~They grab the top two spots in the Mocktail Creation category and a third in the Cocktail Creation category
Tan Wei Wen (left) and Steven Heng (right) made it a Taylor’s 1-2 finish at the Monin Cup 2010.
Competing against nine other finalists from four private institutions, Steven impressed the judges and the audience with a flawless performance as he presented his unique creation named Souriant-Sucré, a drink with a blend of fresh strawberry, lychee syrup, passion fruit syrup, Vitagen, rosemary infused water and some cotton candy to go with.
“My Mocktail is based on childhood memories where the ingredients used are a combination of drinks and snack that we used to love as kids. The sweet and sour flavour represents a child’s emotion where they always put up a smile after all the crying. I hope we as adults can be as positive too,” said Steven.
The talented lad also reigned in the Cocktail Creation challenge, emerging 2nd runner-up in his first attempt in a Cocktail competition with his beverage called J-infinity.
“I am satisfied with my performance. I did not come into the final thinking of winning. I came here to just present my drinks which I would like to dedicate to my friends who had inspired and helped me a lot throughout my preparation for the final. That is why I would like to dedicate these wins to them,” said Steven, who walked away with two Monin Cup trophies and RM 1,100 with his victories.
Chin Wei Wen made it a Taylor’s 1-2 win as he finished second in the Mocktail Creation category.
Inspired by his family pet rabbit that loves to run around their garden, Wei Wen also stressed that most of the ingredients—pandan, mint leaves, lemon, cherries and carrot were freshly plucked from the garden in the morning before the competition, thus giving his drink the name –The Hour Garden.
“The competition is tough and I have a lot of respect for all of them. I am very glad to have the support from my family and I hope I have made them proud with the result. I am determined to become the champion if given a chance to compete next year,” said Wei Wen, who was the champion for the Coffee Based Beverage challenge last year.
Elbegzaya Temuulen from Nilai University College finished third in the Mocktail Creation category, while Venod Rao and Benjamin Chen of Berjaya University College of Hospitality were the champion and 1st runner-up in the Cocktail Creation category.
Monin Asia Managing Director Mr. Cédric Clouzeau, who was also one of the judges, was truly impressed by the quality of the competition.
“Overall, the students were very impressive. Both quality and presentation of the drinks were very good. All of them put up some classy performances and that made the judging process really tough.”
Mr. Cédric also has lots of praises for Taylor’s double winner Steven Heng.
“He has been impressive for two consecutive years. He is innovative and original in his creation and has good skills and already looking like a professional in his presentation. I am seriously considering making him one of the judges in next year’s competition,” said Mr. Cédric.
Other judges for the Monin Cup 2010 were Business Development Manager of Monin Asia Ms. Ng Yee Ling and Market Manager of Brown-Forman Malaysia Mr. Steven Ho.
Organised by Monin Asia and hosted by Taylor’s University, the competition saw 20 finalists from Taylor’s University, Berjaya University College of Hospitality, Nilai University College and Genting INTI International College competing in two categories – Mocktail Creation and Cocktail Creation.
In both the Mocktail and Cocktail challenges, participants were required to produce the most creative and delectable recipes by using one to five of Monin’s Gourmet Flavourings from a Flavour List specially developed for the challenge.
The Flavour List 2010 includes a variety of flavours from 28 types of Premium Syrups such as elderflower, vanilla, blue curacao, butterscotch and lavender; seven types of Fruit Purée Mixes, such as strawberry, mango and peach and three types of Gourmet Sauces – caramel, dark chocolate and white chocolate.
Participants were judged on the following criteria: grooming standards, mise en place or setting, hygience practices, speed, organisation and presentation, technical skills, taste, beverage name, colour, originality and interaction with the music played.
Sponsors of the Monin Cup 2010 are Monin Asia and Classic Coffee.
About Taylor’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts
For over 24 years Taylor’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (TCHT) has been a leader in hospitality and tourism education and training. As the largest and most established hospitality and tourism management school in Southeast Asia, the School takes pride in consistently producing high caliber, industry-ready graduates who can deliver excellent performance in their workplace. Quality and commitment are reflected in the 60-plus awards the institution, faculty and students have received over the years, including the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Award 2008 (Education & Training) and HAPA (Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards) Hospitality School of the Year 2007/08.
The School offers a full range of hospitality, tourism and culinary arts courses, from certificate up to the PhD level, as well as a host of continuing professional education courses. The industry-acclaimed diplomas and degrees in culinary arts, hospitality management and tourism management are offered in collaboration with our renowned French partners – the Academie de Toulouse (ADT) and the University of Toulouse (UOT), France’s second oldest and second largest university. This successful partnership spanning over two decades provides students with the best educational opportunities. Graduates of the degree programmes will not only be awarded two qualifications from Taylor’s and UOT, but they will also experience cutting-edge teaching and learning methods applied in both Asia and Europe.
ABOUT MONIN
Founded in Bourges, France in 1912, Monin Gourmet Flavorings is driven by time-honored flavor traditions entrusted through three generations of the Monin family. Today, Monin is the world’s leading provider of premium gourmet flavorings. With an uncompromising standard for quality and flavoring expertise, Monin Gourmet Flavorings is dedicated to producing premium products for creating a full range of customized and distinct beverages.
Monin matches quality products with attentive, first-rate customer service and innovative recipe applications to give operators proven, successful beverage offerings. Monin products are available through distributors nationwide, online at www.monin.com, and in more than 100 countries around the world.
