This is Masters of the Craft, which for the first time took the Colombian capital as its headquarters in its 2023 edition. The contest, which took place between April and November, tested the skills of more than 600 contestants from 320 hotels of the chain in the region
But the W Bogot received only nine finalists who prepared their creations for the delight of members of the exclusive Marriott Bonvoy program, invited media from various countries and the jury, among other witnesses of the competition.
Each of the participants who reached the grand final has a peculiar life story and dreams to realize, however, they all share something in common: gratitude for having come this far.
Before starting to execute the recipes and after knowing which secret ingredient they should incorporate, the contestants had just minutes to collect what they needed and then prepare a dish, before time ran out. To make their creations, the cooks had 30 minutes, while the pastry chefs had 15 more minutes and the mixologists barely had seven.
In the culinary category, the winner was Yuvraj Sawant, a native of India and one of the chefs at the Marriott Grand Cayman Resort, in the Cayman Islands.
Using eucalyptus as directed, Sawant won with a crusted cod with creamy arracacia sauce and lulo infused with eucalyptus (the secret ingredient).
The inspiration behind my recipe comes from my upbringing in a coastal region where seafood has always been a staple. Over the years, seafood has become an integral part of my culinary repertoire, and I have developed a deep familiarity with various seafood preparations and complementary ingredients, Sawant said.
“I can’t believe it, it seems like I’m dreaming, I feel very grateful and lucky for this experience,” he told DIARIO LAS AMRICAS shortly after winning over the jury.
An expanding culinary talent competition
Thomas Rebler, vice president of Food & Beverage at Marriott International for the Caribbean and Latin America, said that the competition began on a smaller scale in just three hotels in North America, but they understood that it was necessary to expand it in search of stars in cooking, baking and mixology.
It is important to give our talents the platform to showcase themselves. I think Masters of the Craft is our way of building our stars and celebrating them. “We would like them to stay with us, although they may become famous and leave,” said Rebler, a culinary enthusiast who has worked for the chain on other continents.
I am a chef. When I was 5 years old I knew I wanted to cook. I grew up in Austria and there it is customary that to do this job you do not study at school, but in a hotel or restaurant. So at 15 I started in the kitchen and worked my way up, added the executive based in South Florida.
After being held several times in Mexico City, the 2023 edition of the competition was held in Bogotá due to the gastronomic fiber and cultural diversity that make the city vibrate.
In the pastry category, the main ingredient was lulo or naranjilla, a bittersweet tropical fruit.
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Cortesa/Marriott International
With Colombian foam, the name she gave to her creation, the winner turned out to be Michelle Roque, who traveled from the JW Marriott Lima, to show her skill creating desserts. For the occasion that earned her victory, the Peruvian mixed a lulo foam with whipped cream and added lulo in raw segments with the purpose of contrasting flavors and creating a delicious dessert that captivated the jury’s palate.
I am very happy, excited and very proud of myself, because it has taken me a lot to achieve this, Roque said.
Regarding the moment of tension when creating a dessert without knowing well in advance what ingredient to incorporate, he commented: With the few ingredients I had, because I forgot a lot, I made a lulo foam and a cream. As if to give it a fresh touch, I added blueberries, strawberries, honey crunch and apple. But I had to improvise, because we didn’t have an oven or refrigerator, so we had to figure it out. But the result came about and I am very happy, said the winning pastry chef.
The winner in the mixology area was Gabriel Silva, from the Renaissance Sao Paulo hotel. The Brazilian surprised with an innovative cocktail that he named Wine not?
Silva was inspired by unconventional drinks and used two types of wines in which he mixed tree tomato or tamarillo.
I prepared a cocktail in two minutes, with red and white wine, with lemon and tomato. It’s the first time I’ve seen a tree tomato, so I used lemon to achieve a particular acidity. My inspiration is to be unique, to use my essence and trajectory to create cocktails. “I like authenticity, using creative ingredients like a leaf or a plant,” Silva said.
The winning mixologist, Gabriel Silva, prepares one of his cocktails. 1.jpg
Cortesa/Marriott International
