Ritz-Carlton Al Bustan Palace wins chef's contest

The National Hospitality Institute (NHI) Oman's quarterly chef's competition saw The Ritz-Carlton - Al Bustan Palace team take away the gold medals and prize money of 300 Omani Rials (US $780).

The silver winners were from Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, while the team to take away the bronze were from Crowne Plaza Muscat.

Food and retail company Enhance sponsored the prize money on this occasion. Enhance business head franchises and business development Hussein Daaboul said: "We are delighted at Enhance to support and encourage this kind of activity and I would like to congratulate all the teams for their efforts."

The competitions, which are held every three months at NHI under the auspices of the Oman Chefs Guild, are designed to create interest and motivation amongst young chefs in the local hospitality industry.

Each team is made up of two chefs and a food service person. One of the chefs must be Omani, according to the Oman Chef’s Guild Guidelines.

The competition is based on a mystery box of ingredients concept where the team has half an hour to make up a three course menu from the contents and then three hours to prepare and cook the meal.

Guests are invited into the classroom restaurant at NHI to taste the results and can also judge the service while having lunch.