Chief judge at the Moffat Salon Culinaire and celebrity chef, Gary Farrell, has been amazed by the level of competitiveness Fijian chefs have displayed at the competition.

Held at Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island in Nadi, the competition has seen some 300 entries. It is part of Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association’s Vodafone HOTEC Trade Show from local chefs.

Mr Farrell is leading a team of international judges who are in the country to pick the best local chef from this annual event.

He made special mention of Fiji Chefs Association and its president, Shailesh Naidu, for going to great lengths to promote and guide young and older chefs.

Special place

Mr Farrell said Fijian cuisine has its own special place amongst world cuisine and the ability of Fijian chefs to combine Fijian cooking techniques with more contemporary ones is praiseworthy.

“In my experience, the whole competition has been elevated. In some aspects day one of the competition is harder and things have started to relax now for the chefs as well,” he said.

“The strength of Fijian chefs is of course where they work. This place has a huge influence on the food they cook.

“They work well with the using old traditional techniques of cooking and combine that with new forms of cooking.”

Mr Farrell said Fijian chefs still lack in providing top most finishing touches to their dishes. This is one area, he said, where more work was needed.

Who leads the culinary arena in Fiji will be known tonight when winners from the competition will be announced.

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