become an established Chef.
In the second half of the forum, Chef Sam Leong whipped up 3 of his signature dishes whilst sharing his experiences in his culinary work life. Members got to taste signature Coffee Pork Ribs, Black Pepper Crabs and Slow Cook Red Garoupa in Porridge-Barley. Throughout the demonstration, members were ready to ask questions about his food and his work. Chef Sam Leong was also happy to give away 8 of his cookbooks to a few lucky members.

The Forum ended with a coffee break reception courtesy of Shatec Institutes. SJCC would like to thank Chef Eric Teo, Chef Sam Leong, and Shatec Institutes for making the forum a success.

Programme Schedule for Bill Gallagher Junior Chefs Forum 2010

2009-09-08T23:41:00.003+08:00

Programme Schedule for
Bill Gallagher Junior Chefs Forum 2010

Click here to download Programme Schedule

Singapore Young Chef Games Poster

2009-09-08T21:50:00.000+08:00

For more details, please download registration form with details:

http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/singchefs/main/documents/Sing-Young-Chef-Games-09.pdf

Singapore Junior Chefs Forum 2009

2009-08-17T23:37:00.004+08:00

Singapore Junior Chefs Forum 2009

Singapore Junior Chefs Forum will be a fun and spontaneous educational forum which allows members to gain in depth knowledge of subjects pertaining to their culinary career. Members can expect to interact and listen to Chefs and their culinary journeys, be amazed by culinary demonstrations, whilst getting to know more likeminded young aspiring budding chefs.

* Registration with respective institution's Liaison Officers strictly required. We regret to inform that members who fail to register with their LOs may be turned away.

TCA: Chef Lilian Lim TAS: Derrick Lau SHA: Chef Matthew Yim ITE: Chef Edwin Tan BCS: Chef Gary Lim at-sunrice: email sjcc_jasperjek@yahoo.com

Tabasco AsiaCuisine writeup

2009-08-03T00:24:00.004+08:00

AsiaCuisine Feature Story

A Really Hot Experience!

While attending this year’s SJCC Tabasco HoTChef Team Challenge 2009 which was held at ITE College West’s Clementi Campus last Saturday, I found a handful of similarities throughout the whole event. But before I go into any details about these similarities, I shall begin with all the formalities with regards to this year’s competition. Jointly organised annually by Tabasco and the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC), this culinary competition is meant for the members of the club who are also the current students of a culinary institution. This year, eight teams of three members each competed to be the victor and also the chance to travel to Hong Kong to represent Singapore in the Battle of the Hottest Chefs competition to be held in the later part of this year. Students from three institutions took part – Shatec Institutes, Temasek Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

To judge this year’s competition, the organisers brought in a panel of esteemed adjudicators comprising the who’s who of the culinary scene of Singapore. Chef Otto Weibel, president mentor of Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) acted as the head judge and he was joined in the judging panel by the vice president of SCA, Chef Edmund Toh, Mr Kan Cheong (regional director of Tabasco), Chef David Box (director of culinary operations and food & beverage of Resorts World Sentosa) and Chef Randy Chow (executive chef of Mount Elizabeth Hospital). When asked to comment on this year’s competition, Chef Weibel said before giving out the prizes to the winners, “The quality of the winners this year is very high and I’m glad to say that we’re able to see improvements every year. Obviously, they are also the not-so-good ones but I believe the efforts put in by these students today are commendable.” Cheong, speaking on behalf of Tabasco, told the audience who attended the event, “Tabasco is always happy to sponsor such event because we want to give the students an opportunity to shine, to give them the exposure needed.”

Now back to the similarities that I mentioned earlier on, well, the obvious would be the fact that all dishes created by the students for the competition must include Tabasco as an ingredient. It does not matter which variety of Tabasco the students use for each dish; what’s more important is the fact that the Tabasco flavour is an accompaniment to the dish, not overpowering the other elements of the dishes. The students had to prepare six amuse bouche (2 meats, 2 seafood, 1 vegetarian and 1 dessert) for the competition. In total, they were told to create ten items from each category – five for the judges to taste while another five to be displayed. Marks were given for their mise-en-place, hygiene, composition, creativity, presentation, practicality, taste and table display. Besides the top three winners, teams who were adjudged the best in hygiene and presentation were also awarded accordingly.

The next similarity, (gasp!), all the top three winning teams for this year’s competition came from one culinary institution – Temasek Polytechnic. The 2nd runner-up of the competition was S.A.Y. Temasek (Tay Yu Wei, Yeo Yong Wei and Nur Shahidah Abdul Samad), the 1st runner-up was The Junior Legend (Edmund Lim Kai Wai, Jeremy Chang Chi Lin and Corinne Chung Ke Wen) and the culinary crown for this year went to the trio of Aletheia Heah, Ong Hui Xin and Sean Lim Xin Hong who made up Temasek Torques. The three of them will fly off to Hong Kong sometime this year to compete at the Battle of the Hottest Chefs competition against the winning team from Hong Kong. And here at Asiacuisine.com, we’re wishing them the very best and do bring back the trophy!

And one final similarity before I end this week’s feature story; but before I mention what it is, Chef Weibel had this to say, “Some of the competitors this year could give some professional chefs a run for their money. The level of culinary knowledge and techniques they’ve shown is just spectacular. I’m amazed by the amount of passion, dedication and creativity they’re showing.” Well, just how amazing the top three winners are? Ladies and gentlemen, even though these students are still pursuing their education in their respective culinary competition, they’re already so adept in molecular gastronomy. All three winning teams incorporated elements of avant garde cuisine in their creations. From spherification to espuma to sous vide, the three teams never failed to impress and this is what set them apart from their fellow competitors. And as Cheong said, this competition really has enabled the students to shine indeed!

http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/

Facebook

2009-07-29T05:00:00.006+08:00

SJCC is now on Facebook

Join us now: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95979262167

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2009 results

2009-07-28T12:09:00.002+08:00

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2009

proudly sponspored by Tabasco

I'm pleased to announce the results of the competition:

Champion: Temasek Torques (Temasek Culinary Academy)

Aletheia Hia, Ong Hui Xin, Sean Lim

1st Runner Up: The Junior Legend (Temasek Applied Science School)

Edmund Lim, Jeremy Chang, Corinne Chung

2nd Runner Up: S.A.Y Temasek (Temasek Applied Science School)

Tay Yu Wei, Yeo Yong Wei, Nur Shahidah Binte Abdul Samad

Best Display: Temasek Torques (Temasek Culinary Academy)

Aletheia Hia, Ong Hui Xin, Sean Lim

Best Hygiene: Tpasco (Temasek Culinary Academy)

Sam Yi Lin, Benedict Yong, Heng Wei Lai

Congratulations to all the winners!

WOTM: Itsmakantime blog

2009-07-08T01:30:00.005+08:00

Website of the Month: Its Makan Times Blog

Being a Chef isn't just pursuing cuisines that is eurocentric. A Singapore chef should also be knowledgeable of the local cuisine here. When abroad, he wouldn't feel apprehensive to share with other Chefs about the culture and food of where he is from.

