Talented chefs invited to a hard-hitting Black Box Challenge

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 10/19/2006 10:39 AM | Life

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua

Three men were sipping beer under the scorching sun on a Bali beach when they invented a challenging competition that has helped shaped global culinary trends over the last 10 years.

This was in l996. The men, a representative of Australia's red meat industry, a gourmet supplier and a chef, came up with a terrific idea -- a black box culinary competition to showcase the skills and innovative ideas of young and talented chefs from around the world.

From Bali, the competition has expanded to throughout Asia Pacific, including Australia, as well as the Middle East, involving more than 2,000 young chefs. A number of professional chefs from Europe and the United States have also taken part in the global MLA Black Box Challenge.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Bali Culinary Professionals (BCP) group has invited 50 young professional chefs from hotels and restaurants on the island of Bali to take part in the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Black Box Culinary Challenge, scheduled to be held at Nikko Bali Resort & Spa in Nusa Dua on Oct.26.

""The 10th anniversary of MLA Black Box challenge is going to be very special. This is the time when the island's most talented chefs will showcase their skills to become one of the best in the world,"" according to Markus Krickelberg, chairman of BCP, which is organizing the event.

With the MLA Black Box Challenge being founded in Bali, Krickelberg hoped that ""Balinese chefs and professionals from the hospitality industry would benefit from this cutting-edge event"".

Accompanied by Jeremy Cooper, former BCP chairman and a member of the organizing committee, Krickelberg said the competition would enhance and sharpen professionalism among participants.

In every MLA Back Box Culinary Challenge, each contestant is required to explore their cooking skills, taste, creativity and artistic talents, teamwork and leadership potential, as well as physical and mental endurance, he said.

""It will be a real battle for young chefs. It is not just about cooking. The competition teaches them important things that they would not find within their own kitchen,"" Cooper added.

The competition will expose participants to a very tough environment working under pressure with a team within a limited time and with limited resources.

Contestants will receive a mystery black box containing various ingredients 24 hours prior to the date of the competition (Oct. 26). Members of the team have to create a four-course menu for 20 people from the available ingredients in the black box.

Members of the team must be locals under 30 years of age with a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years of kitchen experience.

""The captain of the team can be an expatriate chef, but he/she will only act as an adviser,"" Krickelberg explained.

After receiving the black box, each team will take it away to prepare and to write up the menu to be shown to the judges.

The menu will be judged by a team of overseas chefs and will be served at a special dinner on the night of Oct. 26.

This year's Bali MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge has drawn participants from The Laguna, the Ritz Carlton Bali Resort & Spa, The Oberoi, Four Seasons Resorts Bali, Discovery Kartika Plaza, Bvlgari Hotel Resorts Bali, STP Hotel Institute and Nikko Hotel Resort and Spa.

The winners of the competition will have a rare chance to represent Indonesia at the Fourth Regional Final held in Dubai in 2008 during the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) World Congress.

Following the competition, Bali Culinary Professionals will hold a special gala dinner under the theme ""Ten out of Ten"", involving 10 top chefs from Bali hotels and restaurants and two distinguished guests from Singapore and Australia.

The event, scheduled to be held at the Ritz Carlton Bali Resort and Spa on Oct. 28, is aimed at raising funds to provide scholarships to bright students at local hotel institutes.

The 10 participating chefs include Made Putra from The Laguna Resort & Spa, Raymond Saja from Di Mare Restaurant, Stephen Wright from The Legian, Torsten Schubert from The Samaya Villas, Scott Webster from the Australian Culinary Consultants, Australia, Francois Seurin, from Mozaic, Jean Charles Dubois from Raffles Grill, Raffles Hotel, Singapore, Dean Keddel from The Ritz Carlton Resort & Spa, Andreas Gillar from Bali Bakery, and I Wayan Werta from Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa.

Guests are invited on a culinary journey of tasteful dishes prepared and shown live on camera during the dinner. The dining experience will be complemented with a selection of the finest champagnes and wines from around the world.

""The chefs will be the stars of the event. Guests will have the chance to watch them cooking on the carefully styled tables,"" Krickelberg said.

As cooking events have become more and more popular, being a professional chef is a hot job. ""A good chef is a person with multitasking talents. He is a cook, an artist, a leader and manager, and a teammate,"" Cooper said.

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