MANILA, Philippines - Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) offers the chance of a lifetime to 12 underprivileged youths from six countries across Asia to fulfill their dreams in the latest original reality television series produced by the Asian Food Channel (AFC).
Titled “The Big Break,” the series premiered on Skycable Channel 22, Dream Satellite Channel 27 or Cignal Channel 30 last Nov. 14.
More than 105 million AFC viewers from 11 territories across Asia caught the 30-minute series hosted by RWS Executive Chef Alan Orreal and AFC celebrity chef Farah Quinn.
The duo traveled to voluntary welfare organizations in Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea, searching for youths who exemplified a passion for cooking and possessed the determination to pursue their dreams of becoming a chef.
The brigade of 12 selected aspiring youths, including two youths from the Philippines, traveled to Singapore where they will pit their skills in a series of challenges at Singapore’s first integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa, where its myriad of attractions, restaurants and facilities will form the backdrop for the series.
Judged based on their culinary and hospitality skills, techniques learned during the challenges as well as attitude and performance, all participating youths will try their hand at getting one step closer to the grand prize of a scholarship worth over S$30,000 at the At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy in Singapore, co-sponsored by RWS.
But there will be no losers either. Every week, a selected number of youths who don’t qualify for the next round will be granted a S$2,000 bursary by RWS, allowing them to continue on with their education after they return home from the show.
To assist the youths in their journey, RWS and AFC have also assembled an all-star line-up of international and distinguished guest chefs to take on the role of judges and mentors.
Featured chefs include the world’s most Michelin star-decorated Chef Joël Robuchon, Australian celebrity chef Scott Webster, RWS Executive Chefs Alan Orreal, Edmund Toh and Ron Cheng, as well as Unilever Food Solutions’ regional executive Chef Yen Koh.
These world-class chefs ensure that each contestant receives first-class culinary and food and beverage training throughout the program, exposing them to a myriad of different cuisines and flavors from around the world.
The Big Break will also give them an immersive cross-cultural experience, while teaching them invaluable application techniques.
Greg Allan, RWS vice president for food and beverage and rooms, said, “We are very privileged to be a part of this meaningful project. Being involved from the conceptualization stage of this series allowed us to offer up our extensive F&B expertise and knowledge and to really make a difference in the lives of these youths.”
Maria Brown, co-founder and chief executive officer of the AFC, also expressed excitement with the recent premiere of this AFC original production.
“At AFC, we believe in the transformative power of food and the joy it brings to people. It is an honor for the AFC to be part of this life-changing experience that RWS is providing, and we hope that through The Big Break, all the youths who take part will be provided with a stepping stone to get one step closer to fulfilling their life ambition and dreams,” Brown said.
The Big Break is produced in partnership with Resorts World Sentosa, and is sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions and Del Monte Asia Pte Ltd.
For more information on The Big Break, visit http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/thebigbreak.