Itsmakantime blog shares with you writeups from various newspaper sources all under one roof. You can find the Strait Times, Business Times and even Times UK food articles here. You need not have to flip the papers to read food articles anymore! You can find a wide range of articles varying from interviews with local and foreign established chefs, introduction to food blogs, reviews of the local restaurant scene, the latest food trend here and even the best wholesaler bargins. Although not all the articles are chef related, all are food related. Check out this infomative blog and you'll be immersed in the knowledge of food.

The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme 2009/2010

2009-07-02T00:29:00.005+08:00

The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme 2009/2010

In conjunction with the launch of The Miele Guide 2009/2010, two culinary scholarships—jointly sponsored by Miele and At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy—will be awarded to two deserving young talents from Asia through The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme. One will be awarded to a citizen or permanent resident of one of the Asian countries evaluated in the guide (with the exception of Singapore) and the other will be awarded to a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore. These culinary scholarships will help two young people from Asia reach their dreams of becoming world-class chefs. The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme was established last year to promote formal culinary education and encourage the continual growth and development of the F&B industry in Asia.

Organised and administered by Ate Media, The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme is jointly sponsored by Miele, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy (At-Sunrice) and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) this year. Applications for the two scholarships open on 1 July 2009 and will close on 31 August 2009. The results will be revealed at the official launch of The Miele Guide 2009/2010 on 30 September 2009. Scholarship recipients will attend the WSQ Diploma course in Culinary Arts (WSQ DCA) at At-Sunrice.

Application forms can be downloaded here. All applications must be submitted by 31 August 2009.

new background

2009-07-01T20:59:00.001+08:00

SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2009

2009-05-31T02:55:00.007+08:00

SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2009

You can now download the Competition Briefing Pack at the following link:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/1/2208157/HoTchef%20Team%20Challenge%202009%20Briefing%20Pack.zip

The following files can be found within the Briefing Pack:

1. SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2009 Rulebook

2. Application & Indemnity Form

3. Official Recipe Sheet

4. List of equipment provided by ITE College West (Clementi Campus) Training Kitchen

Application Requirements:
> Application & Indemnity Form must be Submitted together with Official Recipe Sheets.

> Please include your SJCC membership number beside your names in Application & Indemnity Form

> Recipes only to be Submitted on Official Recipe Sheets

> "Name of Team" must be filled with team name in the Header section of Official Recipe Sheets

Please check if you have fulfilled the above Application Requirements before submitting.

Applications that are incomplete may not be considered.

Please Email your applications to sjcc_xutianmu@yahoo.com

before 3 July 2009

Tabasco 2009 Teaser

2009-05-21T10:17:00.005+08:00

Are you ready for

coming your way in July 2009...

Winning team goes to Hongkong to compete in the

Battle of the Hottest Chef

Tabasco is a registered trademark; the Tabasco bottle design

and label designs are exclusive property of McIlhenny Company,

Avery Island, Louisiana, USA 70513. http://www.tabasco.com/

The History of Ice-Cream Revealed

2009-05-14T01:24:00.002+08:00

The History of Ice-Cream Revealed

I have always been curious about how food actually came about. I figured, all of you would have been curious the same way too, since we have all vowed to be in the Food and Beverage industry. Therefore, I have decided to do us all a favour and researched on one of the food items that no one can resist, Ice-Cream! So here we go.

According to legend, Marco Polo brought the secrets of ice cream with him from the Orient, together with other sundry savouries. Although there is some evidence that the Chinese indulged in iced drinks and desserts, which gives some weight to the Marco Polo theory, there isn’t any prove Chinese made Ice-Cream.

The Chinese did, however, teach Arab traders how to combine syrups and snow, to make an early version of the sherbet. Arab traders proceeded to show Venetians, then Romans, how to make this frozen delight. The Emperor Nero was quite fond of pureed fruit, sweetened with honey, and then mixed with snow--so much so that he had special cold rooms built underneath the imperial residence in order to store snow. In the 1500s, Catherine de Medici brought the concept of the sorbet to the French, who were soon to make a great improvement on it.

As you will have noted, the above are frozen desserts, not ice cream. That invention awaited the development of the custard, then the discovery that freezing it would create a delectable dessert. This notable event occurred in 1775 in France, and was shortly followed by the invention of an ice cream machine, which did a much better job of creating light and fluffy frozen custard than beating by hand could do.

Thomas Jefferson, who imitated Nero in having a special cold room for storing snow, provides us with the first recipe for ice cream found in the United States. Not to be outdone, George Washington invested in one of the ice cream machines.
Until 1851, ice cream (or, more frequently, cream ice) was solely made at home. But an intrepid man from Baltimore, named Jacob Fussell changed all that by opening the first ice cream factory.

Near the turn of the century, the ice cream soda was created, although by who seems to be in question--either James W. Tuff or Robert Green. It does seem to have been done by accident, however--a scoop of ice cream falling in a glass of flavoured soda water. At any rate, the drink became a national craze, and many a girl and boy went courting over an ice cream soda. So many, in fact, that many municipalities pass laws forbidding the sale of soda water on Sunday. Quickly afterwards, the 'sundae' was invented--it contained the ice cream, syrup, and whipped cream of the soda, but without the evil influence of soda water. Numerous variations existed.

The next ice cream craze was with the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis. Charles Menches was doing a lively business selling scoops of ice cream in dishes, all the way up to the point that he ran out of dishes. Frustrated, but determined to still find a way to make a profit, he lighted upon his friend Ernest Hamwi, who was selling a wafer-like cookie called Zalabia (a Syrian treat). The combination proved irresistible.

That is all I could share with all of you. And thanks to the people mentioned above, we now could simply enjoy Ben & Jerry’s and Gelare Waffles with Ice-Cream.

Yanti

Activities

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

Singapore Junior Chefs Take 2nd place at the First Asian Junior Chef Challenge

2009-04-24T23:44:00.004+08:00

Singapore Junior Chefs Take 2nd place at the

First Asian Junior Chef Challenge

At the recently concluded inaugural Junior Chefs Challenge which is part of the Indonesian Salon Culinaire held in Jakarta, a young junior team of aspiring chefs from Singapore emerge as first runners up, losing out only to the Malaysian team who took first place. Our boys, Elvin Chew, Xu Tian Mu and Terrence Chuah had been training under the watchful eyes of coach mentor Chef Tong Khoo, whom by himself is also an accolade laden competition veteran.

The team has been rehearsing for the last 3 months and being young means requiring a lot of energy on learning to be able to put everything together like a seasoned pro in order to be able to stand out as a top contender. The team was expected to crack a 3 course menu from a mystery box of ingredients within 2 hours. The suspense and time restrictions add on to the challenge of the event and it takes all the past rehearsals prior to the actual competition to see the boys through. While they have given their best shot during the competition, Chef Tony feels the team can still go much further with better team work and going through a few round more of such intense competitions to make them battle hardened to take on the pros in a few years time from now.

All over the experience gained for the juniors during this formative time of their career is invaluable and it helps them to prepare for the future challenges ahead. The team would like to express their appreciation to the organizing committee of the Salaon Culinaire Indonesia, the Association of Culinary Professionals for logistic assistance and hosting establishments for their hospitality.

