ICCA Dubai Alumni Sana Quidwai, Wins Silver at Salon Culinaire!“
“It was out of the blue when I was announced as one of the winners for a Cooking Competition that I had participated in for the first time in my life”, says Sana Quidwai after winning a Silver for Live Cooking at the Emirates Culinary Guild’s prestigious Salon Culinaire 2016.
When Sana joined ICCA Dubai to pursue her interest in cooking as acareer, little did she know that she could make a mark in her career graph even before starting her journey as a Professional Chef.
According to Sana, it was Chef Daniel Hiltbrunner, Master Chef Instructor at ICCA Dubai who encouraged her to participate in the competition.“Chef Daniel was there from the very beginning to give me all the support I needed. As a beginner, it was only because of Chef Daniel I gained the confidence to participate in a high-profile competition like this, and he also helped me prep with necessary training sessions for the event”, said Sana.
To participate in a Live Cooking Competition for the very first time was indeed a challenging experience for Sana and that she came out with flying colors made this winning even more special. “The amenities provided in the competition were all new to me and within the allotted time. I not only had to prepare and present the dish impeccably but also had to get myself comfortable with the types of equipment around me in the makeshift kitchen. All these made me even more nervous than I already was. However, challenges like this in a competition, you cannot expect to be in your comfort zone and you simply push yourself to the limit, where putting out your best becomes your only priority”.
When the competitions started, she was only focused on giving her very best, and little did she know about the overwhelming response coming her way from the jury by the end of the show. “I made Chicken Roulade and finished with a nice plating presentation on time. When the plate was presented to the Jury, they were all impressed with my plating skills and it was shown to the fellow competitors, as an example of plating that ought to be done in a fine dining restaurant. That sure was some real moment of winning for me, where I knew I was able to successfully deliver from what I had learned so far from ICCA Dubai”.
Sana did not have any second thoughts about the credits for her success. She thanked Chef Daniel, Chef Marco, and the other ICCA faculty who were in and around to give her timely feedbacks on her work while she was preparing herself for the competition. “I had started preparing myself at the school for the competitions under the guidance of Chef Daniel and Chef Marco.They made me prepare the same dish over and over again. They pushed me hard to cope with the required timing in plating as per the competition standards.Everything had to be done at the quickest possible so that the plated food reached fresh and hot to the judge’s table. I am glad that I had such a good support system behind me, which not only enabled me to win a Silver Medal in this competition but also built up my confidence for a better tomorrow”.
When asked about her future and the benefits that came out of such an experience, Sana said, “It is a great experience to be around so many Industry Professionals and to see them all work with true passion. I think all the budding chefs should experience this kind of event so that they get a good idea of the industry and their working styles. Also, this competition has helped give me a good platform to start my career in the industry”.
About Salon Culinaire
The Emirates Culinary Guild’s Salon Culinaire is a series of practical and display-based culinary competitions, which is open for entry to professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks, and bakers. Approximately 1,300 young chefs compete to become stars of the future. From practical cooking competitions to the buffet and banqueting showpieces, chefs showcase their talent through a wide range of skills and techniques. A panel of renowned chefs, mandated by the World Chefs to judge culinary events across the globe,evaluate the competition to ensure the highest competition standards.
ICCA Dubai Alumni Sana Quidwai, Wins Silver at Salon Culinaire!“
“It was out of the blue when I was announced as one of the winners for a Cooking Competition that I had participated in for the first time in my life”, says Sana Quidwai after winning a Silver for Live Cooking at the Emirates Culinary Guild’s prestigious Salon Culinaire 2016.
When Sana joined ICCA Dubai to pursue her interest in cooking as acareer, little did she know that she could make a mark in her career graph even before starting her journey as a Professional Chef.
According to Sana, it was Chef Daniel Hiltbrunner, Master Chef Instructor at ICCA Dubai who encouraged her to participate in the competition.“Chef Daniel was there from the very beginning to give me all the support I needed. As a beginner, it was only because of Chef Daniel I gained the confidence to participate in a high-profile competition like this, and he also helped me prep with necessary training sessions for the event”, said Sana.
To participate in a Live Cooking Competition for the very first time was indeed a challenging experience for Sana and that she came out with flying colors made this winning even more special. “The amenities provided in the competition were all new to me and within the allotted time. I not only had to prepare and present the dish impeccably but also had to get myself comfortable with the types of equipment around me in the makeshift kitchen. All these made me even more nervous than I already was. However, challenges like this in a competition, you cannot expect to be in your comfort zone and you simply push yourself to the limit, where putting out your best becomes your only priority”.
When the competitions started, she was only focused on giving her very best, and little did she know about the overwhelming response coming her way from the jury by the end of the show. “I made Chicken Roulade and finished with a nice plating presentation on time. When the plate was presented to the Jury, they were all impressed with my plating skills and it was shown to the fellow competitors, as an example of plating that ought to be done in a fine dining restaurant. That sure was some real moment of winning for me, where I knew I was able to successfully deliver from what I had learned so far from ICCA Dubai”.
Sana did not have any second thoughts about the credits for her success. She thanked Chef Daniel, Chef Marco, and the other ICCA faculty who were in and around to give her timely feedbacks on her work while she was preparing herself for the competition. “I had started preparing myself at the school for the competitions under the guidance of Chef Daniel and Chef Marco.They made me prepare the same dish over and over again. They pushed me hard to cope with the required timing in plating as per the competition standards.Everything had to be done at the quickest possible so that the plated food reached fresh and hot to the judge’s table. I am glad that I had such a good support system behind me, which not only enabled me to win a Silver Medal in this competition but also built up my confidence for a better tomorrow”.
When asked about her future and the benefits that came out of such an experience, Sana said, “It is a great experience to be around so many Industry Professionals and to see them all work with true passion. I think all the budding chefs should experience this kind of event so that they get a good idea of the industry and their working styles. Also, this competition has helped give me a good platform to start my career in the industry”.
About Salon Culinaire
The Emirates Culinary Guild’s Salon Culinaire is a series of practical and display-based culinary competitions, which is open for entry to professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks, and bakers. Approximately 1,300 young chefs compete to become stars of the future. From practical cooking competitions to the buffet and banqueting showpieces, chefs showcase their talent through a wide range of skills and techniques. A panel of renowned chefs, mandated by the World Chefs to judge culinary events across the globe,evaluate the competition to ensure the highest competition standards.
