Lankan chefs excel at Culinary Olympics

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Fourteen Sri Lankan chefs brought honour and pride to the country by winning 15 gold medals at the World Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany recently.

It was the first time that a national team of Sri Lankan chefs participated in the World Culinary Olympics, the world's prestigious culinary shows held once in four years.

Culinary experts said that it is a landmark achievement for the culinary industry in Sri Lanka which has been put on the world map by a young dynamic team. “It is a well deserved achievement as the team had to face enormous challenges to reach that milestone”, culinary experts said.Sri Lanka Chefs Guild Chairman, Gerard Mendis said that the victory at the World Culinary Show brought fame to the country and the tourism industry. The victory has stamped the country as a destination for good and delicious cuisine in the world.

Sri Lanka bagged 15 Gold, 14 Silver and one Bronze medal competing with New Zealand, Australia, Singapore Dubai and Indonesia which are renowned for producing some of the best culinary delights in the world.

Aitken Spence Hotels Manager, Gemunu Perera said that the victory at the German culinary show is a huge boost to the leisure and tourism industry in Sri Lanka and added that it will set the precedent for many young chefs to excel at international culinary events.

A senior hotelier said that a major achievement of this magnitude should be recognised and promoted with the support of all stakeholders in the industry. It is sad that international accolades of this nature are not given due recognition.

“We had to face many hurdles. Raising funds for the tour was a daunting task.

Thanks to the sponsors who supported us with funds and Aitken Spence Hotels for providing accommodation at Heritance Ahungalle for nearly nine months. The ground staff of SriLankan Airlines supported us with the packing,” Chef Dimithu Kumarasinghe said.

A team member Srimal Kulatunge said, “It was our dream for years to take part in an international event and bring pride to our country.

Our team showed their skills and potential to the entire world. We were second only to Sweden”, “The Guild is confident that its chefs will bring home all the awards at the next World Culinary Olympics which will be held in 20016,” the Chefs Guild chief said.

He said that beauty and a professional staff alone is not sufficient to woo guests to hotels. Good food is essential to attract visitors.

We need to build on this achievement and make Sri Lanka the best country for food.