The kitchen brigade of Hotel Phoenicia in Floriana added another jewel in its crown when one of its chefs, Mr Adrian Buttigieg was declared winner of the Junior Chef of the Year 2007 in the Malta Kulinarja Cookery and Culinary Arts Championships.

Mr Buttigieg lifted this prestigious award for his presentation of Junior Chef of the Year 2007 that was judged by a panel of eight international judges from the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Cyprus assisted by Maltese judges. His entry consisted of preparing a 3 course meal for 4 persons in 2 hours.

In addition to this prestigious award, the Hotel Phoenicia team, consisting of Ian Micallef, Andre Spiteri and Alan Picco, won 3 silver medals, 4 bronze and 3 merits between them.

The event was organised by the Malta Cookery and Food Association, which this year is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

“The management and staff were proud of this achievement as it reflected the motivation and dedication towards the services that the hotel offers in its various departments, this time in the creation and preparation of cuisine and the enhancement of our culinary product,” Mr Victor Borg, executive chef for Hotel Phoenicia said.

The award, added Mr Borg, was more so important as it was won by a relatively young employee whose professionalism augurs well for the future. This was also the first time Adrian Buttigieg participated in a culinary competition.

The competition was open to chefs in Malta and Gozo and is divided into two sections: one for static entries and another for live cooking. This year’s championships featured over 50 events involving over 200 participants, including two international teams from Scotland and Romania.