Ujjwal Tripathi of VMSIIHE Winner at the Food and Hospitality World – Culinary Challenge of Goa

PANAJI:
It was a joyous occasion as Ujjwal Tripathi, second year student of B.Sc. in International Hospitality Management at V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), Raia participated in the pre-plated dessert challenge organised by the Food and Hospitality World (FHW) and was declared the winner in this category. He was honoured with a Gold medal in the presence of the chefs from the Culinary Forum of Goa and the organizers from Food and Hospitality World (FHW).
Every year the Food and Hospitality World organises a culinary challenge which is one of the most prized event in Goa. The competition took place at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in the State capital, Panaji where students and professionals seized the opportunity to showcase their talent and present their masterpieces to the jury, which comprised of three chefs from the Culinary Forum of Goa.
“My dish was themed around Symphonie de la Mangue which interprets to the ‘Symphony of Mango.’ I created this dish to celebrate the fruit Mango and to highlight its complimentary flavours and textures. The dish contained an almond financier glazed with freshly pressed almond milk, white chocolate, saffron, roasted coconut flakes topped with caviar which was made of fresh mango juice and Cointreau. The dish was served with a velvety passion fruit mousse with an added bite of campari, anise poached mangoes and Gulmohar flowers along with a short crust crumble for crunchiness.” Explained Ujjwal Tripathi of VMSIIHE giving a brief on the dessert that he prepared at the challenge.
This year the third edition of FHW’s Goa chapter witnessed more than 15 participants that came forward to participate in the ‘Culinary Challenge of Goa’. Ujjwal Tripathi of VMSIIHE was the only student participant among professionals from the industry. The challenge comprised of two categories: the designer cake challenge and the pre-plated dessert challenge where chefs had the liberty to prepare large and tough components at home and construct their dish on site. The participants were given two hours’ time to prepare their work-of-art and present it to the jury.
The competition witnessed many great plates of food, a lot of them displaying modern techniques in gastronomy. There were those who made it an overkill, and those who balanced it out with real food, and not just jelly art. The audience was in complete awe of everything that they witnessed.
The show featured over 5,000 product categories and witnessed participation of over 300 international brands, alongside more than 7,000 industry professionals all over India. Live demos, panel discussions, culinary competitions and participation from leading kingpins in the hospitality industry were some of the highlights.