Chen KhaiLoong, Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management (Hons) student, brought home gold for Malaysia at the 6th International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) on 3 February at Kolkata, India, marking Taylor’s University’s and Malaysia’s third win since 2015.
YCO 2020 was organised by the International Hospitality Council (IHC) in association with the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), supported by The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The global competition saw participants from 55 countries competing for six days, across five cities in India - Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Goa and Kolkata.
Apart from receiving the YCO 2020 Champion trophy, Chen donned the Gold Toque and bagged the prize cheque of USD 10,000. In previous years, his predecessors from the Culinary Arts programme Ashwin Nicholas Oon and Lai Jia Yi won Gold in 2015 and 2018 respectively, and Andrew Ou Kai Peng won Silver in 2017.
Chen’s winning dish was PuyLentils-stuffed Aubergine with Beetroot and Cinnamon Reduction and Trio of Prawns served with Pak Choy, PommePuree, Pickled Shallot and Cardamom sauce. He was mentored by Chef Farouk Othman and Chef Sharizan Azali Mohamed Zamzuri.
Taylor’s University also awarded “Sustainability Initiative Champion”, an award given to Top 10 academic establishment with progressive sustainability initiatives, which was the event theme for YCO 2020.
