Travel

Culinary Skills at Heritance Ahungalla

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Chefs and other officials who participated at the competition.

Chefs with newly created dishes.

Executive Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe sampling the food.

The Chefs were clad in spotlessly white garb and headgear that resembled a team of surgeons attending on patients undergoing coronary by pass surgery . But Chefs from Aitken Spence hotel chain had come there to exhibit their culinary skills at a competition held at the Heritance Ahungalla last Wednesday.

Walking into a spacious hall we noticed several chefs churning out dishes that had aromas that hung about the place. Of course the aromas made us feel hungry and we were anxious to savour the delights of the food laid on the table. It was a competition to create indigenous cuisine by veteran chefs to suit both the local and foreign palate. There were sixty Chefs from eight hotels who had brought indigenous ingredients from their areas for the competition. An assortment of exotic dishes were prepared by the chefs. The local chefs were as skilled as the award winning Michelin chefs who are globally renowned judging from their dedication, creativity and performance, I thought to myself. Chefs were awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals at the conclusion of the event.

Chef Dimutu Kumarasinghe (37) the star chef at the Aitken Spence hotel group was the Culinary Olympic award winner in Germany in 2004. The idea of hosting a culinary competition was to promote food consumed in different parts of the country. The indigenous food was served at our hotels in Oman, India and in the Maldives and at the nine hotels owned by Aitken Spence. He said the competition was named as "Heritance Cuisine," a concept formulated by Aitken Spence Hotel's Director Gemunu Goonewardena a veteran chef by profession. The Chefs who participate at the competition will prepare the main course, soups and desert.Aitken Spence Hotel's General Manager -Training S. Amal Nanayakkara said the idea behind the exercise was to make Sri Lanka food more acceptable internationally. Asked whether Sri Lankan food was too spicy and hot for foreigners, he replied that chilies were too sensitive for them but of course can be substituted with other spices.

"Chilies do not give out the real flavour but nullifies other flavours such as ginger and lemon grass that are part and parcel of wonderful tastes that we have." He said the beauty of the "Kiri-Hodde" was the freshness of the Coconut milk which was unique but when chilies was added it nullifies its taste. "But there are other exotic local flavours that get smothered when chilies was added." Referring to the Chefs competition he said it was organised to give Sri Lankan food a different dimension.

Aitken Spence Hotel's Director Gemunu Gunewardena said of the persons who underwent training at the company twenty five of them have become managers of hotels. "This was something that we are very proud of,"

Referring to indigenous food he said most foods had some medicinal benefits and travellers who arrive here also like to taste our indigenous food." he said.

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"Waterfall Tour, best of its kind"

Chairman, Alpine Hotel, Nuwara Eliya Mahinda Kumara briefing Neville and Tilina the 12 hour program.

"I came on a visit to my motherland from New Zealand after 30 years. After having read a news item in the Sunday Observer on "Waterfall Tour", my first visit was to Nuwara Eliya to explore the eighteen waterfalls in six hours", Neville Gunasekera said.

Sri Lanka is now peaceful, thanks to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and others who were instrumental in ushering peace to my motherland, Neville's wife Tilina added. Nowhere in the world could you explore 18 waterfalls in six hours.

The waterfall tour offered by Alpine Eco Adventure travels of the Alpine Hotel, Nuwara Eliya, covering Nuwara Eliya was a marvellous and lifetime experience for any tourist visiting Nuwara Eliya. He paid a tribute to Chairman, Alpine Hotel and President, Nuwara Eliya Hoteliers' Association, Mahinda Kumara for the idea in planning and offering a waterfall tour which is the first of its kind not only in Nuwara Eliya but the whole of Sri Lanka.

