Hotels

Mount Lavinia Hotel shines at Culinary Art 2010

Culinary Art 2010, presented by the Chefs Guild of Lanka (CGL) was indeed Sri Lanka's biggest food and hotel show. Taking centre stage at the BMICH last month this exhibition showcased the talents of Sri Lankan chefs, local and overseas. Stationary and live displays of food were judged by a panel of several judges, both local and international.

"This culinary event showcases our chefs' talents. This event was held at an excellent time in Sri Lanka just before 'Visit Sri Lanka 2011' which will make people aware of the positive side of happenings in Sri Lanka across the globe and also the talent emphasized in a very popular commodity in the hospitality industry", GM Anura Dewapura stated, who were the hosts for the farewell evening organized for the Chefs Guild team.

Approximately 1600 chefs from various hotels, bakeries and restaurants took part in the three day event. Practical live displays consisted of ice, chocolate, fruit and vegetable carving and cake decorating as well as other live preparations of desserts and meals, and it was estimated that over 6000 dishes were highlighted at this event. Which does prove that Sri Lanka does have talent for innovativeness and creativity along with quality. The Chefs Guild of Lanka is Sri Lanka's Association of chefs who are dedicated toward the professional development of all chefs and cooks in Sri Lanka.

Entry to the Culinary Art Competition is open to all those professionally involved in the preparation of food, be it hotels, restaurants, hospitals, the armed forces and other institutions.

"The hotel had over 30 entries in different categories and walking away with 20 awards indeed makes me proud of our team", Dewapura added. He further states that it is not winning that matters but the participation and doing your very best which endorses that we at MLH can create waves in many areas of the hospitality industry. The hotel won four golds, five silvers and eleven bronze awards.

Cupcakes at the Goodies

Known as cupcakes and fairy cakes, these diminutive cakes steal the show this month at Goodies at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo!

Their interesting history reveals that the term 'cupcake' was first mentioned in E. Leslie's 'Receipts' of 1828. Breaking with tradition of weighing ingredients at this time, they ingredients began to be measured in cups.

This was considered revolutionary because of the tremendous time it saved in the kitchen. It is believed that the cup name had a double meaning because of the practice of baking in small containers - including tea cups. Throughout the 1900's, cupcakes became a popular children's treat, partly due to the ease in baking them.

In 1919, Hostess developed the precursor to the Hostess Chocolate Cupcake. The rich, creamy filling and chocolate icing was popular with consumers and a love affair began. Since their creation, cupcakes have become a pop culture trend in the culinary world. They have spawned dozens of bakeries, cookbooks, blogs, and magazines devoted entirely to them.

A more recent (and delightful) trend, gaining in popularity, is cupcake towers in lieu of a more traditional wedding cake. Throughout this month, Goodies will present fifteen exciting varieties of sweet and savoury cupcakes will make your mouth just water! They come in basic flavours such as Vanilla, Chocolate chip and Banana; trendier variants like Orange, Blueberry, Oats, Lemon, Cherry, Raisin, Cashew nut and Ginger; and the unusual range that comprises Sweet and garlic, Sweet and sour, Sweet and spicy and Sweet and onion adn each has been developed by Executive Pastry Chef Jagath and his team.

Intrinsically different, cupcakes remain a universal favourite because they make people feel young again and bring back and create happy memories! They are also small enough that they don't make people feel too guilty about extra calories. So this month, head over to Goodies and indulge yourself in a cupcake. Don't resist the temptation! For inquiries you can call 2491804.

A Spanish touch at 7 Degrees North

He's enthusiastic about being in Sri Lanka, charming in his Spanish-ness and passionate about food, Meet Ivan Tarrago Sole, the new Spanish chef at 7 Degrees North at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo.

Hailing from Almatret, a small village on the outskirts of Barcelona, Ivan comes from a family of chefs. His mother and grandmother before that were both chefs; his father is a baker, so obviously, the fervour for creating food is definitely in his genes! From the age of 14, this young man spent more time in the kitchen watching his mother at her job, than on the beach with his friends.

After completing his secondary education, he went on to study at the Escuela de Hosteleria y Turismo (School of Hospitality and Tourism) in Lleida, where he specialised in the kitchen. Later on, in 2002, he followed a Dietetic and Nutrition Course at the University of Lleida,UDL.

Ivan's promising career has seen him work his way through cook, Chef de Partie, Sous Chef and Executive Chef and Manager at restaurants in Spain, Mexico and London. Before coming to Colombo, he was working as Executive Chef at Restaurant Mutante in Granada, Spain. His specialties include fine dining, fusion, gourmet fast food and tapas. Among the many feathers in his hat, he worked at Rincon de Diego, a fine dining restaurant in Cambrils awarded one Michelin star; at the L'Albufera restaurant of the 5-star Hotel White House Melia in London, which was named the best Spanish restaurant outside Spain in 2004; and organising the young chefs' summit, 'Jornadas Gastronomicas Cocina de Autor Mercado' in 2006 and 2007.

"I like art - music, painting, writing - and to me, cooking is also an art," enthused Ivan. "Cooking is an art in the history of humanity - that people need food is a basic fact of life.

When I cook, I put good intentions into my food, so that the people who taste it find themselves feeling happy. But it is not just about taste... I want the food I prepare to look good on the plate, so that people's emotions are transformed when the dish is placed before them.

