North Durban chefs cook up a winner menu
Personally, the young chefs said they did not face any challenges in the competition as they had spent many hours and days practising extremely hard to perfect their dishes.
AFTER months of intense planning, preparation and practice, the final round of the RCL FOODS Young Chef & Baker Challenge took place at Capsicum Culinary Studio in uMhlanga on Friday, Greenwood Park resident Ammaara Sulaiman and her partner, Lalana Santana Pillay, who hails from Verulam, scooped the second-place position.
Both chefs, currently training at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Durban, received a cash prize of R20 000.
In an interview with Sulaiman and Pillay, they both agreed that winning second place made them feel proud and happy.
“My partner is by far the best – we both have an understanding of what we need to do and how to do it. The competition went smoothly because of her and how well she knows me.
“It was definitely a surreal moment – as much as I had confidence in our dishes, the other teams created beautiful plates. So when I heard our names, I was excited as well as shocked,” said Pillay.
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“Lalana was one of the best partners to ever work with. When my partner and I were announced for second place, I was extremely happy and proud of us. All of our long hours and hard work of practice paid off. It is a really great achievement,” said Sulaiman.
For starters, the duo created a soya-sausage croquette with pickled radish, crispy fried onions and a herb mayo. A beef en croute with a roast red-pepper puree, red wine and rosemary jus, and grilled zucchini, were on the menu for mains.
Dessert lent itself to a zesty lemon curd which was layered with a vanilla sponge and passion-fruit gel and topped with avocado mousse, and it was all enclosed in a white chocolate ‘box’ and garnished with an edible tree made out of dark chocolate.
“The inspiration and ideas for our dishes came from our great chefs, our principal of campus and my partner and I all working together through trial and error to create the best dishes possible,” said Pillay.
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The competition, besides providing the opportunity to win second place, they said, had many highlights, such as meeting many great, experienced chefs and friendly students from different provinces.
“The experience and exposure from this competition is one of the greatest highlights. The best moment of the competition for me was the bonding of all the contestants the night before the finals. Everyone got along so well, and I had a great time getting to know them,” said Sulaiman.
Pillay said she would one day like to own her own bakery or restaurant and take it globally, and Sulaiman would like to one day open her own café.
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