4 March 2015, Singapore – With slightly over a week to the start of the 2015 FORMULA ONE season, race promoter Singapore GP Pte Ltd has launched the inaugural TrackChef culinary competition. Comprising 24 chefs from six hotels and 12 budding pastry chef apprentices from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, the competition will pit some of the best chefs in Singapore to inspire them to produce stunning creations and design a brand new menu for hospitality guests including those at the Sky and Club Suites at the 2015 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX.

Judging the TrackChef contestants together with Singapore GP representatives are award-winning chefs Otto Weibel, Eric Teo and Martin Woo, who have had experience catering to hospitality guests at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“We are thrilled to launch the TrackChef culinary competition that will see an exciting collaboration between some of the best chefs in Singapore and promising student chef apprentices to produce a new menu for the trackside hospitality. We hope to see an exciting mix of modern fusion cuisine, local flavours with a twist as well as latest food trends such as food and liquor pairings incorporated into the menu to tempt even the most discerning palate,” said Sunil Shamdasani, Director of Operations, Food & Beverage of Singapore GP Pte Ltd.

Designing a menu for hospitality guests at the Sky Suite, Club Suite and The Green Room comes with a unique set of challenges such as food preparation in an onsite modular kitchen facility, catering to a diverse international audience, and ensuring consistency in presentation and taste when catering for a large-scale event.

First ever pairing of chefs and student apprentices for trackside hospitality menu

The competition will see participation by chefs from six five-star hotels officially catering for the 2015 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX – Grand Hyatt Singapore, Sheraton Towers Singapore, InterContinental Singapore, Marina Mandarin Singapore, Mandarin Oriental Singapore and Pan Pacific Singapore.

In an industry first, the chefs will be teamed with and mentor 12 pastry chef apprentices from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy to produce desserts for the menu as part of this culinary competition. This exclusive opportunity will provide a platform for promising student chef apprentices to showcase their talent and gain industry experience by some of the best chefs in Singapore.

“These 12 students have been specially picked by At-Sunrice for the promising talent they’ve displayed during their academic journey. The TrackChef culinary competition is an excellent initiative that will expose our students to real-world experience in a competitive arena, and push them to develop their talents further,” said Dr Glenn Mack, Deputy Dean of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy.

Chefs will compete in three teams to produce innovative dishes for the Menu Design, Appetiser, Main Course and Dessert categories. Points will be awarded on creativity of dishes, blend of flavours and ingredients as well as quality of food, amongst other criteria.

The competition will first see participants go through a Chef-in-Boardroom round, where they will partake in a culinary ‘war game’ with the judging panel to debate on preparation methods and menu dynamics. This will be followed by a Preliminary Presentation, to enable the judges to sample and critique the proposed dishes. The teams’ final creations will be put forward in a Grand Finale, where the dishes will be sampled by the judging panel and selected hospitality suite guests.

As part of the TrackChef culinary initiative, Singapore GP will also be launching a spin-off culinary competition under the Rev Up Singapore! campaign to provide opportunities for members of the public to submit recipes to be included in the hospitality menu. More details on the public competition will be announced soon.