Appetiser

Main Course

Dessert

Eric Low

Mushroom Farm

2009-04-23T00:13:00.006+08:00

MyCo Farm Visit

Shitake! Enoki! Shimeji! Oyster!

Much more mushrooms are appearing in the market these days. Are mushrooms here imported or grown locally? If they are grown here, how many farms does Singapore have and where are they located?

Recently, the Singapore Junior Chefs Club had the privilege to visit MyCo Farm, a mushroom farm which houses more than 10 varieties of mushrooms.

17 members from SJCC were excited to have a tour at the mushroom farm near Jalan kayu. "When I first saw the farm, I thought to myself it doesn't look huge, but when we went inside I saw around 12 wooden houses for individual mushroom species and each wooden house could be used for a bedroom plus a living room enough to put up a television and sofa!", commented a member.

We were briefed that mushrooms require a certain temperature in order to grow well, mostly 18 degrees celsius and below.

The mushrooms there are well taken care of and professionally groomed. Never in my life have I ate mushrooms raw but I did it. Fresh mushrooms have health benefits and they have an even better quality than imported mushrooms.

Towards the end of the tour, we were given a mushroom cooking demo by the friendly staff there. The taste is just so pure when it is only sauteed with olive oil, garlic and seasoned with pinch of salt. Simply delicious! MyCo Farm also produces their own brand of frozen mushroom soup, a variety of mushroom products (eg. cookbooks and mushroom guidebooks) and fresh mushrooms for sale. The trip gave me a clearer understanding on how mushrooms are grown.

With Culinary Spirits

Athejo Chia

Memberships

SJCC Committee

WA OceanaFest Experience

2009-04-10T01:13:00.004+08:00

WA OceanaFest Experience

Hi, all Culinarians

I’m Tianmu. Previously a Shatec student, now I’m part of the SJCC committee under Memberships.

About a month ago, Elvin Chew and I managed to win the Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009. For the winners, we were given the opportunity to assist the National Team for their WA Oceanfest culinary competition in Perth.

For this trip, it was a very good learning experience. The National Team consists of Captain Douglas Tay (Sous Chef, Equinox Complex, Fairmont Hotel Singapore), and members Jeffery Siew (Executive Sous Chef, Marina Mandarin Singapore), Kong Kok Kiang (Senior Sous Chef, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel), Nicole Wong (Pastry Chef, Swissotel The Stamford, Fairmont Hotel Singapore) and Yew Eng Tong (Sous Chef, The Cannery).

During the preparation, I was allocated to assist Chef Nicole with the Desserts. Working with her, I came to understand how tough it is to prepare dessert for competition. Her chocolate is really fine and unique.

For the results, Singapore was awarded Gold. The Overall Champion went to Hong Kong.

Elvin and I would like to thank the sponsor: Nestle Professional for creating this opportunity for us learn from the National Team

Best Culinary Spirits

Xu Tianmu

Chairman's Message

2009-03-06T03:35:00.002+08:00

Chairman’s Message

Welcome to the Singapore Junior Chefs’ Club website! To those who are visiting this site for the first time, a very warm welcome to our family of fine young chefs.

Another year has passed and a new one has already begun. Let us all work together to make this year of the Ox even better!

The Club is celebrating its 5th Anniversary and the committee has planned out many interesting events for its members this year. Spearheading the year would be the Nestle Challenge which was a success in February. There’ll be edu-trips, culinary workshops and forums just to name a few.

Yes, the year of the Ox is destined to be a tough and challenging year for us all. Worry will not get us anywhere nor solve any problems. We must provide the solutions ourselves.

I am proud to be born in the year of the Ox. . The Oxen has a gentle yet steadfast character. Like the ox, we must emulate its steadfast and gentle personality: We must be steadfast in our goals, take on any challenges set before us head-on, and yet be gentle to the people and environment around us.

In this volatile economy, nothing is certain, except for one thing: Life must go on.
It’s not going to be easy, we’re all in for a rough ride. Hang on. Mooooooo! (Cheers!)

Your fellow culinary conductor in the kitchen

CHEF IGNATIUS LEONG
Chairman 2009
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

SCA -Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009

2009-02-25T01:05:00.005+08:00

SCA -Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009

The first SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition, jointly organised by Singapore Chefs Association and Singapore Junior Chefs Club was held on 18th February 2009 at the Temasek Culinary Academy. The event that was proudly sponsored by Nestle Professional brought many young budding chefs, aged 25 and below, from various culinary institutes and even from the industry together.

The sole purpose of the competition is to develop a creative menu using the newly launched concentrated seasonings from Nestle, which are the Chef’s Secret and MAGGI Mild Salsa Sauce. Chef’s Secret is created with the passion from some of the world’s best chefs along with the latest development in sensorial technology. The result— an all-purpose seasoning powder that is balanced, versatile and concentrated. Versatile and convenient to use, Chef’s Secret can be applied to most cooking methods including frying, steaming, boiling, stewing and marinating. It can also be applied to vegetarian dishes. What was most challenging, yet exciting for the competitors is that seasonings with sodium content such as salt and soy sauce are strictly not allowed to be used for the competition.

The competition that lasted for hours, with each team given 2 hours to prepare their dishes, was filled with so much passion and adrenaline rush. Each team had portrayed their own unique cooking technique and style for their own creations. Even though the chefs were busy at work, the whole kitchen was relatively clean as almost all the teams were vying to get the Best Hygiene Award.

Finally, the prize presentation ceremony came. Best Hygiene Award was awarded to Team Tulashi from At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy. The 2nd Runner Up Award was awarded to Simply B.ales from Temasek Polytechnic and the 1st Runner Up Award was awarded to SATS Junior Team. Lastly, came the presentation of the Award for the Champion of SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition and the award went to Team SJCC. Team SJCC was awarded the Champion trophy, together with paid air ticket and 5 nights free accommodation for 2, to participate in the Oceanafest Salon Olympia Culinaire 2009, Perth with the Singapore Culinary National Team.
SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition 2009 was a great success! Congratulations to all and Good Job!

Winning team Team SJCC together with WA Oceanafest National Culinary Team

The Origins of Yu Sheng

2009-02-01T01:47:00.004+08:00

The Origins of Yu Sheng

Yu Sheng is the first thing that comes to mind for many Singaporeans & it is a must have for every Chinese New Year. Traditionally, raw mackerel was used in Yu Sheng, but as salmon became popular, salmon was used as a replacement. Customarily, Yu Sheng is consumed on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, however nowadays; many people eat it during any of the days during the festival.

It was created in 1964 by by master chef Than Mui Kai, who was named along with Lau Yoke Pui, Hooi Kok Wai and Sin Leong as one of the Four Heavenly Culinary Kings of Singapore. Yu Sheng we know today originated from a raw fish dish served with porridge in China, but Chef Than Mui Kai made it a dish that has spread throughout Asia and is now a tradition practiced by many in Singapore and Malaysia. Yu Sheng’s unique taste comes from a mix that uses plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, which is then drizzled on raw fish, shredded carrots, chilli, turnips, limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges, crackers and other ingredients, which may reach an outstanding total of 27 ingredients. While adding the ingredients, one is to say positive statements, which match the flavour of the ingredient used.

