Students from Sunway University’s School of Hospitality Impress Top Chefs

Two students from the BSc (Hons) in Culinary Management, School of Hospitality, were specially selected to be chef assistants in a one-of-a-kind, pop-up restaurant in the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur.

Alicia Tay and Kelvin Lau were invited by Chef Kamaruddin Adnin, Executive Chef of Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, to assist Chef Francois Mermilliod of the famed French dining Singaporean restaurant, Bar-a-Thym.

The exclusive dinner event, named “Find Your Lucky Star” which took place over a period of 2 weeks in December 2017 and only available to 12 guests each night, was conceptualised by multi-award winning global interior designer, Emma Maxwell, while the celebratory menus were curated by Chef Mermilliod and Chef Gaetano Di Stefano of Villa Danielli - the signature Italian restaurant at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur.

Alicia Tay felt privileged to be part of Chef Francois’ culinary team as she learnt many different cooking techniques and tips from him.

“This project had been an eye-opening experience for me as I had learnt so much from Chef Francois himself. The way his dishes are ‘fusion-ized’ with both Western and Asian elements and style caught my attention. For example, one of the dishes was a combination of Italian and Japanese, where the pasta sauce was cooked with furikkake (a type of Japanese seasoning consisting a mixture of seaweed, sesame seeds, dried fish flakes and others) together with sea urchin. This was so exciting. The flavour of the combination just fits perfectly with the pasta and adds so much dimension and depth to the dish. I was truly inspired by the way Chef Francois cooks, as well as the presentation of his dish – it was so simple, yet so elegant at the same time,” Alicia said.

Kelvin Lau also found the project to be both fun and stimulating.

“I have learnt so much from him, and I feel that Chef Francois’ creativity in combining flavours from around the world is truly thought-provoking and amazing. For example, Chef Francois incorporated Thai nahm jim dressing and French Lime sabayon to accompany the lobster ravioli. It was an explosion of flavours combining both Asian ingredients and French classic techniques – a hint of spiciness, together with a salty, sour, sweet taste and with a creamy and frothy texture. I’m lost for words to express the uniqueness of these flavours – its eureka!” Kelvin said.

Meanwhile, Chef Kamaruddin expressed his thanks to both the students and the School of Hospitality for the assistance provided. “On behalf of the Sheraton Culinary Family, I would like to say a big thank you to both Kelvin and Alicia. They have done a very good job, and I believe that Chef Francois was very impressed with both of them. Well done, and I hope that Alicia and Kelvin will make use of this fantastic experience to move forward in their culinary journey,” he said.

Chef Soon Pau Voon, the Programme Leader of the Diploma in Culinary Arts at Sunway University, explained the importance of this experience in terms of experiential learning: “The School of Hospitality encourages students to learn beyond the comfort zone of the school’s training kitchens. The School is delighted to be recognised and invited for culinary events by our industry partners which shows our commitment in providing quality culinary education. The School is always exploring possibilities for further collaborations with our industry partners, which enhance and enrich our students’ learning experience. Indeed, this approach to teaching and learning is fundamental.”