A testament to Hyatt's commitment to excellence and creativity in food and beverage, the annual competition cultivates emerging culinary talent and celebrates cultural diversity
HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - November 13, 2018 - Hyatt Hotels & Resorts today announced that Sebong Oh and Lily Liu will represent its Asia Pacific region in The Good Taste Series competition in the global final early next year. Now in its fifth edition, the annual contest has grown from a North American initiative to a global program featuring chefs from Hyatt hotels in Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Designed to cultivate emerging talent from Hyatt's kitchens, The Good Taste Series provides anyone from line cooks to executive sous chefs with an opportunity to showcase their culinary flair.
"Hyatt has always enjoyed the reputation of being a leader in food and beverage. Our secret sauce to success is to foster a nurturing environment where we develop and recognize our chefs as well as provide a stimulating platform for them to exchange their knowledge and collaborate with one another," said Andreas Stalder, Senior Vice President, Food and Beverage Operations and Product Development, Asia Pacific at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.
Stalder added, "This is the second year that we are holding The Good Taste Series in Asia Pacific. We are delighted to see the increased excitement and engagement among our chefs. We have almost four times as many participants this year compared to last year as well as more female chefs. It has been inspiring to see the creativity and passion among our up-and-coming chefs as well as how their diverse culinary styles and cultural backgrounds have influenced the food they make."
340 chefs from 68 Hyatt hotels competed for the coveted opportunity to represent their sub-regions in this year's Asia Pacific final of The Good Taste Series. Among which, six contestants were selected from across Greater China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Korea, Japan and Micronesia: Sotaro Okuda of Hyatt Regency Kyoto, Josephine Loke of Andaz Singapore, Sebong Oh of Grand Hyatt Seoul, Jason Ho of Grand Hyatt Taipei, Lily Liu of Park Hyatt Hangzhou and Woontae Baek of Hyatt Regency Perth.
The night before the Asia Pacific final, the six chefs received a mystery black box containing wild venison, langoustine, porcini mushroom and kohlrabi that were to be incorporated into their dishes. In addition, they were provided with fruits and vegetables supplied by Ecofarm, a certified organic farm in Jiangxi, China. The chefs were then given a few hours to create a cold dish and a hot dish.
The judging panel comprised of renowned chefs from Asia Pacific including Margarita Forés, Vicky Lau, Bruno Menard, Dave Pynt and Stefan Stiller as well as food critics Dong Keping, Susan Jung and Myffy Rigby. The judges also offered their expertise and provided guidance to the six finalists during the food tasting.
Chef Sebong won top marks from the judges with his two creations: Steamed langoustine with yuzu sauce, fruit jelly, beetroot tuile, roasted porcini and broccoli puree; Bulgogi marinated venison, gochujang potato croquette, carrot-ginger puree, Korean braised kohlrabi, pickled asparagus and lime Yorkshire pudding. First runner-up, Chef Lily impressed the judges with her cold dish of langoustine, crustacean jelly, parsley mayonnaise and kohlrabi and a slow-cooked venison loin, rice mantle, porcini ravioli, oyster sauce with vegetable.
"I am thankful to have this opportunity to develop myself through this competition with contestants from other countries", shared Sebong Oh. "Through The Good Taste Series, I have learned what I am capable of achieving. I look forward to the global final where I would like to show more Asian spirit through my creativity in my dishes."
"I think this is an excellent opportunity from Hyatt to nurture skillful chefs and to help them grow," said Lily Liu. "I have learned much from this competition and believe that this will help me become a better chef."
Sebong Oh and Lily Liu will face off with four other chefs from Hyatt hotels in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa in The Good Taste Series global final, which will be held in Singapore in the first quarter of 2019.
The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
*About Hyatt Hotels Corporation*
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 14 premier brands. As of June 30, 2018, the Company's portfolio included more than 750 properties in more than 55 countries across six continents. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to attract and retain top colleagues, build relationships with guests and create value for shareholders. The Company's subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa locations, including under the *Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Andaz®, Hyatt Centric®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Ziva*™*, Hyatt Zilara*™*, Hyatt Residence Club® *and *exhale®* brand names. For more information, please visit *www.hyatt.com*.
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