Nestle Golden Chefs Hat Awards Winner Season 7

The live competition for young chefs held at the ICCA Dubai saw the duo from Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek clinch the coveted trophy.

Chef Mohammed Fayis and Chef Aruna Praba Dias have won the Golden Chef’s Hat Award UAE Season 9. Both winners took home a complete professional photography kit and an iPhone 13 Pro. The two chefs representing Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek competed against 9 formidable teams from across the UAE in a nail-biting finish at the ICCA Dubai.

The top 10 teams competing in the live cook-off were shortlisted from over 20 teams that were selected and profiled along with their recipes in Gulf Gourmet magazine last year. The first and second runners-up were Chef Ramy Mohammad Eldesouky and Chef Dinesh Kumar of Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, and Chef Nurangi Madhubashini and Chef Islam Ezzat Mohamed Masoud of Caesars Palace Bluewaters respectively.

Ayça Koç, Food Business Manager, Nestlé Professional – MENA, says, “At Nestlé Professional we are thrilled to have been on this journey supporting young chefs. Since 2013, the brightest UAE-based young chefs from around the world, have showcased their skills through this competition. To see the innovative use of Nestle Professional ingredients by 40 chefs in Gulf Gourmet magazine followed by a live cook-off by the top 10 teams at the ICCA Dubai, has been a marvelous experience.”

Nestlé Professional ingredients used by the competitors included Buitoni® Tomato Coulis, the entire Maggi® Professional range, CHEF® Demi-Glace, KitKat® Mix-in, and Docello®’s range of Panna Cotta, Chocolate Mousse and Crème Brûlée powders.

The judging panel was made up of Chef Elie Lteif from Nestlé Professional, Chef Daniel Shepherd, Chef Atim Suyatim, Chef Wayne Gebhardt, Chef Vivek Huria, Chef Manzoor Hassan Bhalgari, Chef Shan Pussella, Chef Mohamed Ali Jasem, and Chef Truong Vinh Co.

Taking about judging, Chef Elie Lteif said, “The level of the dishes presented to us were truly exceptional. We had a tough task marking dishes on various parameters ranging from taste to wastage and from use of ingredients to the composition of each dish, and of course, the way each dish was presented.”

Chef Mohammed’s winning dish was a beef roulade with balsamic glaze and braised beef cheek with roast potato, pumpkin puree, Maggi® potato croquettes and beetroot flavoured Sago crackers. His teammate Aruna created a Docello® Trio Chocolate Mousse with Lemon Creme Brulé and Raspberry Docello® Panna Cotta with Cocoa Crumble and Berry Compote.