Harpo's Pizza flying high in Male

Popular home grown brand Harpo's Pizza is savoring the trappings of success in Maldive Islands, a year after the brand ventured into the country. Harpo's Pizza, the brainchild of Sri Lankan restaurateur Harpo Gooneratne has found a fan following in the country, where the stand alone Sri Lankan brand offers deliciously light and crispy thin crust pizza's, made the real Italian way. Harpo's Pizza which carries out its F and B operations from the Park House Property in Male, has witnessed the brands' popularity growing at a steady pace, with deliveries amounting to over 50 to 60 pizzas a day. The energetic team working for Harpo's Pizza in Male has been especially trained for the job by pizza experts here in Sri Lanka, thus ensuring that the quality and high standard is maintained throughout. With the Maldivians warming up to the authentic thin crust pizza offered by the brand, Harpo is upbeat about stamping their presence in Maldives by establishing a stand alone pizzeria in Male in the near future. Meanwhile, the brand will also consider numerous offers that have been put forward by interested parties, mostly up market resorts to operate within the surrounding area. With the positive feedback Harpo's Pizza has been receiving since setting up its operations a year ago, Mr.Gooneratne and his partner Abdul Rasheed, MD Islanders, Maldives are optimistic about the future and are looking at prospects of venturing into lucrative overseas markets before long, with the aim of popularizing the brand among pizza lovers who crave to savor the best.

IATA forecasts steep losses

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a revised global financial forecast predicting airline losses totaling US$11 billion in 2009. This is US$2 billion worse than the previously projected US$9 billion loss due to rising fuel prices and weak yields. Industry revenues for the year are expected to fall by US$80 billion (15%) to US$455 billion compared to 2008 levels.

IATA also revised its loss estimates for 2008 from a loss of US$10.4 billion to a loss of US$16.8 billion. This revision reflects restatements and clarification of the accounting treatment of large revaluations to goodwill and fuel hedges. IATA industry profit figures strip-out such extra ordinary items which are not realised in cash terms.

"The bottom line of this crisis with combined 2008-9 losses at US$27.8 billion is larger than the impact of 9/11," said IATA's Director General and CEO. Giovanni Bisignani,Industry losses for 2001-2002 were US$24.3 billion.

"This is not a short-term shock. US$80 billion will disappear from the industry's top line. That 15% of lost revenue will take years to recover. Conserving cash, careful capacity management and cutting costs are the keys to survival. The global economic storm may be abating, but airlines have not yet found safe harbour. The crisis continues," said Bisignani.

Passenger traffic is expected to decline by 4.0 per cent and cargo by 14 per cent in 2009 (compared to declines of 8.0% and 17% in the June forecast). By July, cargo demand was -11.3% and passenger demand was -2.9%. While both are improvements over the lows of -23.2% for cargo (January) and -11.1% for passenger (March), both markets remain weak.

Yields are expected to fall 12% for passenger and 15% for cargo, compared to declines of 7% and 11% in the June forecast.

The fall in passenger yield is led by the 20% drop in demand for premium travel. Cargo utilization remains at less than 50% despite the removal of 227 freighters from the global fleet. There is little hope for an early recovery in yields in either the passenger or cargo markets.

Spot oil prices have been driven up sharply in anticipation of improved economic conditions. Oil is now expected to average US$61 per barrel (Brent) for the year (up from US$56 per barrel in the June forecast). This will add US$9 billion in cost for a expected fuel bill of US$115 billion.

"The optimism in the global economy has seen passenger and freight volumes rise, but that is the only bright spot. Rising costs and falling yields have squeezed airline cash flows. The sharp decline in yields will leave a lasting mark on the industry's structure. And revenues are not likely to return to 2008 levels until 2012," said Bisignani.

"With cash flows substantially down over the first half of the year, the situation is critical. Larger carriers have built-up cash reserves of US$15 billion-a war chest that is warding off a major cash crisis. But the outlook for small and medium sized carriers-with limited options to raise cash-is much more severe," said Bisignani.

IATA expects losses to continue into 2010 with the industry expected to report a US$3.8 billion net loss. This is based on a limited revival of growth in traffic volumes of 3.2% for passenger and 5% for cargo; very little increase in yields of 1.1% for passenger and 0.9% for cargo and oil at US$72 per barrel.