Friday, August 29, 2008

Win Sin Masters Bowling Tournament Invitation

Dear Members,
The Singapore Chef’s Association would like to cordially invite members for a sports event.

WIN SIN MASTERS BOWLING TOURNAMENT
Proudly sponsored by Win Sin

The handicap score for men and women will be pegged at 15 and 25 respectively (except for the Top 10 from the last tournament, who will not have any handicap score).

You may just be the CHAMPION of the Year and walk away with the TOP PRIZE!

Prizes:
1st S$250 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
2nd S$150 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
3rd S$100 Cash + S$50 Sins Vouchers + Trophy
1st Turkey prize: S$100 SINS voucher

Details are as follows:-
Date : Sunday 31 August 2008
Time : 1:30pm – 5:00pm (Tournament starts at 2pm & Hi-tea will be served)
Venue : No. 2 Bukit Batok Ave 7 #03-01 Cdans Country Club Singapore 659003
@ Bukit Gombak MRT
Interested parties, please approach your respective institution's Liaison Officer to register ASAP

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Our New Sponsor, City Gas Pte Ltd


On behalf of Singapore Junior Chefs’ Club, the youth arm of the Singapore Chefs’ Association. It gives me great honour to receive this monetary sponsorship from City Gas Pte Ltd.

The SJCC, just like SCA, is a non-profitable organization that strongly believes in nurturing and inspiring young enthusiastic culinarians. It is our hope to help them in making their first move towards painting an international picture in the culinary scene with a new brush of style and colours.

Throughout the work-year, the SJCC plans enriching activities for its members, such as educational fieldtrips, seminars, forums, cooking demonstrations, wine and dine classes and culinary competitions. It is our hope that these events will help increases the interest and knowledge of our members.

However, such activities would not be possible without the generous support of our kind sponsors. It is only through sponsors like City Gas, who share a common interest of nurturing the future generation of Chefs, that we are able to turn our vision into reality.

On behalf of SJCC, I would like to thank City Gas once again for your generous support. And be rest assured that this contribution will be put into good use for the benefit of all our members. Together we can all make this possible. A Dream to be cooked! Thank you.


Eileen Phua
Chairperson
* Photo (from left to right): Chef Ignatius Leong (Vice Chairman), Mr Ng Yong Hwee (Director/ President & CEO of City Gas Pte Ltd), Chef Eileen Phua (Chairperson)

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Ever wondered how Tofu was made?

Ever wondered how Tofu was made?

The Singapore Junior Chef Club, together with a group of about 30 members visited the Unicurd factory of which we saw how Tofu was being made, on the morning of 21st of August.

After a bus ride from Ang Moh Kio MRT Station, we arrived and were greeted by Ms Ravinder, who sat us through watching a video of the process of tofu making, as well as their company’s background. She then explained to us the difference between cold treated and heat treated, which results in soft/silken and firm tofu respectively.

We were also brought to the viewing deck of which overlooked the entire process of which tofu is being made. Ms Ravinder also patiently explained the different machines and its various uses, from which the soy beans are soaked and grinded, to the coagulating of soy milk of which beancurd is derived from.

After which we were gathered, to taste some freshly prepared soy milk, and were allowed to see the various bean curd products.

Their range of products include the regular silken and egg tofu, the Chinese yellow and black “Tau Kwa”, the Japanese range, a ready-to-eat range, the ISO Joy Desserts, Deep fried Tofu (Tofu goreng), and the tofu puff.

All of us were also given a recipe booklet with tofu as the main ingredients, and were also allowed to purchase some of their product.

It was definitely a fruitful trip, for everyone, as we walked away with both, the knowledge in tofu making, as well as our shopping bags of tofu products.

With Culinary Spirit,
Belinda Ng
Membership


Saturday, August 2, 2008

President's Message

President's Message
In the past month, I bought two fabulous books, Becoming a Chef and Culinary Artistry, on the recommendation of some Chefs. I kind of regretted not getting the books earlier as they are really good books that every Chef should read. Becoming a Chef shares with us life as a Chef. Hear stories and experiences of the many chefs interviewed in the book and explore questions like choosing between schooling and apprenticeship. Culinary Artistry on the other hand pairs ingredients that are heavenly matches. Through the book Becoming a Chef, I've learned how wonderful our profession is. It is the only few professions which allows us to learn new things everyday. The dishes we have yet to taste, the new techniques we have yet to learn, and the ingredients we have yet to discover, all symbolises a lifetime of learning, experiencing and enjoying.

It has been an even greater challenge to be a chef these days. I was watching Star Chef 2 on television the other day and the mystery box items they gave the contestants were totally unimaginable. Who would imagine getting ingredients like chicken feet and heart, pork skin and cow's heart? Rarely in international competitions will one find such ingredients, which chefs usually shun. I quote Paul Lenz saying "You should always ask yourself: What ingredients do I use? Where do they come from? What can I do with them? How can I eat them?" These words really inspire me when I deal with ingredients each and everyday in the kitchen. Recent reality cooking shows like Top Chefs, Iron Chef, Star Chef and Hell's Kitchen has also brought interest to our profession. By the way, I am really excited about the HoTchef Team Challenge 2008, which will be held in November, later this year. Hongkong Young Chefs Club is going to have their first HoTchef Team Challenge this year in September and their winning team will be flying over to compete in our challenge. I would like to thank Tabasco for their kind support towards grooming junior chefs here and in the region. In the meanwhile, look out for more news about the HoTchef Team Challenge 2008 on our blog soon.

Best Culinary Spirits
Jasper Jek
President
Singapore Junior Chefs Club