In Mandarin, Yu Sheng directly translates to"raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" has the same tone as “abundance (余)”, Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as (余升) meaning to increase in abundance. Hence, it is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigour.

The act of tossing the Yu Sheng salad is called Lo Hei, meaning to toss in Cantonese. While tossing the salad, one is to say auspicious sentences or their wishes for the New Year. It is believed the higher the toss, the more luck one will obtain.

With Culinary Spirits,
Sam Yilin

SCA - Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition

2009-01-21T05:37:00.003+08:00

SCA - Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition

Please note that the date has been changed to 18 Feb 2009, Wednesday and will be held at Temasek Culinary Academy.

Deadline for applications remains on 1 Feb 2009

SCA Lo-Hei 2009

2009-01-19T01:18:00.008+08:00

Invitation to Annual AGM cum "Lo Hei" Dinner

Dear Member,

It is with great pleasure and anticipation that the Singapore Chefs Association extends its Invitation to you, for our Annual AGM cum Lo Hei Dinner!

$10.00 registration fee for the dinner will be waived to the first 160 members that attend the annual general meeting and on top of it all, each attendee will also receive a customize unique personal pair of chopstick to ensure a year of abundance ahead! Refreshments will be served at the same time.

For members who attend the dinner only, are required to pay a registration fee of $10.

Venue: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Date: Sunday 1 February 2009

Time: 4pm AGM thereafter followed by Dinner (Galleria Ballroom)

Attire: Traditional Auspicious Colour

RSVP* with your respective Institution's L.O. now
Temaksek Culinary Academy - Chef Eileen Phua

SHATEC Institutes - Chef Matthew Yim

ITE - Chef Edwin Phua

Members from At-Sunrice Globalchefs Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their Name and Membership No. to sjcc_ngbelinda@yahoo.com to RSVP*

Closing date of registration is 28 January 2009

We regret to inform that members who fail to RSVP will be turned away

Nestle Challenge Folder

2009-01-06T02:56:00.008+08:00

Nestle Professional Challenge 2009

You can now download the Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Folder at the following link:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/1/2208157/Nestle%20Professional%20Challenge.zip

The following files can be found within the folder:
1. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Rulebook
2. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Application and Indemnity Form
3. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Official Recipe Sheets
4. List of equipments supplied by ITE College West (Clementi) Training Kitchen
5. Photos of equipment supplied

Application Requirements:
> Application & Indemnity Form must be submitted together with Official Recipe Sheets.
> Please include SJCC membership number beside your names in Application & Indemnity Form
> Recipes are ONLY to be submitted on Official Recipes Sheets
> “Name of Team” must be filled with team name in the Header section of Official Recipe Sheets

Please check if you have fulfilled the above Application Requirements before submitting. Applications that are incomplete may not be considered.

Applications can be submitted to the following Liaison Officers:
ITE - Chef Edwin Phua
Temasek Culinary Academy- Chef Eileen Phua
SHATEC Institutes - Chef Ong Peh Ti

Members from At-Sunrice Global Chefs Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their application submissions to Chef Edwin Phua at Edwin_Phua@ite.edu.sg

Deadline for submission is 1 February 2009

NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009 rulebook

2008-12-02T12:02:00.005+08:00

NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009

Click here to download NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009 Rulebook!

Website of the Month

2008-11-30T00:42:00.009+08:00

Website of the Month: WACS Junior Chef Blog

Ever wonder if there’s more to our culinary family than SCA. Welcome to the family of WACS! The World Association of Chefs Societies, the global authority on food, is a global network of chefs associations with 72 chefs associations around the world under it. The organisation was founded in 1928 in Paris, with the venerable August Escoffier being its first Honorary President. More details on WACS can be found on http://www.wacs2000.org/

What I would really like to introduce to you today is the junior section of WACS. The WACS Junior Blog was set up to keep junior chefs, like you and me, informed of the latest happenings of junior chefs clubs around the world. Other news such as junior chefs competitions and scholarships can also be found on the blog. A MUST Bookmark website for all Junior Chefs… http://wacsjunior.blogspot.com/

Edwin Phua's Message

2008-11-26T23:12:00.002+08:00

Hi to all Culinarians,

I’m Edwin, the Liaison Officer for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). I’m currently with ITE Collage West, holding the designation as the Section Head Chef in Culinary Skills Department.

It has been a few weeks since the national culinary team has returned victoriously after a fulfilling trip from Germany. The team was there for the International Exhibition of Culinary Art (IKA), also known as the Culinary Olympics IKA. This event most likely is the most important event for chefs from all over the world. The national team had in total won triumphantly 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Gold with distinction-pastry category medals. This fruitful and enjoyable experience is certainly worth reminiscing for life.

The national team was led by Captain Yen Koh, under mentorship by Chef Ivan Yeo (team coach) and Chef Jasmine Ng (team manager). The success was topped up by the great support from Chef Eric Teo and Chef Randy Chow from Singapore Chef Association.
For 9 months, the team had made a full dedication for training in hot cooking and cold table display. We have trained for many hours every week, every month, at the same time juggle between our work and busy training schedules. Although it is hectic during this period, the synergy and team spirit in us have motivated all of us to keep going; with greater assurance towards success that our efforts will eventually pay off, ensuring that the end products will be faultless.

Thank-you everyone for upholding the right spirit, common goal to maintain high standard and fantastic team work. Once again, all of us deserve a pat on our shoulder for doing our best and providing good results for this prestigious competition.

Culinary regards,

Edwin Phua

HoTchef 2008 Photos

2008-11-18T02:55:00.005+08:00

SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

Photos are now available for Download!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sjcchef/SJCCTabascoHoTchefChallenge2008 #

SCA Dinner & Dance 2008 Invitation

2008-11-13T12:20:00.006+08:00

A Chef's Life doesn't just consist of all work and no play...

Come mark your calendars and join us to Groove the night away

RSVP* with your respective Institution's L.O. now
Temaksek Culinary Academy - Chef Eileen Phua

SHATEC Institutes - Chef Ong Peh Ti

ITE Chef - Edwin Phua

Members from At-Sunrice Global Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their Name and Membership No. to sjcc_ngbelinda@yahoo.com to RSVP*

*We regret to inform that members who fail to RSVP will be turned away

SJCC HoTchef 2008 results

2008-11-10T00:33:00.008+08:00

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008 Results

I'm pleased to announce the results of HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

featuring

Battle of the Hottest Chef !

Champion

Battle of the Hottest Chef:

Singapore (SATS One With You)

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

Champion: SATS One With You

1st Runner Up: Team Temasek

2nd Runner Up: Hot Stuff

Best Hygiene: Team Temasek

Best Display: The Naked Chefs

Congratulations to all the winning teams

A BIG Thank You to Tabasco for supporting our Juniors

2008-11-04T03:02:00.011+08:00

4 MORE DAYS TO THE

HOTTEST

COMPETITION OF THE YEAR

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

2008-10-20T02:08:00.002+08:00

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

wishes all Members & Chefs

a Happy International Chefs Day

May you find a special meaning in this day!

