South Africans win cooking championship again

16 Nov 2009

The title of LG Global Grand Master Chef at the LG Life Tastes Good Championship 2009 was won for the second year by an amateur South African team, this time Jaco Pieter Willem Dreyer and Evgeni Igorevich Omeltchenko, at the Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok on 11 November 2009.

2009 LG Global Grand Master Chefs, Jaco Dreyer and Evgeni Omeltchenko

Following their wins as national South African and regional champions in Dubai, they competed against 16 teams of finalists from North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. The finalists were required to cook their recipes according to the competition rules and regulations, using organic ingredients and LG cooking appliances with health conscious and energy saving features.

The theme for this year, ‘Cuisine of Light', highlighted the benefits of cooking with Light Wave technology. The World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) and Le Cordon Bleu, two authorities that help shape the opinions of food around the world, endorsed the event. The endorsement shows that the championship contributes to enhancing culinary excellence as well as improving the standard of global cuisine.

Judges & sponsors

Judging was based on menu presentation, taste and relevance to the central theme, the two institutions helped develop the event's regulations and judging standards, which further raised the bar of the competition in objectiveness and professionalism.

The judging panel included senior LG executives Dermot Boden, LG executive and vice president and CMO, Dan Koh, vice president of marketing strategy team and Chang Hee Han, director, home appliance and air conditioning. Joining the LG executives on the judging panel were representatives of WACS and Le Cordon Bleu and four world class celebrity chefs; Cat Cora (US), Guy Martin (France), Khun Ik (Thailand) and Anna Kim (Korea).

This year's sponsors include WACS, Le Cordon Bleu, Thai Airways, WMF and the Korean Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

“This event, now in its second year, offers a unique global opportunity for home chefs that transcends both cultural and linguistic barriers,” said Young Ha Lee, president and CEO of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company.

According to Dr Michelle Potgieter, marketing director: LG Electronics South Africa, "The competition was originally started to show how consumers can make tasty and healthy gourmet food at home but it has become more about the wonderful diversity of cultures and the way in which we all relate to food in our lives."