Top hotel chefs from ten countries joined Thailand’s best culinary artists for the 7th Pattaya Food & Hoteliers Expo.
The Aug. 8-10 event at the Royal Cliff’s Peach Convention Center featured more than 20 contests in everything from fruit carving and drink-mixing to deserts and Thai set menus. Cooking contests pitted professional chefs against each other and offered opportunities for rising university stars to try their hand at deserts, plate arrangement, Thai and European dishes, flower arranging and cocktail mixing.
In its third year, the Culinary Cup international chefs competition featured teams from Australia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan squaring off against their Thai counterparts under the watchful gaze of the World Association of Chefs Societies.
Chonburi PAO President Wittaya Kunplome (left) presents a plaque thanking Pattaya Mail Media Group Deputy Managing Director and Skål International Pattaya & East Thailand President Tony Malhotra (right) for sponsoring the Pattaya Food & Hoteliers Expo ’13.
Seventeen teams of four chefs worked in four hours to assemble an 11-course buffet for 20 people using 80 food items. The real challenge came in that the meat to be used in the main course was not announced until two hours into the competition.
The Hong Kong team, for the second straight year, took first place and the HRH Princess Sirindhorn Trophy and $3,000. Australia’s team finished second for the second consecutive year, and Thailand managed to finish in the top three for the first time.
Jarinth Suttiwaja shows off his bartending skills in the Mekong Pattaya Signature Drink Menu Search competition.
The Royal Cliff Hotels Group took top honors overall, with 18 medals in 11 categories including five trophies and nine gold medals from the food and beverage, housekeeping and spa competitions. The Woodlands Hotel & Resort placed second.
Udorn Sermbootr, executive sous chef, called winning the HRH Princess Sirindhorn trophy “an incredible achievement.”
The Hong Kong team is ecstatic about winning the Pattaya City Culinary Cup 2013.
“Our team must be commended for their constant attention to detail and their relentless pursuit of excellence in their specific crafts,” he said. “”This proves that the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, through the efforts of its dedicated staff, continuously strives to improve its exceptional services and the quality and excellence of its cuisine.”
The event, sponsored by Pattaya, Chonburi Province, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Pattaya Chefs Association, Eastern Housemaid Administration Club, Thai Eastern Food Administrators and Beverage Association, was also a venue for more business representatives to show off their food and beverage products, tools, equipment and household items used in the hotel and restaurant industries.
Yuppharat Wongdowngul (2nd right), President, F&B Management Association Eastern Region of Thailand, poses with the top three winners in the Mekong Pattaya Signature Drink Menu Search, including winner Ubon Masuk (2nd left) from Mountain Beach Hotel (middle).
In addition, there were workshops on wine, cuisine, coffee, conventions, and marketing.
“This expo has proven the development in the creativity of hoteliers, showing the world the outstanding services of Thai hotels,” said Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization President Wittaya Kunplome.
The Holiday Inn Pattaya team won four awards, including three silver and one bronze.
Among the major awards, The A-One Royal Cruise took first in the overall housekeeping contest, with the Long Beach Garden and Royal Cliff taking second and third places, respectively.
In the spa category, the Centara Grand Mirage Beach resort placed first with Spa Silavadee and Na Spa taking the runners-up.
The professional chefs competition was won by the Centara Grand, with the Zign Hotel taking second and Woodlands third.
Participants in the Thai Massage Competition massage the judging committee.
The Woodlands also won first in the junior-chief competition, with Suan Dusit Rajabhat University placing second and Jinwen University of Science & Technology placing third.
Other notable winners included the A-One Royal Cruise for the “Ms. Congeniality” award, Niphaphon Phasuk of Spa Silavadee for the Best Massage, and Phatkanlaya Ruengkoolsiritana from the Royal Cliff for Best Swedish Massage.
Judges try to decide the winner in the Tapas Display Competition.
Young chefs from Jinwen University of Science & Technology work hard designing food in the Tapas Display Competition.
This chef is concentrating hard whilst decorating a cake in the Wedding Cake decoration contest.
The Royal Cliff Hotels Group took top honors overall, with 18 medals in 11 categories including five trophies and nine gold medals from the food and beverage, housekeeping and spa competitions.
Rattanachai Suthidechanai (4th right), head of Pattaya’s Tourism and Sports Department joins in a thumbs up with this year’s judging committee.
The Woodlands Hotel & Resort placed second with a total of 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals, 9 bronze medals and 2 consolation prizes in various competitions categories.
A One The Royal Cruise Hotel celebrates their win in the Ms. Hotel Congeniality and Best Thai Clothes & Floral Design competitions.
