Thinking out of the box at the MLA Black Box competition

From Sept. 4 to 5, Gold Coast, Australia was the site to a spectacle akin to the Olympics. Imagine a gathering of the world’s promising culinary athletes in a sport wherein the contestants are armed with kitchen knives, ladles, plates and tablecloths. A grueling challenge beyond the physical, wherein creativity, resourcefulness, and organization will spell the difference between the ok, the good, and the excellent. A salute to the young culinary talents of today who will eventually man the kitchens of tomorrow. I am overwhelmingly proud to be part of this experience, the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Black Box Culinary Challenge. Conceived in 1996, this competition has since launched the gastronomic talents of almost 2,000 chefs from various countries.

I first encountered this competition when I was requested to grace the local contest held in Manila last April. It was an experience to witness teamwork in action as the finest restaurants and hotels fielded their best people for this event. Hailed victorious was the team from Lolo Dad’s Café, led by team manager chef Ariel Manuel, chef de partie Eugene Guevarra and commis 3, and chefs Jeffrey Reguindin and Rommel Cabahug.

Imagine my delight when Mark Spurr, dynamic MLA director, invited me again, this time to the regional finals in Gold Coast, Australia. Joining me on this expedition was my colleague Jay Gamboa, head chef of family owned restaurant Cirkulo and Milky Way, the granddaddy of fast-food joints.

MLA has always been committed to developing culinary talents. Realizing that cuisine is rapidly evolving, it strives to keep in pace recognizing that the development of skills and innovation in food service are important to ensure continued demand of Australian beef, sheep meat, and goat meat worldwide.

This was the reason behind the MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge, aimed at promoting fine Australian meat and other food ingredients in a competition involving international hotels and young chefs.

The Black Box Culinary Challenge is the star event of the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) Asia Pacific Forum. The challenge brought together 16 teams of international chefs under the age of 32 to create and deliver a four-course menu for 560 guests with only 24 hours notice. Given only one hour to plan their menus, they are required to use only the ingredients supplied in the Black Box, all containing some of Australia’s best quality beef and lamb. The meal is prepared the following evening and is judged by a panel of international chefs at a gala dinner. Points are awarded for taste, skills, creativity, and artistic merit.

Early this month, the regional finals saw finalists from Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Myanmar, and Mauritius come together to contend for the winners mantle.

The teams only had a chance to check out the kitchens where they will do their prepping on the competition day. This was one prestigious event as the area was four times the size of Philippine International Convention Center. Standard kitchen equipment, cookware and cutlery were provided. After lunch, the participants were welcomed and given a briefing by events convenor Alan Palmer. Rules and regulations were spelled out thoroughly. Disqualification may take place at the very act of smuggling in extra ingredients not included in the assigned grocery list. Each team was also given requisition forms for the chinaware to be used.

Although the participants seemed clam, there was excitement and tension as the teams opened the boxes. In the box were the must-use ingredients, including meat, such as Stockyard Long Fed beef striploin, and Mulwarra boneless lamb blade, Norwegian fresh salmon and halibut. Dairy products included butter, cream cheese, milk, cream and cheddar cheese. There was an assortment of vegetables, grapes, and watermelon, cooking and table wine. They were also given grocery lists for optional ingredients they might like: salt, pepper, onions, garlic, potatoes, red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar. For pastry preparations, there were baking flour, white sugar, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and more.

They were given a rigid one hour to confer with each other to come up with a four-course menu to be submitted afterwards. The recipes should be good for 39 servings, 35 to be served and the remaining four to be put on display for judging and for the press picture taking. They could start proceeding to the kitchens afterwards to prepare their ingredients, or otherwise known as "mise en place," to put things in order. Take note that their respective team captains can only assist and guide the young chefs during menu conceptualization and are allowed to be with them only for a limited time during preparations. The team captains were not allowed in the satellite kitchens the next day while the actual cooking is done.

A welcome diversion to the friendly but otherwise formal atmosphere was the unconventional uniform, which the Philippine team wore. Lolo Dad’s head honcho chef Ariel Manuel and his group stood out in their colorful, happy attire, which was the icebreaker to the serious competitive atmosphere. Needless to say, our team stood its ground amid the stiff competition. It is difficult to work outside the familiar comfort of one’s kitchen. But despite the obstacles to hurdle, the aspiring young chefs, the apos of Lolo Dad’s, pulled through just fine! They served:

• Appetizer: Norwegian salmon and halibut sampler: salmon and halibut dumpling and salmon halibut fritter;

• Soup: sweet pepper gazpacho with vegetable marmalade and roasted grape granita;

• Main: Australian lamb shoulder ragout, roasted beef striploin, spiced potato and lamb muffin and beef adobo flakes;

• Dessert: Tasting of Desserts: butterscotch and cheddar ice cream in rainbow beet ravioli with lamb tulip, watermelon teppanyaki and blue cheese meringue and deep-fried mochi with rice crust.

The team’s innovative menu had the distinct scrawl of Lolo Dad’s elegant artiste signature all over it. Their table setting, which played with the MLA Black Box theme, was deftly executed by good friend Ben Go. Unfortunately, I was not able to sample their offerings since I was positioned at the table where the entrees from Hong Kong were to be served. It was certainly no loss. Instead, I had a taste of wonderfully executed dishes, which gave me a momentary glimpse of heaven. It was all good. I was lucky to have a chance to savor this sumptuous moment with the courtesy of my gracious hosts. If not, I would have to shell out a hefty $150, which was the cost per plate. Costly? Honestly, yes. Was it worth it ? The experience was absolutely priceless!

When judgment was passed, it was just as I thought. The team from the United Arab Emirates garnered the title, with the Australian team coming in second and Singapore meriting the third place. Other special awards were given: best menu presentation, Vietnam; best appetizer, Thailand; best soup, Sri Lanka; best main course, Vietnam; and best dessert, Indonesia.

Watching the gifted team from UAE at work, I was just awestruck at their thoroughness and precision as they moved about the kitchen. They have must have done their homework. Calm and collected, they worked as a team, each one focused on his own assignments. Here’s one concrete example of their resourcefulness in the realm of pressure: a recipe required that they roll a dough thin, but they were limited by the lack of a rolling pin. Creativity saves the day. One of the team members used a roll of a plastic wrap as replacement and it worked just fine. With that out of the way, they moved on to other tasks and eventually earned the cup. The winning menu consisted of:

• Appetizer: Lucindale confit halibut, baby cos herb salad with Italian dressing;

• Soup: Norwegian salmon royal with a capsicum espuma;

• Main dish: Australian beef striploin topped with cheese, braised Mulwarra lamb parcel, sautéed broccoli and tomato jus;

• Dessert: macadamia nut and chocolate composition with butterscotch sauce.

Watching and documenting this event humbled me to know that there is so much talent out there, and that I could learn a thing or two from the young. Their enthusiasm and passion clearly shows through their work, providing me with newfound inspiration and drive. It just goes to show that no matter how long and how good you are in the business, you are only as good as your last dish!

Cheers!

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E-mail the author at henysison@pacific.net.ph.