Mushroom Farm

MyCo Farm Visit

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Shitake! Enoki! Shimeji! Oyster!

Much more mushrooms are appearing in the market these days. Are mushrooms here imported or grown locally? If they are grown here, how many farms does Singapore have and where are they located?

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Recently, the Singapore Junior Chefs Club had the privilege to visit MyCo Farm, a mushroom farm which houses more than 10 varieties of mushrooms.

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17 members from SJCC were excited to have a tour at the mushroom farm near Jalan kayu. "When I first saw the farm, I thought to myself it doesn't look huge, but when we went inside I saw around 12 wooden houses for individual mushroom species and each wooden house could be used for a bedroom plus a living room enough to put up a television and sofa!", commented a member.

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We were briefed that mushrooms require a certain temperature in order to grow well, mostly 18 degrees celsius and below.

The mushrooms there are well taken care of and professionally groomed. Never in my life have I ate mushrooms raw but I did it. Fresh mushrooms have health benefits and they have an even better quality than imported mushrooms.

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Towards the end of the tour, we were given a mushroom cooking demo by the friendly staff there. The taste is just so pure when it is only sauteed with olive oil, garlic and seasoned with pinch of salt. Simply delicious! MyCo Farm also produces their own brand of frozen mushroom soup, a variety of mushroom products (eg. cookbooks and mushroom guidebooks) and fresh mushrooms for sale. The trip gave me a clearer understanding on how mushrooms are grown.

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With Culinary Spirits

Athejo Chia

Memberships

SJCC Committee

WA OceanaFest Experience

WA OceanaFest Experience

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Hi, all Culinarians

I’m Tianmu. Previously a Shatec student, now I’m part of the SJCC committee under Memberships.

About a month ago, Elvin Chew and I managed to win the Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009. For the winners, we were given the opportunity to assist the National Team for their WA Oceanfest culinary competition in Perth.

For this trip, it was a very good learning experience. The National Team consists of Captain Douglas Tay (Sous Chef, Equinox Complex, Fairmont Hotel Singapore), and members Jeffery Siew (Executive Sous Chef, Marina Mandarin Singapore), Kong Kok Kiang (Senior Sous Chef, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel), Nicole Wong (Pastry Chef, Swissotel The Stamford, Fairmont Hotel Singapore) and Yew Eng Tong (Sous Chef, The Cannery).

During the preparation, I was allocated to assist Chef Nicole with the Desserts. Working with her, I came to understand how tough it is to prepare dessert for competition. Her chocolate is really fine and unique.

For the results, Singapore was awarded Gold. The Overall Champion went to Hong Kong.

Elvin and I would like to thank the sponsor: Nestle Professional for creating this opportunity for us learn from the National Team

Best Culinary Spirits

Xu Tianmu

Chairman's Message

Chairman’s Message

Welcome to the Singapore Junior Chefs’ Club website! To those who are visiting this site for the first time, a very warm welcome to our family of fine young chefs.

Another year has passed and a new one has already begun. Let us all work together to make this year of the Ox even better!

The Club is celebrating its 5th Anniversary and the committee has planned out many interesting events for its members this year. Spearheading the year would be the Nestle Challenge which was a success in February. There’ll be edu-trips, culinary workshops and forums just to name a few.

Yes, the year of the Ox is destined to be a tough and challenging year for us all. Worry will not get us anywhere nor solve any problems. We must provide the solutions ourselves.

I am proud to be born in the year of the Ox. . The Oxen has a gentle yet steadfast character. Like the ox, we must emulate its steadfast and gentle personality: We must be steadfast in our goals, take on any challenges set before us head-on, and yet be gentle to the people and environment around us.

In this volatile economy, nothing is certain, except for one thing: Life must go on.
It’s not going to be easy, we’re all in for a rough ride. Hang on. Mooooooo! (Cheers!)

Your fellow culinary conductor in the kitchen

CHEF IGNATIUS LEONG
Chairman 2009
Singapore Junior Chefs Club

SCA -Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009

SCA -Nestle Professional Junior Chef of the Year Competition 2009

The first SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition, jointly organised by Singapore Chefs Association and Singapore Junior Chefs Club was held on 18th February 2009 at the Temasek Culinary Academy. The event that was proudly sponsored by Nestle Professional brought many young budding chefs, aged 25 and below, from various culinary institutes and even from the industry together.

