Six cooking enthusiasts to cook-off for Marco Pierre White

Semi-finalists of the Cinnamon-HSBC Marco Pierre White challenge powered by Knorr, concluded with Knorr Culinary Challenge

There was a lot of anticipation and excitement at the Knorr Chefmenship Centre at Unilever Sri Lanka last Saturday (23 January) as 12 hopeful semi-finalists cooked it out at the Knorr Culinary Challenge to win a spot in the Cinnamon HSBC Marco Pierre White Challenge powered by Knorr.

Their gastronomic creativity was put to the test in a sizzling 60 minutes, under the watchful eyes of judges Chef Gerard Mendis – Chairman, Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka; Culinary Consultant and Knorr Chef Chathurika Anuradha; Chef Sunanda Kumar – Executive Chef at Cinnamon Lodge and Tharanga Gunasekara – Head of Marketing and Communications at HSBC Sri Lanka.

The six cooking enthusiasts who made it to the final round with the panel of judges and Unilever Sri Lanka Category Head Core Foods Shamara Silva

The excited participants stretched their creativity to the limit, incorporating different twists and innovation to their creations while also including Knorr products, to create mouth watering dishes. The six cooking enthusiasts who qualified for the final round are Lakshini Wijegoonewardane, Madushanka de Silva, Zeenat Shabana Firdous, Chandula Walgama, Anya de Silva and Christina Ling Mei Kao.

Having completed the Knorr Culinary Challenge, they will now cook for celebrated restaurateur, Australian MasterChef judge, television personality and cook book author of British origin, Marco Pierre White, in a nail-biting finale on 30 January at Cinnamon Lakeside.  

One of the semi-finalists Lakshini Wijewardane said, “I’m so excited about the opportunity to meet Chef Marco Pierre White. He has been one of my idols and I’ve watched his TV programs and learnt from his inspirational advice to contestants.”

“Even though I was unsure at the beginning, this particular quote from Chef Marco, if you have a dream you have a responsibility to yourself to make it come true, motivated me to believe in myself. I’m glad that I was not just a dreamer but worked hard towards achieving this goal,” said Zeenat Shabana Firdous. 

“I really am very passionate about becoming a Chef. Getting selected to the final six is one step closer to achieving my dream of meeting the Godfather of Modern Cooking. I did my best at the Knorr Culinary Challenge, but I know I can do better at the finals,” said Anya De Silva.

Unilever Sri Lanka’s Category Head – Core Foods, Shamara Silva said, “The cuisine of the 21st century is one that seamlessly blends the heritage of rich gastronomic traditions with the fast-paced minimalism of the modern day. We’re delighted to join hands with Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and HSBC to give Sri Lankan cooking enthusiasts the opportunity to showcase their creativity before the 3 Michelin-star winning chef Marco Pierre White.”

“Knorr is a globally celebrated brand offering a versatile range of products, crafted to perfection by over 600 Knorr Chefs worldwide. In Sri Lanka, Knorr is a household name synonymous with flavour, offering simple smart solutions to chefs and housewives alike,” she added.

Marco Pierre White’s tour of Sri Lanka is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with the British High Commission of Sri Lanka, the national carrier SriLankan airlines, HSBC, Knorr, Quintessentially Lifestyle, Land Rover Sri Lanka, Hellman Logistics, Sri Lanka Tourism, Cinnamon Air and Trekurious.