Unleashing Culinary Creativity at Taylor’s Empowerment Innovation Challenge 2024 with Emborg® & Monin®

Taylor’s University recently hosted the prestigious Taylor’s Empowerment Innovation Challenge 2024, a premier competition for aspiring chefs and culinary enthusiasts. This annual event, organized in partnership with industry leaders Emborg® and Monin®, offered students an exceptional platform to showcase their culinary creativity, innovation, and technical prowess. With generous prizes for the Top 10 category winners, the challenge provided an added incentive for participants to excel.

The competition welcomed students from the School of Food Studies & Gastronomy and Taylor’s Culinary Institute. To advance to the final round, participants submitted recipes and videos demonstrating their preparation of innovative desserts and beverages using products from Emborg® and Monin®. Generous sponsorship from both brands covered all ingredients needed for both the pre-selection and final rounds.

In the final competition, ten selected teams, each comprising two students, competed to create an array of innovative desserts and beverages. The event featured ten distinct categories, each designed to evaluate specific skills and aspects of the participants' creations. Finalists were paired with Key Opinion Leaders (Content Creators) who not only provided event coverage but also collaborated with the students on their culinary innovations. The judging panel included:

• Mr. Jason Soon, Beverage Innovation Manager, Monin®

• Chef Ahmad Mustaffa, Foodservice Manager, Emborg®

• Chef Abdul Muluk Rambli, Former Corporate Executive Chef, Nestlé

• Chef Najihah Salwana Binti Sanusi, Founder, Dulcens® Confectionery

• Chef Mohamad Zamri Bin Idris, Senior Lecturer, School of Food Studies & Gastronomy, Taylor's University

• Chef Sharizan Azali Bin Mohamed Zamzuri, Senior Lecturer, School of Food Studies & Gastronomy, Taylor's University

Category	Winner	Programme
Judges’ Choice	Yap Jing Li Low Wai Xing	Bachelor of Patisserie Arts
Overall Best Group	Engku Amir Henry Wong Ji Hai	Diploma in Culinary Arts
Most Innovative Dessert	Roux Cho Yan Pek Yui Hang	Bachelor of Culinary Management
Best Teamwork	Maaria Aslam Pushti Boodhun	Bachelor of Culinary Management
Best Dessert	Melia Carmelita	Bachelor of Patisserie Arts
Best Presentation (Dessert)	Alvin Chai Mariska	Bachelor of Culinary Management
Best Drinks	Jayce Tan Chin Jin Hong	Bachelor of Science in Culinology
Best Presentation (Drink)	Elisha Raj Vrisheen Nair	Bachelor of Science in Culinology
Most Refreshing Drink	Tanissha Rao Zheng Quan	Bachelor of Science in Culinology
Best Use of Secret Ingredients	Jez Koh Max Chai	Bachelor of Science in Culinology

Congratulations to all participants for their exceptional creativity and innovation. The Taylor’s Empowerment Innovation Challenge remains a premier platform for cultivating the next generation of culinary talent.