The sole purpose of the competition is to develop a creative menu using the newly launched concentrated seasonings from Nestle, which are the Chef’s Secret and MAGGI Mild Salsa Sauce. Chef’s Secret is created with the passion from some of the world’s best chefs along with the latest development in sensorial technology. The result— an all-purpose seasoning powder that is balanced, versatile and concentrated. Versatile and convenient to use, Chef’s Secret can be applied to most cooking methods including frying, steaming, boiling, stewing and marinating. It can also be applied to vegetarian dishes. What was most challenging, yet exciting for the competitors is that seasonings with sodium content such as salt and soy sauce are strictly not allowed to be used for the competition.

The competition that lasted for hours, with each team given 2 hours to prepare their dishes, was filled with so much passion and adrenaline rush. Each team had portrayed their own unique cooking technique and style for their own creations. Even though the chefs were busy at work, the whole kitchen was relatively clean as almost all the teams were vying to get the Best Hygiene Award.

Finally, the prize presentation ceremony came. Best Hygiene Award was awarded to Team Tulashi from At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy. The 2nd Runner Up Award was awarded to Simply B.ales from Temasek Polytechnic and the 1st Runner Up Award was awarded to SATS Junior Team. Lastly, came the presentation of the Award for the Champion of SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition and the award went to Team SJCC. Team SJCC was awarded the Champion trophy, together with paid air ticket and 5 nights free accommodation for 2, to participate in the Oceanafest Salon Olympia Culinaire 2009, Perth with the Singapore Culinary National Team.
SCA-Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition 2009 was a great success! Congratulations to all and Good Job!

Winning team Team SJCC together with WA Oceanafest National Culinary Team

The Origins of Yu Sheng

The Origins of Yu Sheng

Yu Sheng is the first thing that comes to mind for many Singaporeans & it is a must have for every Chinese New Year. Traditionally, raw mackerel was used in Yu Sheng, but as salmon became popular, salmon was used as a replacement. Customarily, Yu Sheng is consumed on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, however nowadays; many people eat it during any of the days during the festival.

It was created in 1964 by by master chef Than Mui Kai, who was named along with Lau Yoke Pui, Hooi Kok Wai and Sin Leong as one of the Four Heavenly Culinary Kings of Singapore. Yu Sheng we know today originated from a raw fish dish served with porridge in China, but Chef Than Mui Kai made it a dish that has spread throughout Asia and is now a tradition practiced by many in Singapore and Malaysia. Yu Sheng’s unique taste comes from a mix that uses plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, which is then drizzled on raw fish, shredded carrots, chilli, turnips, limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges, crackers and other ingredients, which may reach an outstanding total of 27 ingredients. While adding the ingredients, one is to say positive statements, which match the flavour of the ingredient used.

In Mandarin, Yu Sheng directly translates to"raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" has the same tone as “abundance (余)”, Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as (余升) meaning to increase in abundance. Hence, it is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigour.

The act of tossing the Yu Sheng salad is called Lo Hei, meaning to toss in Cantonese. While tossing the salad, one is to say auspicious sentences or their wishes for the New Year. It is believed the higher the toss, the more luck one will obtain.

With Culinary Spirits,
Sam Yilin

SCA - Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition

SCA - Nestle Professional Junior Chefs of the Year Competition

Please note that the date has been changed to 18 Feb 2009, Wednesday and will be held at Temasek Culinary Academy.

Deadline for applications remains on 1 Feb 2009

SCA Lo-Hei 2009

Invitation to Annual AGM cum "Lo Hei" Dinner

Dear Member,

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It is with great pleasure and anticipation that the Singapore Chefs Association extends its Invitation to you, for our Annual AGM cum Lo Hei Dinner!

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$10.00 registration fee for the dinner will be waived to the first 160 members that attend the annual general meeting and on top of it all, each attendee will also receive a customize unique personal pair of chopstick to ensure a year of abundance ahead! Refreshments will be served at the same time.

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For members who attend the dinner only, are required to pay a registration fee of $10.

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Venue: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Date: Sunday 1 February 2009

Time: 4pm AGM thereafter followed by Dinner (Galleria Ballroom)

Attire: Traditional Auspicious Colour

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RSVP* with your respective Institution's L.O. now
Temaksek Culinary Academy - Chef Eileen Phua

SHATEC Institutes - Chef Matthew Yim

ITE - Chef Edwin Phua

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Members from At-Sunrice Globalchefs Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their Name and Membership No. to sjcc_ngbelinda@yahoo.com to RSVP*

Closing date of registration is 28 January 2009

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We regret to inform that members who fail to RSVP will be turned away

Nestle Challenge Folder

Nestle Professional Challenge 2009

You can now download the Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Folder at the following link:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/1/2208157/Nestle%20Professional%20Challenge.zip

The following files can be found within the folder:
1. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Rulebook
2. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Application and Indemnity Form
3. Nestle Professional Challenge 2009 Official Recipe Sheets
4. List of equipments supplied by ITE College West (Clementi) Training Kitchen
5. Photos of equipment supplied

Application Requirements:
> Application & Indemnity Form must be submitted together with Official Recipe Sheets.
> Please include SJCC membership number beside your names in Application & Indemnity Form
> Recipes are ONLY to be submitted on Official Recipes Sheets
> “Name of Team” must be filled with team name in the Header section of Official Recipe Sheets

Please check if you have fulfilled the above Application Requirements before submitting. Applications that are incomplete may not be considered.

