Sri Lanka Tourism partners Marco Pierre Challenge

Wednesday, 3 February 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka Tourism partnered the highly successful Cinnamon-HSBC Marco Pierre White Cook-off Challenge that concluded at the Cinnamon Lakeside on 30 January.

Celebrity Chef and Judge of the hit TV series, MasterChef Australia, Marco Pierre White was both the judge and master of ceremonies at the grand finale of the Cook-off Challenge that saw Anya De Silva emerging as the winner in a closely fought contest.

Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga was the Chief Guest at the Grand Finale. The Guest of Honour was the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, James Dauris. Among the distinguished invitees were Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Paddy Withana and Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts President Ajit Gunewardene.

Almost a 100 applications had been received for the Cook-off Challenge which had been narrowed down to six finalists for the 30 January showdown. While Marco Pierre White himself sat in judgement at the finale, he also spent time visiting the work stations of the participants, offering expert advice on the finishing touches as the clocked ticked by.

All the finalists were awarded medals, certificates and dinner vouchers courtesy of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts while the winner received a grand trophy, a certificate personally signed by Marco Pierre, a hamper from Cinnamon Hotels, an overnight stay at Cinnamon Bey, an oven and also a work offer at the British High Commission in Colombo.

The grand final was set up in a typical ‘MasterChef’ like setting where the participants were required to create their own version of a Marco Pierre White mystery dish in front of a live audience during a stipulated time period.

The celebrity chef’s tour to Sri Lanka was organised by Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts and the entire programme was drawn up in a manner that showcased the best of Sri Lanka and the culinary talent available in the country.

John Amaratunga presented a memento to Marco Pierre White to mark his visit to the country.

Chef Marco commented that the experience he had in the country had touched his heart and he will surely spread the word about the treasure that is Sri Lanka.