There is no greater love than love for food and it is unlikely there is anyone out there in the world who hates food. As we gathered at the Ball Room of The Residency Towers, Coimbatore on Monday afternoon, we smelt the aromas of food being prepared with great enthusiasm and heard the comforting sounds of knives on cutting boards, the whirring of mixers and the clang of pots and pans.
‘Kitchen Boss’ was in full swing. The Rotary Club of Coimbatore along with Bergner, the Ideal Stores and the French Door organised the event as part of the celebrations of the Rotary Club’s 75th year. The Ball Room buzzed with shared recipes, cooking tips, discussions on cookware and interactive quizzes. Sreesh Adka of Ideal Stores explained the merits of cooking gadgets and how to use them while Vishak Chandrasekar, a Cordon Bleu chef, shared culinary tips. There were prizes sponsored by Bergner and Ideal Stores for the audience who answered right in the quizzes and Deepa Narayanan and Rinku Gupta swept up most of the honours with their knowledge in the subject of cooking.
Selecting the winner
Bergner, an Austrian company, exhibited its cookware and utensils at the venue and also provided the competitors with the utensils they used. “The idea of this cookery event is to let people touch and feel. To explain such quality directly to the consumer is difficult and this is to make people understand what quality is all about,” said Umesh Gupta, Managing Director, Bergner. The participants were also provided with the required ingredients and materials. There was a session on the different ways to cut chicken by ‘Kurry’, a company in Coimbatore.
The competition was divided into different categories. The first round was the Vegetarian one where the main ingredient was bread. The theme was ‘One Pot One Shot’ and the participants had to use only one utensil of their choice. The second round was the Baked Pastry Category where participants used the OTG. The third category was non-vegetarian where the participants had to use chicken. Each round had five teams along with one wild card entry. Ten minutes was allotted for prep, 45 minutes for the actual cooking and plating and an additional 10 minutes to wind up. Completed dishes were presented before the judges’ panel: Chef Vishak Chandrasekaran, Chef Shreeya Adka of The French Door restaurant and Chef Aanchal Chetan of Chocolate and Such.
Preliminary rounds had been held at The French Door. Explaining the contest, Sreesh said, “Out of 50 teams with members varying from one to three per team, five teams were selected for the finals. In the preliminary, the participants were free to use ingredients they had brought while, in the finals, the organisers provided it to them. Evaluation was based on professionalism, presentation, efficient use of ingredients, methodology used, scientific and innovative methods adopted, the way the cooks left their stations once chef finished and of course, the taste of their dishes.”
Chef Shreeya announced the list of winners and runner-ups for different categories. There were gift hampers from Bergner and Lakshmi Wet Grinder. The winners were also presented with badges and chef’s cap.
The winning team in the non-vegetarian category won brownie points for their innovative use of citrus and cream to make the creamy orange sauce which was described as ‘a brilliant effort’.
Chef Vishak admitted it was a tough decision to select the best dish. “I saw so much talent and potential in the participants.
With some encouragement from family and friends they could even participate in events such as Master Chef,” he said. Chef Aanchal added that he was amazed that home cooks presented them with such exciting flavours.
The participants were unanimous in their opinion that they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and that Kitchen Boss had forced them to think out of the box and bring out the flavours from ingredients they commonly used in their kitchens. As one of the contestants summed up the experience, “It motivated us and gave us so much confidence in ourselves. It also acquainted us with so many cooking tips we were not aware of before. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. We are all going home with the gift of confidence and an increased love for cooking.”
And the winners are...
Breadolicious by Parvatha Vardhini and Rajalakshmi S
Chicken fajita bomb with orange cream sauce by Sowbarnika Devi and Sowndarya Devi
De-constructed Victoria Sponge Cake by Varsha Prada and Sowndarya
Runners Up
Glazed Satranji Chicken by Zabeena Yaasmin
Subz Lababdar Basket by Jagurati Desai and Harshidaa Raichura
Orange upside down cake by Priya Murugesan
The winners were awarded with a gift hamper worth ₹10,000 plus from Bergner and a special gift from Lakshmi Wet Grinder. The runners up received ₹5000 worth gift hampers from Bergner (Hitech Prism Cookware)
