The Hilton Labriz Gastro lounge was bursting with the aromas and flavours of Seychelles on Friday, courtesy of five Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) students and Swedish vegan chef Tora Olsson, also known as Tora Flora.
Husein Charles, Franchesco Boniface, Ketsina William, Aneel Boniface and Stacey Chang Pin Tive, the five students who have had the honour of working with chef Olsson on her three-week stay at the Hilton Seychelles properties, faced off against each other in a vegan cook-off, showcasing the skills and knowledge they have acquired.
The event which was judged by Minister for Education Justin Valentin, chef Olsson herself, principal of the STA Terence Max, and Martin Kennedy, saw Husein winning Best Overall Dish, with his vegan burger, for which the patty was made with quinoa, mushrooms and carrots. He served the burger with sweet potato fries, a pumpkin puree and guacamole.
The judges chose Franchesco’s grilled eggplant stuffed with sautéed vegetables, served with sweet potato croquettes, pumpkin puree and a coconut sauce as the Tastiest dish, while Stacey secured the prize for Best Presentation, with her creole-style vegetable kebab with freshly made pita bread, and a coconut sauce.
All winners got vouchers for meals at the different Hilton Properties.
“It has been a great pleasure to meet with the students. They are young chefs and they have lots of ideas, and to me seeing the growth from the first week to the third week has been amazing, and I am so proud and to see what they created today,” Chef Olsson said beaming with excitement.
“I am so proud and I am a little surprised at how good and thoughtful their dishes were. What I didn’t want was that they present a simple salad, and I have been educating them that plant-based food can be so much more than a salad, and today they presented proper meals, so I am really proud,” Chef Olsson added.
Vegan diets consist of plant-based foods only, and no animal products including honey, dairy products, meat and products containing other animal-derived ingredients, such as gelatin derived from animals.
For chef Olsson, who is on her second visit to Seychelles, the islands have an abundance of fruits, vegetables and other produce to sustain a healthy vegan diet, in addition to imported products such as nuts, pulses and legumes.
For their dishes, Ketsina presented to the judges a vegetable terrine, freshly made vegan pasta stir fried and served with a tomato and capsicum-based creole sauce and beetroot puree, while Aneel was the only one to go with a dessert, with a lemon and coconut pie.
Each student had the opportunity to follow Tora’s online course ‘Green cooking and Molecular Gastronomy’ prior to her arrival.
General manager of Hilton Labriz Silhouette commended the students on their exemplary behaviour and their participation over the past three weeks, exemplary behaviour and discipline in preparing and assisting Chef Olsson at the various events, activations, dinners, and ‘veganification’ of local dishes.
Similarly, Minister Valentin conveyed his congratulations to the students, thanking the Hilton group for their support in the development of local talents, and for supporting the primary institution forming the future tourism industry labour force.
Source: Seychelles Nation
