Pezula chef wears Hilton crown
Following an inspiring performance in the kitchen and delivering mouth-watering dishes in a high-pressured environment during the prestigious Hilton Worldwide Middle East & Africa (MEA) F & B Masters Competition, Chef Geoffrey Murray, executive chef at the soon-to-be Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa, and his dedicated team were crowned F&B Team of the Year.
This competition puts skills, creativity and innovation to the test as the contestants recreated their original recipe submissions, which had landed them a place in the finals, during the first session of the competition.
This was followed by a highly anticipated ‘black-box’ competition that required teams to use mystery ingredients to prepare an outstanding dish and cocktail in a nail-biting time-frame.
“Despite the fact that Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa has not yet officially opened as Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa, Hilton Worldwide was impressed by what they had seen at the resort’s food and beverage outlet, and they were encouraged to enter the competition,” explained Jenitha Singh, Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa spokesperson.
Simon Lazarus, vice president of food and beverage at Hilton Worldwide MEA said: “Acknowledging and celebrating our food and beverage teams at Hilton Worldwide, MEA is the motivation behind the F&B Masters. It is an honour to host the event for a second time as the momentum has been building amongst our colleagues since last year’s ceremony.”
He added that the calibre of talent during this year’s competition was phenomenal. “It is a joy to see the level of dedication, effort and thought shared throughout the competition.”
Geoffrey and his team competed against 56 hotels across 19 countries in the Middle East/Africa region to win their place in the finals and then the F&B Masters Competition. “As a recent newcomer to the Hilton Worldwide family of hotels, I’m delighted that on our first attempt at entering a major international competition.
The Conrad Pezula team were crowned champions and we did so against such tough competition,” said an obviously elated Murray.
Conrad Pezula Resort & Spa was victorious over the first runner-up F&B team of the year, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort and Hilton Abu Dhabi, second runner-up.
Source: The Knysna-Plett Herald