“It is so much fun to watch, I never miss it,” said Asouni, a 20-year-old third-year nursing student at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah and Sharif’s niece. “I have an interest in cooking as my mom is really talented and so is my aunt. It runs in the family.”

Now in its third year, the LG LTGC is an annual competition for amateur chefs from around the globe that comprises three different competitions at national, regional and global levels. It is also the only cooking competition on a global level that is endorsed by renowned organizations such as the World Association of Chefs Societies and Le Cordon Bleu.

This year, they decided to put their own culinary skills to the test and compete. And, compete they did! They joined as a team with Asouni being Sharif’s assistant.

“Being enrolled in Jeddah’s LG Cooking Academy and having attended four classes encouraged us to join the competition,” said Sharif, a 27-year-old mother of three.

Not only did they win the competition in Jeddah, but they also won the regional competition in Dubai and made it all the way to the global finals in Seoul, South Korea, thanks to their famous dish: Chicken Cup Salad.

The salad, which consists of a base of phyllo (that is first baked in the oven), is topped with salad greens and oven-baked chicken, and then coated in a creamy dressing.

“I chose to create this dish in a phyllo base to give it a different spin on the traditional chicken salad,” said Sharif.

Sharif and Asouni made their Chicken Cup Salad again for the global final competition in Seoul, which took place at the Grand Hilton Hotel on Sept. 29.

“We chose to make our Chicken Cup Salad again for the final competition as opposed to a traditional Saudi dish as we weren’t sure if the judges would be able to judge it objectively, given that it’s an international competition,” explained Sharif.

Even though they didn’t win at the global finale, both Asouni and Sharif agree it was a fantastic experience. Not only did they get to represent Saudi Arabia abroad, but they also got to see different dishes created by the other competing home chefs.

“We are very happy that we came this far, having won the regional and national contests,” said Asouni. “We gave our best performance, so we are pleased with ourselves for having made it all this way. Getting to see Korea was a plus.”

The LG LTGC global final 2010 in Seoul, which was hosted by LG Electronics, was the biggest finale ever with over 700 guests present and 40 contestants. Contestants were divided into 25 teams from 22 countries (up from 13 last year) and came from North America, South and Central America, Europe, the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Asia and MEA (the Middle East and Africa) who have won national and regional competitions in their respective countries. Everyone was battling it out for the grand prize of “LG Global Grand Master Chef Prize.”

The championship was part of a series of four-day culinary programs from Sept. 27 to 30 hosted by LG Electronics and the Seoul Metropolitan Government with the aim of promoting and globalizing Korean cuisine.

The theme of this year’s competition was “World on Your Table by Lightwave” where contestants had to focus on cooking gourmet food without compromising taste and nutrition by using LG’s kitchen appliances equipped with LG’s unique revolutionary Lightwave Technology. LG’s Lightwave ovens deliver healthier, tastier cooking in a more eco-friendly way. It minimizes nutrient damage, reduces fat and allows food to retain its moisture, resulting in juicier dishes that are cooked three times faster than conventional ovens while using 50 percent less energy.

Contestants were asked to whip up two identical original dishes (one for display and one for tasting) in 110 minutes. They were then judged on cooking technique and skills, utilization of LG cooking appliances, health-consciousness, taste and overall presentation.

While contestants were busily preparing their dishes, celebrity chefs cooked delicious world delicacies during live demonstrations, which were later served to contestants and media.

The celebrity chefs were: Guy Martin from France (a three-star Michelin chef, chef of Grand Vèfour and author of many cookbooks), Sam Talbot from the US (a semi-finalist on season two of “Top Chef” and owner of two restaurants in New York), Edward Kwon from Korea (Seoul’s global goodwill ambassador, former head chef of the Burj Al-Arab Hotel in Dubai in 2007 and owner of several restaurants), Sanaz Minaie from Iran (the first woman to teach cooking on Iranian TV, founder of the first cooking school in Tehran and author of numerous cook books) and the F1 team: Isabelle Kaufmann (head chef at the world famous Formula One Paddock Club run by Allsport Management for the FIA Formula One World Championship) and Wolfgang Stoiber (man in charge of the Formula 1 DO & CO kitchen crew).

The judging panel included celebrity chefs Martin, Talbot, Kwon and Minaie, as well as Chef Franck Bruwier, Executive Chef and Chief Consultant at Le Cordon Bleu Korea and Chef Gissur Gudmundsson, President of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS).

Caroline Boutoille from France was awarded the major award — the LG Global Grand Master Chef Prize. Her prize package included the LG LTGC Global Final 2010 Trophy, an LG Lightwave Oven a voucher for an F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Package. Furthermore, eight other awards were given to teams coming from seven countries.

Prior to the Award Ceremony, which took place at the end of the night, everyone was entertained by Korean performances during dinner. Additionally, LG showcased two new products that they will be introducing to the market: The Solar Combi and Double Oven Range — both of which won the reddot design award.

The Solar Combi derives its heat entirely from a charcoal filament — the heat wavelength of the Charcoal Heater closely matches the heat pattern generated by genuine charcoal. As a result, it provides more natural, faster, tastier and healthier cooking (less fat and more nutrient preservation) while at the same time, using less energy (up to 30 percent in time and energy compared to conventional models).

The Double Oven Range (which will only be available in the US for now) offers the convenience of being able to prepare two meals at the same time. Equipped with two separate ovens, it makes it possible to cook different dishes at different temperatures, all at the same time. Furthermore, the upper oven measures six inches — the tallest in the industry — yet it still fits within the standard footprint.

Moreover, Martin showcased the “Guy Martin Signature Line,” a series of 80 pre-programmed recipes on LG’s MontBlanc built-in oven.

“This year’s LTGC was yet another huge success, bringing The World on Your Table to life through LG’s latest and innovative cooking appliances,” said Young-ha Lee, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company. “LG will spare no effort in enriching people’s lives around the world by developing cutting-edge cooking appliances with smarter technologies and continuing to improve this annual event with different themes every year.”

Last year’s global finals had the theme of “Cuisine of Light” and highlighted the benefits of cooking with Lightwave technology and was held in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2008, the event was held under the name of Home Chef Award with the theme of “Eco-Cuisine.” It highlighted tasty, healthy meals made with organic ingredients and LG’s eco-friendly home appliances, and was held in Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.

Next year’s final championship will be held in the US.
 

 

 

LG has an interest in women welfare. It is helping women live healthier lives by opening new opportunities for them, innovating new products that improve their performance and organizing women events related to art, cooking, handicrafts and educational programs.

One such program is LG’s Cooking Academy in Jeddah. Established in 2008 by LG Electronics and Untied Yousef M. Naghi Co. Ltd. — LG home appliances distributor in Saudi Arabia — it offers females free courses on healthy cooking. It is the first cooking academy of its kind in Jeddah that offers women a valuable opportunity to learn about various cooking styles and methods using LG’s latest home appliances, including LG’s SolarDOM oven. By teaching women how to cook healthy meals, it aims to fill jobs in the cooking, nutrition and health sectors in the Kingdom.

“We are glad with overwhelming response of the competition,” said John Lee, managing director of LG Electronics in KSA. “LG’s Cooking Competition definitely attracts interest of Saudi women with latest technology home appliances. Organizing and sponsoring such events encourage women to enjoy cooking.”