Three chefs representing the Maldives have won silver medals at HOFEX 2017, Asia’s leading food and hospitality trade show.
Chef Ahmed Fatheen from Bandos Island Resort, and Chef Indra Kumar Limbu and Chef Ismail Nasser from Hulhule Island Hotel (HIH) won the Maldives Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge 2016, which was hosted as part of the annual Hotel Asia exhibition.
The travelled to Hong Kong to participate in HOFEX 2017, which was held from May 8-11 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The three won the silver medal in the category, “Hot Cooking – Professional: Sustainable Seafood – Halibut” at the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic (HKICC), which was held as part of HOFEX 2017.
The three chefs received a warm welcome at the main Velana International Airport on Friday upon their return home.
They told reporters at the airport that the medal was just the beginning and that HOFEX 2017 was a great learning experience. With the rapid progress currently observed in the Maldives F&B industry, it is important that such opportunities are effectively utilised, they said.
Their participation at HOFEX 2017 was hosted by Hotel Asia exhibition and culinary challenge’s organiser Maldives Exhibition and Conference Service (MECS) and its main sponsor Bestbuy Maldives (BBM), one of the leading F&B suppliers in the country.
BBM said it was proud of the chefs that represented the Maldives at HOFEX 2017. More similar opportunities would be provided to chefs working in the Maldives in order to develop their skills and to gain experience working with experts from around the world, it added.
HOFEX has been taking the food and hospitality industry on numerous extraordinary journeys of culinary delicacies from all over the world in the past 30 years, bringing the most comprehensive selection of food and drinks, hospitality equipment and supplies products to Asia.
The annual trade show, organised by the Hong Kong Exhibition Services Ltd in association with Allworld Exhibitions, Hong Kong Chefs Association and International Culinary Institute, gathers more than 2,500 exhibitors. The event, endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies, is attended by some 50,000 trade buyers from 74 countries.
This year’s edition of the Hotel Asia exhibition is scheduled to be held from September 18-20 with the culinary challenge taking place from September 17-20 at the main Dharubaaruge convention centre in capital Male.