International Chefs Day Singapore 2008

2008-10-20T01:51:00.003+08:00

International Chefs Day Singapore

International Chefs Day 2008 will be celebrated with a slight twist in Singapore – instead of going down to homes and cooking at old folks homes, the Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) has decided to hold a series of cooking classes at At-Sunrice. The guests: more than 100 children from Andrew & Grace Home, Northlight and Care Corner FSC Woodlands. “We wanted to share our skills with the under-privileged kids, and teach them that eating well may not be an expensive affair. With the right culinary skills, such as how to handle meats or cut vegetables the right way, they can be empowered to whip up a delicious, healthy meal at home anytime at a low cost,” said Eric Teo, president of SCA.

Held on 20 October, International Chefs Day will see chefs from SCA and junior chefs from the Singapore Junior Chefs Club leading four three-hour cooking classes. The program line-up will start with a spice tour upon the arrival of the young guests, followed by a chef demonstration and a hands-on session where the kids will be able to put into practice the dishes they’ve been taught. The day will end with a communal meal with the chefs. “It is our hope that we will be able to create an experience that will be memorable for the children. At the same time, we hope to be able to share with them a little more about the chef profession, and hopefully inspire some to join the future chefs’ generation,” said Teo

Source: http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/?id=1#chefnews

For more about ICD: http://wacs2000.org/icd/icd2008/

SCA Membership Card Privileges

2008-10-17T01:03:00.005+08:00

SCA Membership Card Privileges

Dear Members,

As a member of our esteemed association, the SCA Committee is continuously and tirelessly striving to bring privileges to all members. Attached are the lists of dining privileges exclusive to the members of the Singapore Chefs Association. The information on this list will be updated monthly so do check back regularly for more updates.Just flash your SCA membership card to enjoy the discounts and privileges.

Partnership Restaurants are :
Lawry’s The Prime Rib – 15% off total bill
Jack’s Place ( 15 outlets ) – 10% off a la carte food bill
Olio Dome ( 2 outlets) – 10% off total bill
Red House ( 2 outlets ) - 10% off a la carte bill
Lemongrass ( 3 outlets ) – 20% off total food bill
FoodXervices – Discount shopping
MOS Magazine Subscription – 20 – 28% discount

Check http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/singchefs/main/privileges.htm for more infomation.

SCA Invitation Gardenia Factory

2008-10-15T22:36:00.007+08:00

SCA Invitation Gardenia Factory

Dear Members,

EDUCATIONAL TOUR TO “GARDENIA FACTORY”

We wish to invite you to Gardenia Factory – with its slogan “so good… you can even eat it on its own”.

Gardenia first started as a small in-store bakery in 1978 at Bukit Timah Plaza producing variety bread with the help of experienced American baker, Horatio ‘Sye’ Slocumm, who had 35 years experience in the bakery business. Gardenia expanded extensively throughout the year into the neighbouring region such as Thailand, Malaysia, China, India and Philippines. Gardenia acquired Bonjour in 2001.

Gardenia uses the traditional American Sponge and Dough bread-making method to bake that soft-textured loaf with a tender crust and distinct taste. This unique method ensures that Gardenia's bread stays fresh longer and tastes so good you can even eat it on its own. Gardenia's Research & Development team constantly strives to come up with new products through a careful process of rigorous adaptation and trial with in-depth taste testing and feedback from the public.

Despite a competitive environment, Gardenia has remained the market leader till today. Currently, Gardenia has 33 varieties of freshly baked breads and buns that cater to every need.

Date
22 October 2008, Wednesday
Meeting Time
2.00pm sharp
Meeting Venue / Pick Up Point
Capitol Building (opposite City Hall Mrt)
Destination Venue
Gardenia Factory224 Pandan LoopSingapore 128411
Dress Code
Please dress comfortably

Itinerary
2.00pm Leave Capitol Building
2.50pm Arrive Gardenia Factory
3.00pm Start of Factory Tour
Welcome: Visitors will be introduced to the full range of Gardenia's products.
Video: Presentation on the bread-making process and the profile of Gardenia.
Tour: View the actual production process from an elevated walkway, and the
opportunity to catch a whiff of the heavenly aroma of Gardenia's freshly baked
bread.
Q&A: Our friendly staff is on hand to answer your queries.
Refreshments: Be treated to yummy Gardenia breads and buns
Shop: Buy home some exclusive Gardenia premiums or Gardenia products at special rates.
4.10pm Depart Factory for Capitol Building
6.00pm Arrive Capitol Building

If you are interested to join us on this educational tour, kindly RSVP with the attached form to:

Lynn Khor (Personal Assistant to Christophe Megel)
Tel : +65 6877 6981 or Email: lynn_khor@at-sunrice.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

REGISTRATION FORM
Attn: Lynn Khor (PA to Christophe Megel)
Tel : +65 6877 6981 / 9055 5713
Fax: +65 6336 9353
Email : lynn_khor@at-sunrice.com

Fax / Email Reservation
Name: ________________________
Membership No: ________________________
Company Name: ________________________
Contact No: ________________________
Email Address: ________________________

Yes, I would be attending the Educational Tour to ‘Gardenia Factory’.

_________________
Signature of Member
Date

Meeting Point at Capitol Building:Meeting point is marked with ‘B’ (in front of BreadTalk Outlet).

IKA 2008

2008-10-12T23:25:00.006+08:00

IKA / Olympiade der Köche 2008
Just today, a team of our very own Chefs, flew off to Erfurt, Germany to compete in the prestigious IKA/ Culinary Olympics Erfurt Germany 2008. Held once every 4 years, this competition demands the very best of Chefs from around the world and is considered the most important event in our field. The world's best Chefs and Pastry Chefs will gather in Erfurt to show their know-how and expertise in culinary arts.

Comparable to sports events the international exhibitions of Culinary Art are offering different disciplines such as teams, national or regional level, culinary or pastry, junior members (under 23 years) or individuals.National Teams have a two-part-assignment which consists of the Hot Kitchen and the Cold Platter Show. The Hot Kitchen, representing category R (= Restaurant) is usually covering the preparation of a three-course-menu – ambitious but practical – serving 110 covers in the "Restaurant of Nations".

The Cold Platter Show includes appetizers, main courses, complete menus, desserts, cakes and showpieces to be displayed on artfully draped tables in the exhibition hall. Being prepared hot (or cold) but displayed only cold the exhibits need to be covered with aspic. These four categories are internationally known:

• A for appetizers, show platters, fingerfood

• B for main courses, menus

• C for desserts, patisserie

• D for showpieces

To learn more about IKA, log on to http://www.olympiade-der-koeche.de/

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

wishes the

Singapore National Culinary Team

all its Best and may they bring Glory to our Country!!!