Now in sunny Sri Lanka, Ivan has joined the team at the popular restaurant and cocktail bar, 7 Degrees North and is looking forward to introducing all-new tapas and Mediterranean menu for the restaurant's clientele.

Kebabs delight at the Sheherezade

Enjoy tempting Arabic delicacies at the Sheherezade Arabic Restaurant at the Galadari Hotel which will start off March with the 'Kebab Promotion', that will be cooked to perfection in traditional style to satisfy the appetite to realm of sensuality, aromas, flavour and texture. The much talked about 'Sheherezade' with its Chefs preparing dishes from secret recipes and exceptional culinary techniques, welcomes Patrons who savour authentic Middle Eastern dishes.

The Kebab promotion will be held from March 1st to 7th for dinner and all Kebabs servings will be accompanied by either Naan or Zathar Naan along with a Grilled Salad or Arabic Salad.

The menu consist of a delicious range starting from the Shish Taouk - Boneless Chicken marinated with garlic, lime juice and Arabic spices, a favourite at the Sheherezade. Lamb Sojok - minced lamb seasoned with sojok powder complimented with green pepper and fresh tomato Sauce. Shish Kebab - Prime Fillet of beef, cubed and seasoned with cumin powder and pepper. Kofta Kebab - combination of minced lamb, cinnamon powder and sweet pepper powder. Grilled Prawn Kebab - Marinated with garlic, lime juice and salt. Seafood Kebab - Seer, Rock Fish, Shoe Lobster marinated with Arabic seasonings. Vegetarian Kebab - Cubes of boiled potato, Carrot and Zucchini seasoned with dry mint powder, olive oil, salt and Pepper . The Sheherezade Arabic Restaurant is open daily for dinner and the food is prepared in a relaxed yet sophisticated open kitchen and in the same time allowing guests to see their food prepared on the spot. An emphasis on fresh ingredient ensures flavours of food despite its familiar and uncomplicated style. Middle Eastern food such as Hammous, Shiesha Kebab, the popular Hubblie Bubblie, Arabic Coffees are also available.

Cinnamon glitters at Culinary Art 2010

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo glittered at the recently concluded Culinary Art 2010, presented by the Chefs' Guild of Sri Lanka (CGSL) at the BMICH from February 5 to the 8, including Plated Appetizers, Five Course Set Dinner Menu, Petit Fours of Pralines, Wedding Cake Structures, Plated Desserts, Artist Bakery Showpiece, Butter Sculpture, Hot Cooking, Dress the Cake, Fruit and Vegetable Carving, Individual Ice Carving, Bartender's Challenge, Apprentice Dessert (Live) and the Dilmah High Tea. The medal tally included 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 15 Bronze.

This gave Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo the second place among the city hotels and fifth overall at the competition - no mean feat, as General Manager, Neroy Marso commented.

I am thrilled at the performance of our team, Marso said enthusiastically. "We have an energetic and enthusiastic team of chefs and they worked tremendously hard for this year's Culinary Art competition. It makes all of us at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo proud to be part of such a team.

I was also very impressed with the high standard of creativity and hard work put in by all the participants, as well as the thorough training they had all been given. It was a pleasure to see the displays and watch the engaging live events", he added.

Almost 1,600 chefs, the highest recorded number to date, from five star hotels, resorts, hotels in The Maldive Islands, hotel schools, restaurants, airline catering establishments, the Sri Lanka Air Force and Hospitals participated at the event, which was held this year with the aim of boosting post-conflict tourism in Sri Lanka. It is estimated that there were over 6,000 dishes at the event, including static and live displays of food that were evaluated by a panel of several judges, both local and international.

I feel a great sense of pride in the team because most of them were completely fresh to the competition and yet, went on to do so well," said Executive Chef Wasantha Peiris who was ably supported by Executive Sous Chef Clifford Perera of Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo.

"They worked so hard for this and concentrated on their training and they really deserved all their medals. Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has great team and it is wonderful recognition for us to be so well-placed at a competition such as Culinary Art. All I can say is congratulations to our team!

Hoppers and other local favourites

Some things never go out of style in Sri Lanka... Good company, good music and, of course, great Sri Lankan food! At the monthly Hopper Night at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, this is exactly what you get!

The Poolside at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo was transformed by an absolutely delectable spread of plain and egg hoppers and other Sri Lankan favourites such as katta sambol, seeni sambol, pol sambol, pittu, babath, string hoppers, dhal curry, brinjal curry, kiribath, kottu, fish curry and sweetmeats like kevum, bibikkan, kalu dodol, pol pani, aggala and much more!

The delightful calypso band playing in the background enhanced the ambience and added to the fun.

Accor offers plan to split businesses

French group Accor, Europe's biggest hotel company, posted on Wednesday a net loss for 2009 and called a shareholders meeting in June to decide whether to split its core businesses. Accor's board of directors has approved the separation of the group's hotel and service businesses and the plan will be submitted for approval at an extraordinary shareholders meeting on June 29, the company said in a statement. The group also reported a net loss of 282 million euros for 2009 (381.8 million dollars) owing to the depreciation of assets and restructuring costs.

But it posted a better-than-expected operating profit of 448 million euros. Accor employs more than 150,000 people and runs about 4,000 hotels around the world, including the Ibis, Mercure, Novotel and Sofitel brands.

It also runs a prepaid services business, which provides employee benefits including lunch, transport and childcare vouchers in 40 countries. AFP