Uttam Thapaliya, commis chef at the Hyatt Regency, walked away with top honours at the National Culinary Competition organised by Mid-Valley International College. The event featured a rigorous, two-hour cooking contest designed to recognise Nepal’s finest culinary talents.

Adjudicated by Dr Souji Gopalakrishna, Hairul Bujang, Govinda Narsingh KC and Yuba Raj Pokhrel, the contest took place on June 12 at Mid-Valley College in Baneshwor.  The competition consisted of three phases where five chefs competed and prepared chicken and fish entrees. Chefs received points on the basis of taste, presentation, professionalism and innovation.

 “We have so many excellent cooks in this country who are eager to learn, grow, advance their careers, as well as cook on a national stage. This competition is a celebration of a generation of aspiring, talented chefs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a self-learned line cook, a culinary school graduate, or a second-career cook,” said one of the organisers, Reetal Rana.

Following an intense cook-off that saw the competing chefs churn out some mouth watering delicacies, Thapaliya received top honours and a prize of Rs 25,000. Pawan Khatiwawads, commis chef at Reef Restaurant, bagged second place whereas Ajay Sharma, commis chef at Hyatt Regency, won the third place.