2008-09-17T04:06:00.005+08:00

You can now download the files for Tabasco HotChef Team Challenge 2008 at the following links:

Application & Indemnity form
Download Application & Indemnity 2008
or by copying and pasting the following link:
http://www.uploading.com/files/YAA8BDA0/Application_&_Indemnity_2008.DOC.html

Briefing Pack
Download HotChef Team Challenge Briefing Pack 2008
or by copying and pasting the following link:
http://www.uploading.com/files/A9QIRJV4/HotChef_Team_Challenge_Briefing_Pack_2008.pdf.html

Please do send in your entries to Jayson at sjcc_jaysonsee@yahoo.com.sg by the 2nd of October, to qualify to participate.

HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

2008-09-11T16:21:00.007+08:00

HoTchef Team Challenge 2008 Registration Opens

Registration Open

Email us Today for an Application Form

Win Sin Masters Bowling Tournament Invitation

2008-08-29T00:51:00.009+08:00

Dear Members,
The Singapore Chef’s Association would like to cordially invite members for a sports event.

WIN SIN MASTERS BOWLING TOURNAMENT
Proudly sponsored by Win Sin

The handicap score for men and women will be pegged at 15 and 25 respectively (except for the Top 10 from the last tournament, who will not have any handicap score).

You may just be the CHAMPION of the Year and walk away with the TOP PRIZE!

Prizes:
1st S$250 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
2nd S$150 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
3rd S$100 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
1st Turkey prize: S$100 SINS voucher

Details are as follows:-
Date : Sunday 31 August 2008
Time : 1:30pm – 5:00pm (Tournament starts at 2pm & Hi-tea will be served)
Venue : No. 2 Bukit Batok Ave 7 #03-01 Cdans Country Club Singapore 659003
@ Bukit Gombak MRT

Interested parties, please approach your respective institution's Liaison Officer to register ASAP

Our New Sponsor, City Gas Pte Ltd

2008-08-27T23:50:00.013+08:00

On behalf of Singapore Junior Chefs’ Club, the youth arm of the Singapore Chefs’ Association. It gives me great honour to receive this monetary sponsorship from City Gas Pte Ltd.

The SJCC, just like SCA, is a non-profitable organization that strongly believes in nurturing and inspiring young enthusiastic culinarians. It is our hope to help them in making their first move towards painting an international picture in the culinary scene with a new brush of style and colours.

Throughout the work-year, the SJCC plans enriching activities for its members, such as educational fieldtrips, seminars, forums, cooking demonstrations, wine and dine classes and culinary competitions. It is our hope that these events will help increases the interest and knowledge of our members.

However, such activities would not be possible without the generous support of our kind sponsors. It is only through sponsors like City Gas, who share a common interest of nurturing the future generation of Chefs, that we are able to turn our vision into reality.

On behalf of SJCC, I would like to thank City Gas once again for your generous support. And be rest assured that this contribution will be put into good use for the benefit of all our members. Together we can all make this possible. A Dream to be cooked! Thank you.

Eileen Phua
Chairperson

* Photo (from left to right): Chef Ignatius Leong (Vice Chairman), Mr Ng Yong Hwee (Director/ President & CEO of City Gas Pte Ltd), Chef Eileen Phua (Chairperson)

Ever wondered how Tofu was made?

2008-08-23T03:32:00.008+08:00

Ever wondered how Tofu was made?

The Singapore Junior Chef Club, together with a group of about 30 members visited the Unicurd factory of which we saw how Tofu was being made, on the morning of 21^st of August.

After a bus ride from Ang Moh Kio MRT Station, we arrived and were greeted by Ms Ravinder, who sat us through watching a video of the process of tofu making, as well as their company’s background. She then explained to us the difference between cold treated and heat treated, which results in soft/silken and firm tofu respectively.

We were also brought to the viewing deck of which overlooked the entire process of which tofu is being made. Ms Ravinder also patiently explained the different machines and its various uses, from which the soy beans are soaked and grinded, to the coagulating of soy milk of which beancurd is derived from.

After which we were gathered, to taste some freshly prepared soy milk, and were allowed to see the various bean curd products.

Their range of products include the regular silken and egg tofu, the Chinese yellow and black “Tau Kwa”, the Japanese range, a ready-to-eat range, the ISO Joy Desserts, Deep fried Tofu (Tofu goreng), and the tofu puff.

All of us were also given a recipe booklet with tofu as the main ingredients, and were also allowed to purchase some of their product.

It was definitely a fruitful trip, for everyone, as we walked away with both, the knowledge in tofu making, as well as our shopping bags of tofu products.

With Culinary Spirit,
Belinda Ng
Membership

Unicurd Visit Poster

2008-08-17T03:40:00.002+08:00

HoTchef Team Challenge '08 Teaser

2008-08-08T00:35:00.001+08:00

President's Message

2008-08-02T23:57:00.005+08:00

President's Message
In the past month, I bought two fabulous books, Becoming a Chef and Culinary Artistry, on the recommendation of some Chefs. I kind of regretted not getting the books earlier as they are really good books that every Chef should read. Becoming a Chef shares with us life as a Chef. Hear stories and experiences of the many chefs interviewed in the book and explore questions like choosing between schooling and apprenticeship. Culinary Artistry on the other hand pairs ingredients that are heavenly matches. Through the book Becoming a Chef, I've learned how wonderful our profession is. It is the only few professions which allows us to learn new things everyday. The dishes we have yet to taste, the new techniques we have yet to learn, and the ingredients we have yet to discover, all symbolises a lifetime of learning, experiencing and enjoying.

It has been an even greater challenge to be a chef these days. I was watching Star Chef 2 on television the other day and the mystery box items they gave the contestants were totally unimaginable. Who would imagine getting ingredients like chicken feet and heart, pork skin and cow's heart? Rarely in international competitions will one find such ingredients, which chefs usually shun. I quote Paul Lenz saying "You should always ask yourself: What ingredients do I use? Where do they come from? What can I do with them? How can I eat them?" These words really inspire me when I deal with ingredients each and everyday in the kitchen. Recent reality cooking shows like Top Chefs, Iron Chef, Star Chef and Hell's Kitchen has also brought interest to our profession. By the way, I am really excited about the HoTchef Team Challenge 2008, which will be held in November, later this year. Hongkong Young Chefs Club is going to have their first HoTchef Team Challenge this year in September and their winning team will be flying over to compete in our challenge. I would like to thank Tabasco for their kind support towards grooming junior chefs here and in the region. In the meanwhile, look out for more news about the HoTchef Team Challenge 2008 on our blog soon.

Best Culinary Spirits
Jasper Jek
President
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

Website of the Month: Alinea

2008-07-12T01:36:00.009+08:00

Website of the Month: Alinea

This month we feature www.alinea-restaurant.com/ If you love beauty, this is definately a website you should catch. Not only does it contain many beautiful photos of creative dishes, its restaurant itself looks modern and sophisticated. Yes, its "Home" page does look a little dull though, but wait till you inch alittle further into its neatly catergorize subpages, will you find the hidden gems.

Alinea Restaurant was opened in 2005 and has won many awards ever since. Among them are Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine (2006) and Jean Banchet Award - Best Fine Dining (2007). A scroll of its subpage "press" shows a never-ending list of reviews by press from around the world.

