Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu recently sent four associates from the culinary and barista teams to the Culinaire Malaysia 2015 which was held in Kuala Lumpur from 29 September – 2 October 2015. The annual Culinaire Malaysia 2015 is organised by the Malaysian Association of Hotels and is four challenging days of world class culinary competition. The four associates, who are Mazlan Said, Azerin Abdul Mumin, Roy Albert Robit and Sharif Azlan Sharif Imran did the hotel and state proud by reaching the finals and winning medals in their respective categories.
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| LMKK Chefs Mazlan and Azerin with their medals and certificates |
Chef Mazlan bin Said, a Commis 2 chef at the hotel’s Favola Italian Restaurant, competed in the HOT COOKING category under Meat/Poultry Main Course (Western Cuisine). Chef Mazlan beat more than 90 other competing chefs, winning the silver medal for his dish, the Coconut Crusted Black Angus Beef Tenderloin, With Beef And Foie Gras Tortellini, Caramelised Beetroot, Pumpkin Flan, Buttered Vegetables, Flaxseed Crackers, Gorgonzola Cream Sauce And Malibu Sauce. The gold medal was not awarded to any Chef. Chef Mazlan, who hails from Sandakan, has worked with Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu for more than 5 years and has 10 years’ experience in culinary.
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| LMKK Chef Azerin with his medal and certificate |
A Junior Sous Chef at Latest Recipe Restaurant, Chef Azerin bin Abdul Mumin competed in the HOT COOKING category under Fish/Seafood Main Course (Western Cuisine). Bringing 15 years of experience in culinary Chef Azerin beat more than 130 other competing chefs from other countries for the Silver medal. His winning dish was the Quinoa-Crusted Cod Fish, With Lobster Tortellini, Pumpkin Puree With Black Truffle, Vegetable Fricassee, Buttered Vegetables, Lemon Foam, Crispy Cod Fish Skin, Tomato Sauce And Squid-Ink Reduction.
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| LMKK - Master Barista Sharif Azlan in the midst of competing |
“It was a challenging experience for us, having never competed at National Level before, much less at this international scale. Just seeing the number of competitors from countries like Indonesia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea and more at the event was quite unnerving. But we knew we came with a purpose and that was to do our best and to make our team proud”, comments Chef Mazlan.
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| LMKK - Barista Roy (1st from left) with the other Top Four finalists - Latte Art Championship, Culinaire Malaysia 2015 |
Membakut-born Barista and Bartender Roy Albert Robit competed in the Latte art championship along with 12 other competitors. Roy’s Rosetta and Tulip, and Swan latte art creations won him a place in the Top Four and a chance to compete for the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. From the four finalists, two were awarded bronze medals with no winners for the Gold and Silver. Roy joined Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu as a bartender more than 5 years ago and gained his barista knowledge and skills at the hotel.
Sharif Azlan Sharif Imran, the hotel’s Master Barista, competed in the Barista Championship, along with 11 competitor Baristas. Sharif Azlan’s aromatic, freshly-brewed espresso, cappuccino and his own Coffee creation, the Dark Elixir, an infusion of honey, lemon and cinnamon mixed with a double espresso and topped with whipped milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder won him fifth placing at the international championships. Tuaran-born talent Azlan joined Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu in 2011 and was appointed the hotel Master Barista two years ago.
Fiona Hagan, General Manager of Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu commented, “We believe in developing local talent and know that our associates are passionate in what they do. By supporting them and giving them exposure at this level of competition, we encourage them to grow in experience, knowledge and confidence. I am very proud of Mazlan, Azerin, Roy and Azlan for the hard work that they have put in, and for proving that our local talents are world-class.”
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Charlene Tan
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T +6088 322 296
F +6088 322 225
M +60198220200
charlene.tan@lemeridien.com
Or
Jocelyn Banding
Marketing Communications Manager
T +6088 322 211
F +6088 322 225
M +60 12 801 9935
jocelyn.banding@lemeridien.com
About Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts Le Méridien,
the Paris-born hotel brand currently represented by nearly 100 properties in more than 40 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. With more than 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Méridien provided a strong international complement to Starwood’s then primarily North American holdings at the time of purchase. Since then, Le Méridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included a large scale hotels product consolidation as well as redefining its brand strategy. Through creation of the LM100 artist community, Le Méridien has transformed numerous guest touch points, thus bringing unique, interactive and curated experiences to its guests. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Méridien Hotels and Resorts within the next five years, concentrating on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Le Méridien recently opened new hotels in Bali, Atlanta, Dallas, Istanbul, Oran (Algeria), Arlington (Virginia, USA), and Coimbatore (India), and will open in the next 12 months in Chicago, Zhengzhou (China), Mahabaleshwar (India), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Cairo (Egypt), Qingdao (China), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tampa (Florida, USA) and Columbus (Ohio, USA). For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com or www.facebook.com/lemeridien.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,162 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest(R) (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
