Chef Fatheen voted winner for Maldives in Knorr Master of Seasoning Competition

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Chef Ahmed Fatheen from Bandos Maldives has been named the winner for Maldives in the first annual Knorr Master of Seasoning Competition. The competition was organised by Unilever Food Solutions, with Bestbuy Maldives Pvt Ltd (BBM) facilitating the competition in the Maldives as the authorised and exclusive agent for Knorr products, in addition to Hellmann’s, Lady’s Choice, and Car te Dor, etc.

Chef Fatheen – Senior Sous Chef of Bandos Maldives – became the winner for Maldives, receiving over 1,000 votes over the other nine finalists. Votes were counted through an appointed third-party organization to ensure fair competition amongst all participants, says Unilever Food Solutions.

According to Unilever Food Solutions, Master of Seasoning was a competition schematized by professional chefs at Unilever Food Solutions to the talented chefs around the world, where they had to work around with Knorr Chicken Stock Powder and bring their dishes to life, the world’s number one savoury product.

For the first time in history, Maldives got the opportunity to take part and the competition criteria were to prepare a chicken base dish using Knorr Chicken Stock Powder. It was amazing to see the participation and enthusiasm towards the competition from Maldivian chefs even though this is a new experience for them. Not only chefs, the effort of the BBM team and the support of Mohamed Mazloom, Director/CEO of BBM were the key contributing factors to the success, says Unilever Food Solutions.

The executive chef for Maldives and Sri Lanka, Chef Saman Wijeratne shortlisted the finalists from the submissions and these 9 chefs of Maldives got the chance to join that elite group. As the winner for Maldives, Chef Fatheen is now entitled to a full expense paid tour to Dubai to participate in a culinary master class which will be conducted by City and Guilds London, the leading skills development organization helping individuals develop their talents and abilities for career progression.

The winners of the final round of the Master of Seasoning competition 2017 are;

Gulf countries: Chef Yassine Nokila & Chef Nahar Al Soub

Egypt: Chef Mohamed Mokhtar & Chef Ahmed Emad

Pakistan: Chef Kashif Javed & Chef Zaryan Turab

Sri Lanka & Maldives: Chef Ahmed Fateen & Chef Chamara Arachchigodage

According to Unilever Food Solutions, Chef Fatheen will also be getting the unique opportunity and exposure to enhance the knowledge on the following areas during course of the Masterclass.

• Cook & Chill: Sous Vide Cooking (technology & solutions)
• Cook & Chill: Chemistry of Smoking
• Cook & Chill: Food Cost & How to manage it
• Introduction to professional culinary competition standards
  • Introduction to culinary themes.
  • Judging criteria and standards
  • Meeting expectations
  • Preparing for the competition – seeking coaching and mentoring plan and practicing and perfecting
  • Plating presentation Standards- Hot food – edible hot and cold plates, display hot and cold plates (aspects works).
• UFS Foods Seminar & mystery box challenge.

The other chefs who competed for the hot spot are;

Nandana Alupotha (Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives)

Harsha Jayamaha (Amaya Kudarah Maldives)

Chamara Kulathunga (Breakwater, Malé)

Ibrahim Naeem (Hulhulé Island Hotel)

Samantha Perera (OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli Maldives)

Ishag Solih (Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas)

Jack Tiang Toh Huat (Summer Island Maldives)

W L Wimalagunaratne (Embudu Village)

This is the first time a Maldivian talent is participating in a world renowned platform competing against the best chefs from the Middle-east and Asia. The eight winners are invited to the U.A.E for the final round of the competition taking place from September 17 to 21. To view the winning dishes from the chefs, please visit masterofseasonings.com.

BBM is the authorised distributor of many global brands, known worldwide for their exceptional quality. BBM aims to provide the hospitality professional in the nation with the best of best available. Food companies such as Unilever Food Solutions and Vismark are brands that BBM distributes, along with Ireks, Ravifruit, Lamb Weston and RedMan to name a few.

Best Buy Maldives has made its mark in the field of trading and distributorship, as one of the most well-known hotel and resort suppliers in the Maldives. Over 75% of the resorts benefit from the brands carried by BBM and it is the proud supplier of Knorr products in the Maldives.

For more information about its product range, please contact +960 332 0859 or visit www.bb-mld.com.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]