What I love most about the website are the crystal clear high resolution pictures of the fine creative dishes. Scrolling the gallery reminisces looking through old camera films. I wonder if you call their creations avant-garde, but I believe they invest alot on technology, such as with the company PolyScience, and also on their unique tablewares.

Check out this website and you might find Beauty...

Best Culinary Spirits

Jasper Jek

President

Singapore Junior Chefs Club

Invitation to WYPALL* ExploraQuest Singapore

2008-07-09T00:53:00.006+08:00

Invitation to WYPALL* ExploraQuest Singapore

Guys, form a team of 5 and take part in this exciting game... Lotsa Prizes awaiting to be Won...

The very First ExploraQuest is now in town! ExploraQuest is designed as a walk-about adventure race based on the theme of "the quest of versatility and sensory delights". There will be lots of actions, lots of adventure and loads of fun. The most exciting part would be this event is brought to you absolutely FREE OF CHARGE! The event will be held on 19th July 2008 (Saturday) at the Singapore River.

Prizes:Champions - SGD $1,500 + Trophy + WYPALL* Products
Runners Up - SGD $700 + Trophy + WYPALL* Products
3rd Placing - SGD $500 + Trophy + WYPALL* Products
4th Placing - SGD $350 + Trophy + WYPALL* Products

Read Details and Registration forms below

Interested Parties, please approach your institution's Liaison Officer to register A.S.A.P

2008-06-21T02:19:00.004+08:00

Edu-Trip to Huber’s Prime Meats & Sausages

Singapore Junior Chef Club (SJCC) organized an exciting educational trip to Huber's Prime Meats & Sausages on the 10th May ’08. Huber’s is one of the finest production meat factory in Singapore. There were a total of 28 enthusiastic SJCC members who took part in the event on that day.

Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Mr. Andre Huber, Sales Director of Huber’s. There were many highlights during the tour. We were given detailed briefings and explanation about the whole process of making sausages and curing of ham which nowadays is not easily seen in the industries.

One interesting part of the tour was that we saw how a whole strip loin was trimmed and portioned into standard cuts.

At the end of the tour, we were even more delighted when we were given a small food tasting session. The products we tasted were tasty and delicious. During that session we have a one on one session with the founder of Huber’s. We learnt about their history and the origin where the meats are from. The edu-trip has greatly increased our knowledge of meat and sausage making.

The overall assessment of this trip was fun and knowledgeable; I will definitely visit them again. It has been a successful trip and I will work closely with my fellow committee members and sponsors to organize more of these events in the near future.

With Culinary Spirit,
Athejo Chia
Social Activities

Family Day notice 1

2008-06-04T01:43:00.004+08:00

Block your dates for...
SCA FAMILY DAY!

15 June, 9am - 5pm Bottle Tree Park @ Yishun 81 Lorong Chen Charau
Come join us for a full day of fun, food and games!

Stay tuned for more details...

SCA Family Day 2007

Website of the Month

2008-04-23T01:28:00.005+08:00

This month we feature The-Best-Chefs.com . A fellow colleague of mine recently introduced me to this enriching gourmet portal. It gives you knowledge of a myriad of restaurants and chefs in Europe. Restaurants and chefs de cuisines are neatly categorized alphabetically or by countries, making searching hassle free. A click on a chef’s name brings you to his detailed portfolio, listing his nationality, apprenticeship/training background, career, philosophy, awards and interesting habits. The site also boast a “restaurant ranking” page which allows you to browse the T0p 50 restaurants in Europe. Should you like to dine at a particular restaurant, you may try searching for it under the “online-reservations” page and book a reservation. The website is still pretty new; hence there aren’t many posts on their forum page. The website is also available in German and French. These two versions have a larger community viewership, thus are better developed and have a larger forum. The site also offers the latest news in the European culinary scene.

Overall I find The-Best-Chefs.com a useful website and would recommend it to my friends.

P/S: Fellow members, if you have a website to recommend and share for Website of the Month (WOTM), please feel free to email us or "shout" on the tag board...

Best Culinary Spirits

Jasper Jek
President
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

Edu trip to Huber's poster

2008-04-16T02:13:00.003+08:00

Members who are not in their Institutions may register through the following address:

sjcc_jasperjek@yahoo.com

2008-01-26T07:54:00.001+08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT

SCA AGM Cum "Lo-Hei" Dinner

will be held on Sunday 17 February 2008

0400 pm @

Swissotel Merchant Court

Check http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/singchefs/ for details.

Please approach your institution's Liaison Officer to RSVP.

TP: Ms Eileen Phua & Joyce Goh

ITE: Mr Ignatius Leong

at-sunrice: Ms Vicole

SHATEC: Mr Derrick Lau or

Mr Ignatius Leong

Closing date 4 February

PS: Members who fail to register may be turned away

Writeup: Edu-trip to SATS Catering

2008-01-19T00:48:00.000+08:00

Write-up: Educational Visit to SATS Catering Inflight Centre

“If you ever said that we are running a factory, you will never be welcomed to SATS in-flight catering. We are committed to constantly explore new methods and to upgrade equipment and technology to ensure that all meals produced appeal to the most discerning taste buds”, quote Executive Chef of SATS in-flight catering Chef John Sloane.

It was a Saturday morning, we, Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC), assembled at Tanah Merah MRIT and waited anxiously for what to anticipate at SATS Inflight Catering located near Changi Airport.

SATS has come a long way since its modest start as part of the Malaya-Singapore Airlines more than 50 years ago. Since then, it has grown from strength to strength, developing into one of the premier players in the world providing a full spectrum of integrated ground handling and inflight catering services. The latest technology and innovative management is combined to meet airlines high catering standards. Costing a total of $217 million to build, including $77 million worth of kitchen equipment and material handling systems, it offers an impressive state-of-the-art inflight catering facility to meet international airlines' stringent requirements. The new centre will allow SATS to boost its efficiency, productivity and responsiveness with capacity to meet future growth and demands. SATS is clearly positioning itself to provide better services in the years ahead.

Being the privileged few, we were able to see and explore the secrets of their success in providing more than 500,000 meals a day.

The further expansion of SATS In-flight Catering Centre today broaden SATS' commitment to develop a competitive and vibrant inflight catering service to support Singapore's position as a regional air-hub. With this new centre, SATS is better positioned to serve its airline clients and to help anchor more such clients to Changi. The new centre will allow SATS to boost its efficiency, productivity and responsiveness with capacity to meet future growth and demands. SATS is clearly positioning itself to provide better services in the years ahead.

With Culinary Spirits
Terence Chua
SJCC Member

2008-01-05T00:21:00.000+08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT

Registration for SATS Catering Edu Trip is now CLOSED

Thank you for your support!!!

SATS Edu-Trip Poster

2008-01-01T03:35:00.001+08:00

President's Message

2007-12-31T00:09:00.000+08:00

President's Message

The year is coming to a close, and a new year will soon spring. As we look forward to the new year, let us recall the various events that we shared.

