Raffles Hotel chef wins inaugural Otto Weibel and Norwegian Seafood Scholarship

His competitors may have been older and more experienced, but 21-year-old Lua Chang Yung’s Asian-inspired take on the Norwegian red king crab, salmon and white halibut impressed judges the most. Now a commis two at Doc Cheng, he is still a long way from the top— but he is sure making friends in the right places. By Christine Yee, Feature Writer, Cuisine and Wine Asia.

25 February 2006— When Lua Chang Yung was announced as champion of the first ever Otto Weibel and Norwegian Seafood Scholarship, there was probably no one more proud of his accomplishment than Raffles Hotel Executive Chef Kristoffer Luczak. In fact, the normally stern Swede’s eyes lit up and he broke into a rare, wide smile (he even showed off all his teeth!). That’s a real treat, considering Luczak usually only reserves such joy for his Harley Davidson and BMW bikes.

“I’m very happy to make Chef Luczak proud because I disappointed him when I didn’t win the World Gourmet Summit (WGS) 2005 Awards of Excellence Culinary (AOE) Scholarship,” Lua said bashfully over the phone. “But it was a consolation when one of the dishes I prepared then appeared in the Cuisine and Wine Asia, he was very happy about that.”

According to Lua, Luczak first noticed him when he was chosen to assist guest chef Chan Nan Tana from Thailand when she was at the Raffles Hotel doing promotions. A personal friend of Luczak, Chef Chan had high praises for her attentive assistant. Since then Luczak has coached Lua for the WGS AOE Scholarship competition and more recently, chose him to assist the Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers during the Raffles Hotel Food, Wine and Arts Experience 2006 (RHFWAE).

For this competition, Lua spent a month preparing, maximising his time by practising during his split-shift breaks in the afternoon. The staff at Raffles was extremely supportive, he said, many of his seniors offered encouragement and took time out to critique his dishes. Luczak, who was busy with the RHFWAE, tasked his second-in-command, Executive Sous Chef Dave Heng, to train and supervise Lua.

The collective attention sure paid off because Lua’s Asian-influenced menu was well-planned and fluid, and individual dishes were creative without being confused. The cold appetiser was Japanese-style, featuring miso espuma and konbu soba jelly, this was well complemented by the Chinese-inspired hot appetiser— king crab wonton in superior broth. Next up was the oven-baked Indian spice salmon which, judge Merete Kristiansen from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council said was the most outstanding. Dessert was Thai-influenced— a refreshing coconut sherbert with sticky rice and mango.

Now that he’s won the scholarship, Lua has also found favour with Weibel (director of kitchens at Swissotel The Stamford and Raffles The Plaza). It’s a firm step in the right direction, especially when Weibel is Singapore’s Bocuse d’Or jury president and the registration form for the scholarship gleamed with the prospect: “possibility of grooming to (be a) future candidate for Bocuse d’Or”.

For now, Lua will travel to Norway on a two-week immersion trip where he will meet top culinarians, like Chef Eyvind Hellstrøm from Oslo’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant Bagatelle, and get a crash course in Norwegian seafood product knowledge. The prize also includes S$2,000 in pocket money.

In all, the scholarship is worth S$10,000— that’s a lot of money considering most competitions here only provide winners with certificates and prestige. But ask Lua what he thinks and he’ll tell you the prize is priceless.

More info: www.wacs2000.org

Photo: Wacs2000

[email protected]