Cinnamon Lakeside emerges All-Island Champions at Culinary Art Food Expo 2018

Front row, from left: Avishna Fernando, Cinnamon Lakeside General Manager Dermot Gale and Executive Chef Kapila Jayasinghe. Back row from left: Pooja Kasthuriarachchi, Malshan Deraniyagala, Lakshan Madushanka, Duminda Sujeewa, Danushka Wijerathne, Niroshan Aberathne and Deepal Nishantha. Not pictured – Dharshan Chandralal

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo proved its culinary excellence by bringing home the coveted Championship title at the Chefs’ Guild Culinary Art Food Expo 2018, which took place recently at the BMICH. 

Cinnamon Lakeside was named Winner – Sri Lanka Hotel Culinary Championship 2018, while also receiving the awards for Most Outstanding Dessert Presentation and Most Outstanding Buffet Set Up/Display. In addition, Cinnamon Lakeside received a total of 10 medals, of which six were Gold, three Silver and one Bronze. 

The medals received were for the ‘Sri Lankan Festive Buffet’ team consisting of Malshan Deraniyagala, Danushka Wijerathne, Niroshan Aberathne and Avishna Fernando (Gold); the ‘Sri Lanka Master Baker of the Year’ team consisting of Deepal Nishantha and Lakshan Madushanka (Gold); ‘Sri Lanka Artistic Creative Pastry Chef – Individual’ Duminda Sujeewa (Silver); ‘IDL Sri Lanka Arrack Cocktail Championship – Individual’ Pooja Kasthuriarachchi (Silver); ‘IDL Sri Lanka Vodka Cocktail Championship – Individual’ Pooja Kasthuriarachchi (Silver); and ‘Scan Sunquick Mocktail Competition – Individual’ Dharshan Chandralal (Bronze).

The Culinary Art Food Expo is the most comprehensive Food and Beverage Exhibition in Sri Lanka. The three-day competition saw over 2000 participants battling it out for honours under various categories such as practical live, static display and beverage. The competition is organised annually for participants to showcase their creativity, to gain exposure into the industry, as well as to discover opportunities in the international arena.

The Culinary Art Food Expo is an opportunity for chefs, who work tirelessly behind the scenes every day of the year, and a chance to shine on a wider scale. As corporate entities that continuously aim at raising the bar in culinary excellence, this competition is looked upon as an ideal platform for the talented personnel to both hone their skills as well as strengthen the hold of the hotels as masters in the field.