In 2007, we saw the birth of two new culinary institutions, the Temasek Culinary Academy (TCA) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). The Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC) held activities ranging from enriching educational fieldtrips to companies such as Nestlé Research & Development Facility and Fassler Gourmet, to food and wine pairing sessions. Our members looked forward to the annual Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge, proudly sponsored by McIlhenny Asia Pacific Pte Ltd in September. This is the third consecutive year the Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge is organized, and we are proud to say that it is getting bigger and better every year. We look forward to bringing you the Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge again in 2008.

The year 2008 will be a more challenging year for us. The Food & Hotel Asia, Asia’s largest international food and hospitality event, will be held in April. We can expect many of our members and their working establishments to be training hard and vying for the titles and medals in FHA 2008 Culinary Challenge. The much anticipated Formula 1 racing will also have its first night race in our garden city. Room occupancies are expected to soar to a record high; therefore we can expect much hard work in the month of September.

Beyond our shores, the 33rd WACS congress would be held in Dubai in May. The event will be in conjunction with 2 major competitions, the Hans Bueschkens Junior Chefs Forum and the MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge finals, of both Singapore will have representatives competing in. The Singapore National Culinary Team will also be taking part in the 22nd IKA / Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.

With these new challenges coming our way, I believe it will spur us to bring the culinary scene in Singapore to greater heights. Young Culinarians, as we bid farewell to a good year 2007, we must look forward to a better year 2008, all the best in the New Year and may we all succeed in our work hard in the coming year! Cheers!

With Culinary Spirits,
Jasper Jek
President
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

2007-12-17T01:32:00.000+08:00

Vice Chairman's Message

First of all, I am please to announce that SJCC has just enrolled 183 new members from four different culinary institutes, namely Temasek polytechnic, SHATEC, at sunrise and ITE. A big thank you to my team of dedicated committee members and liaison officers from various culinary institutes for the hard work contributed.

Since the club’s birth in May 2004, our challenges have become tougher each year. Besides organizing workshops, charity activities, educational trips to industry, recently we had even sent our young talents to oversea, Perth to take part in culinary competition and great result was bought back in glory. Indeed we are proud of them.

This fulfills one of the missions of the club which is to spot and inspire enthusiastic culinarians and to provide opportunities for them to explore their culinary talents and spirits through proper guidance. All these would not be achieved, without the support from SCA and various sponsors.

Therefore, on behalf of the committee I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Chef Otto Weibel, Chef Eric Teo, Chef Jasmine Ng (former SJCC Chairman) from SCA Committee, also not forgetting all other sponsors or helpers that assisted and supported SJCC throughout the years. Once again, thank you all!

Best Culinary Spirits,
Ignatius Leong
Vice-Chairman
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

SCA D&D 2007

2007-12-11T01:51:00.000+08:00

SCA Annual Dinner & Dance 2007

Swissotel the Stamford

It was event not be forgotten. It was a dinner & dance, yet, it was a food fest, a mini rock concert! “Rock Star” Chef Eric Teo was the highlight of the moment. Imagine: Being a rock star for the night, instead of being tossed into the roaring crowd, you are gently lowered off the stage and “buoyed” around by a sea of people with hands in the air. That was exactly what happened to Chef Eric Teo, President of Singapore Chefs Association (SCA), during this year’s SCA Dinner & Dance.

The theme was black and the venue, Raffles Ballroom Swissotel the Stamford. It wasn’t surprising to see 500 Men in Black there! A cocktail reception greeted the guests and soon the doors to the ballroom were opened. However no one was allowed to go for the food until the Emcee finished his formalities of games and introduction.

There was also a pole dancer who demonstrated her prowess of pole dancing and her endless and mind blowing acrobatic stunts! It was indeed an eye opener for all. As most of the guests may not have experienced a “live” pole dancer. It was a sexy, exotic performance, yet classy and professional.

Food was excellent as always of any SCA event. You could have a taste of the world. From Sushi and Sashimi of Japan to Peking Duck of China, Sausages of Germany to Lasagna of Italy. One would have tasted the cuisines of the world in just a single event.

The reception area was lined with beautiful confectionaries. Cakes, Pies, Haagen-Dazs Ice cream! With that many sweets around, I guess everyone had to put in extra effort to burn off those calories. The highlight of the night was nothing else but the lucky draw. The grand prize was a Philip’s flat screen TV. Members had to gather in from of the stage to win the prizes. If they weren’t in front and their numbers called, their draw would still be void. There were a total of 197 prizes, which makes a 40% chance of someone winning something.

Lucky Draw Prizes!!!

At the end of the night, I believe each and everyone who attended the dinner had fun and brought something back with them. I am beginning to wonder what next year’s SCA Lo-Hei dinner will be like.

With Culinary Spirits,
Jasper Jek
President
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

2007-12-11T01:33:00.000+08:00

Vice President's Message

Being a committee that witnesses the birth of SJCC since May 2004 till now, I cannot deny that we faced numerous challenges all along. We always tried our best to provide the best. However, it will be discouraging to get the negative feedbacks.

All committee comes from different culinary institute, be it current students or graduates, all of us make an effort to volunteer our service to the club. We take our own time to work things out for the club. We have monthly meetings to attend, deadlines to meet, recruitment drive to run, brainstorm for new activities, execute the activities, etc…

Our main objective is to gather all young culinarians together to share their experiences at activities planned. We do not ask for much but just hope that our efforts could be recognized by members, also hoping to achieve better each time.

Everyone learn from mistakes and that is how we gain our experience too. Personally, I have seen the club grown all this years and I grown together with it. I believe we will improve further, the club will shine brightly and recognition is on its way. We will try our very best to work up to the standard.

We welcome our feedback and new ideas. Should you have anything to say it out loud, drop us an email: SJCC_Contacts@yahoo.com

Thank you!

With Culinary Spirit
Kelly Ng
Vice President

Not Too Hot To Handle

2007-09-07T01:10:00.000+08:00

Not Too Hot To Handle

Bigger and better – that was the concensus of those who attended this year’s HoTchef Team Challenge 2007, the third event in as many consecutive years organized by the Singapore Junior Chef’s Club (SJCC) and kindly sponsored by Tabasco. This year’s event attracted a total of 24 participants compared to last year’s 15, with eight teams comprising three members each. As with the previous year, participants had three and a half hours to come up with eight varieties of amuse bouche or tapas; four hot and four cold, incorporating the five Tabasco flavours. This year, two new prizes were given away; best table display as well as best hygiene. Eileen Phua, chairman of SJCC said, “We wanted to recognize each team’s efforts in their table display as well as educate them on the industry standard for hygiene. The competition was also designed to instill a desire for competing among our members.” Kan Cheung, regional manager for Tabasco and one of the judges for the day, commented that Tabasco’s support for the SJCC meant support for the next generation of culinary professionals. “They are the future. The quality of chefs in SJCC is much higher than in the region, and we have to thank the Singapore government for investing in the culinary schools”

Cusine & Wine Asia 2007
Volume 11 No. 6

Deviled Pepper Mixed Eggs in Cherry Tomato Shells

Team Habenero

Judges

Awards