Nilai UC's School of Hospitality and Tourism students do their alma mater proud at recent FHM 2011 competition.
"These competitions are great for sharpening students' skills and helping them learn to cope with pressure. Victory also whets their appetite for more and serves as an incentive for them to work harder. Of course, the fact that these competitions are fun makes the whole experience a great one for the participants and lecturers," says Cheng Mun Kid, senior lecturer at Nilai University College (Nilai UC) School of Hospitality and Tourism. He was referring to the Salon Culinaire Food and Hotel Malaysia competition 2011 (FHM 2011) in which two Nilai UC students won medals while another four gained diplomas.
This four-day event is held once every two years and the 2011 edition was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, attracting participants from as far as Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Singapore. What made Nilai UC students' achievement particularly satisfying is that they were not just competing against fellow students but industry professionals as well. Chefs, baristas, bartenders and various high flying industry professionals were there to compete, share their knowledge and judge the competitions making it one of the most hotly contested events in the hospitality and tourism field.
Practice Makes Perfect
For Team Nilai UC, preparations began two whole months before the event with students and lecturers convening after class for five to six hours a day. "Such events take a lot of preparation and many hours of hard work. There would have been little point in participating if the team went in unprepared. Furthermore, many of the competitors were industry professionals and we were going to be judged by an international panel, so our students had to be at their very best if they wanted to stand out from the crowd," says Aliya Marnina Amirudin, senior lecturer in Nilai UC School of Hospitality and Tourism.
The lecturers' dedication in helping prepare the students was central to the team's success," says Nadjlaa Nasaruddin, a student in Nilai UC's Degree in Business and Hospitality Management programme. "The lecturers drilled us for many long hours after class. They also sacrificed their weekends to give us extra guidance. Their dedication was really the foundation of our success. I cannot thank them enough," say the demure lass from Terengganu who captured silver in the table setting category. Her compatriot Ruben Pillay also managed to earn a diploma in the same category.
Another Nilai UC student to win a medal was Lim Shi Min. A final year student in Business and Hospitality Management degree programme, Shi Min was determined to put on a good showing in the fruit flambé category before going on her internship.
"I spent many hours experimenting with the recipe. Through much trial and error, I came up with a dessert I called Sweet Summer Sensation which is a combination of local fruits flambéed in Pernod and Kirsch and then doused in strawberry liquor and vanilla ice cream," smiles the Kluang lass. She even proudly shows part of her fringe which was singed off during of her practice sessions. "Hazard of the job," she smiles good-naturedly.
Eco-friendly Theme
Nadjlaa went for an eco-friendly theme for her project and showed how hotels and restaurants could minimise costs and waste by using cost effective methods in table settings. "For instance, I chose a specific type of glass which could be used to serve various types of hot and cold drinks which allowed an establishment to cut down on crockery. Also, I used recyclable items to fashion the centrepiece. A dark colour was chosen for the table cloth for a very logical reason - to lessen the amount of detergent needed to get inevitable stains off," she explains.
Though she admits to being slightly intimidated by some of the judges, she says she did her best and was pleasantly surprised when her efforts picked up the silver medal. "It is a great achievement for us as students to be up against industry professionals with many years of experience and to come away with some prizes. It is certainly an incentive to work harder in preparation for the next event. These provided us with valuable hands-on experience and any successes in such event would surely enhance our resumes," says Nadjlaa.
FHM 2011 was jointly organised by Malaysia Food and Beverage Executives Association (MFBEA), Chef Association (CAM) and Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH). Nilai UC believes in giving its students the 'Total Student Experience' and exposure to such events is great preparation for the realities of the working world. Nilai UC's School of Hospitality and Tourism is equipped with some of the finest facilities in the country and the programmes on offer include BA(Hons) in Business and Hospitality Management, Diploma in Culinary Arts, Diploma in Hotel Management, Diploma in Tourist Guide Operations and Diploma in Tourism Management. For more information, please go to www.nilai.edu.my or call 06-8502338/07-3332336/03-79603089.
