Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 Competition and Exhibition to be held in October

Back row, from left: Mandarina Colombo General Manager Harikesha Wijesekara, Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 Event Director Chef Madhawa Weerabaddhana, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga, Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 Chairman Chef Gerard Mendis, Tastyy (Platinum Sponsor) Managing Director G.M. Vijayeavel and CDC Events & Travels Managing Director Imran Hassan. Front row from left: Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 PR and Public Relations Coordinator Chef Tilak Senaratne, Institute of Hospitality Chairman Thusith Samaraweera, Pelwatte Dairy Industries (Gold Sponsor) Food Service Manager Razik Dole, Stassen Exports (Gold Sponsor) Brand Manager Tashika Fernandopulle, Tastyy (Platinum Sponsor) Chief Executive Officer Vasanthi Sivamohan, Nestle Professional (Gold Sponsor) Vice President Roshan Perera, East West Foods (Gold Sponsor) Culinary Consultant Wasantha Peiris and Colombo City Restaurant Collective President Harpo Gooneratne

Executive Committee Chefs Guild of Lanka

Chefs from the hospitality industry of Sri Lanka are preparing to exhibit their culinary skills in several cooking competitions at the 19th edition of Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 (CAFE) and Exhibition which is to be held from 21 to 23 October at the BMICH. Several teams will participate at the prestigious event, and they are expected to use their talents to enhance the art of preparing food with a sense of creativity, style and flavour.  

Minister John Amaratunga

Chef Gerard Mendis

South East Asia’s biggest food and hospitality show and culinary challenge, ‘Culinary Art Food Expo 2019 – CAFE’ is organised by the Chefs Guild of Lanka together with World Association of Chefs Societies and CDC Events & Travels, the professional exhibition organiser.

CAFÉ is a comprehensive trade platform for exhibitors from different regions of the world and will allure thousands of related buyers/visitors to view and obtain the newest products, services and latest technology on offer at the event. Ultimately it will enable exhibitors and sponsors to gain a greater networking opportunity to gain business leverage.

Over 1,600 chefs from resorts, hotels and restaurants from many provinces of the country and many countries of the region, in addition to 200-300 bartenders are expected to take part in the live and static competitions. Over 25 WACS approved foreign judges from Australia, Europe and Far East Asia including foreign teams and individual participants from foreign countries (Maldives and India) are expected to take part. Top award winners of the competition will be participating to the next Culinary Olympics will be held on February 2020 in Germany. 

This Culinary Exhibition will extend over every aspect of food products and services from processing to consuming stage, covering Culinary, Hospitality and Retail segments. The all-embracing concept of ‘food from factory to the table’ will be featured at the exhibition.  Dishes will be judged on the basis of creativity, hygiene, taste, texture and appearance by a panel of over 30 esteemed local and foreign judges who will interact with the budding chefs to find out the ingredients of the recipes, nutritional value and historical significance of the dishes prepared by them. Competitors will work hard to prove they can meet the standards of the world’s most modern kitchens, while showing an appeal to the five senses along with knowledge, extraordinary technique and of course versatility.

Chefs Guild of Lanka Chairman Chef Gerard Mendis stated: “The CAFE competition is very much an ongoing event; and I feel that these events are all part of the process to reaching the goal of helping passionate culinary artistes get to the top of their careers. Chefs enter the competition to challenge their knowledge, grow their skills, and ultimately prepare themselves for a successful career in the industry. In addition to testing their culinary abilities, CAFE provides a fantastic opportunity for these young chefs to raise their profile, often giving them their first media coverage and press experience.”