Applications can be submitted to the following Liaison Officers:
ITE - Chef Edwin Phua
Temasek Culinary Academy- Chef Eileen Phua
SHATEC Institutes - Chef Ong Peh Ti

Members from At-Sunrice Global Chefs Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their application submissions to Chef Edwin Phua at Edwin_Phua@ite.edu.sg

Deadline for submission is 1 February 2009

NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009 rulebook

NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009

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Click here to download NESTLE PROFESSIONAL Challenge 2009 Rulebook!

Website of the Month

Website of the Month: WACS Junior Chef Blog

Ever wonder if there’s more to our culinary family than SCA. Welcome to the family of WACS! The World Association of Chefs Societies, the global authority on food, is a global network of chefs associations with 72 chefs associations around the world under it. The organisation was founded in 1928 in Paris, with the venerable August Escoffier being its first Honorary President. More details on WACS can be found on http://www.wacs2000.org/

What I would really like to introduce to you today is the junior section of WACS. The WACS Junior Blog was set up to keep junior chefs, like you and me, informed of the latest happenings of junior chefs clubs around the world. Other news such as junior chefs competitions and scholarships can also be found on the blog. A MUST Bookmark website for all Junior Chefs… http://wacsjunior.blogspot.com/

Edwin Phua's Message

Hi to all Culinarians,

I’m Edwin, the Liaison Officer for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). I’m currently with ITE Collage West, holding the designation as the Section Head Chef in Culinary Skills Department.

It has been a few weeks since the national culinary team has returned victoriously after a fulfilling trip from Germany. The team was there for the International Exhibition of Culinary Art (IKA), also known as the Culinary Olympics IKA. This event most likely is the most important event for chefs from all over the world. The national team had in total won triumphantly 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Gold with distinction-pastry category medals. This fruitful and enjoyable experience is certainly worth reminiscing for life.

The national team was led by Captain Yen Koh, under mentorship by Chef Ivan Yeo (team coach) and Chef Jasmine Ng (team manager). The success was topped up by the great support from Chef Eric Teo and Chef Randy Chow from Singapore Chef Association.
For 9 months, the team had made a full dedication for training in hot cooking and cold table display. We have trained for many hours every week, every month, at the same time juggle between our work and busy training schedules. Although it is hectic during this period, the synergy and team spirit in us have motivated all of us to keep going; with greater assurance towards success that our efforts will eventually pay off, ensuring that the end products will be faultless.

Thank-you everyone for upholding the right spirit, common goal to maintain high standard and fantastic team work. Once again, all of us deserve a pat on our shoulder for doing our best and providing good results for this prestigious competition.

Culinary regards,

Edwin Phua

HoTchef 2008 Photos

SJCC Tabasco HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

Photos are now available for Download!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sjcchef/SJCCTabascoHoTchefChallenge2008#

SCA Dinner & Dance 2008 Invitation

A Chef's Life doesn't just consist of all work and no play...

Come mark your calendars and join us to Groove the night away

RSVP* with your respective Institution's L.O. now
Temaksek Culinary Academy - Chef Eileen Phua

SHATEC Institutes - Chef Ong Peh Ti

ITE Chef - Edwin Phua

Members from At-Sunrice Global Academy or who are currently not in their Institutions may email their Name and Membership No. to sjcc_ngbelinda@yahoo.com to RSVP*

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*We regret to inform that members who fail to RSVP will be turned away

SJCC HoTchef 2008 results

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008 Results

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I'm pleased to announce the results of HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

featuring

Battle of the Hottest Chef !

Champion

Battle of the Hottest Chef:

Singapore (SATS One With You)

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SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008

Champion: SATS One With You

1st Runner Up: Team Temasek

2nd Runner Up: Hot Stuff

Best Hygiene: Team Temasek

Best Display: The Naked Chefs

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Congratulations to all the winning teams

A BIG Thank You to Tabasco for supporting our Juniors

4 MORE DAYS TO THE

HOTTEST

COMPETITION OF THE YEAR

SJCC HoTchef Team Challenge 2008