PETALING JAYA: Malaysia-born Siew-Chinn Chin is one of 10 finalists who are in the running to win the international €100,000 (RM472,500) Basque Culinary World Prize 2019.
Chin is recognised for her efforts in educating the younger generation in the US on the importance of healthy eating and living by learning to cook.
The US-based chef uses a fully equipped mobile kitchen and dozens of recipes to illustrate the connections between cooking, health and the environment. She has trained over 500 educators from around 10 states, through which about 150,000 children have also completed their curriculum.
The chefs, representing 10 countries, were named on June 20 as the finalists who has had an impact beyond the kitchen. They are:
• Selassie Atadika (Ghana)
• Mario Castrellón (Panama)
• Siew-Chinn Chin (Malaysia- US)
• Giovanni Cuocci (Italy)
• Xanty Elías (Spain)
• Virgilio Martínez (Peru)
• Cristina Martínez (Mexico– US)
• Douglas McMaster (United Kingdom)
• Anthony Myint (US)
• Lars Williams (USA – Denmark)
For three months, gastronomic professionals and institutions nominated chefs from around the globe who have each demonstrated how gastronomy could become a transformational force in areas such as technology, education, environment, health, food production or on social or economic development.
The jury received over 230 nominations from about 42 countries with a total of 150 chefs nominated. This makes the 2019 edition the year with the highest number of nominees.
The prize, which is in its fourth year, is organised by the Basque government, under the auspices of Euskadi-Basque Country Strategy and the Basque Culinary Centre (BCC), a world-renowned gastronomic research and teaching institution.
A statement on their website said, “the winner will be chosen by an international jury comprised the world’s most acclaimed chefs and interdisciplinary experts from a variety of fields related to gastronomy during the ninth annual meeting of the Basque Culinary Centre International Council in San Francisco.
“The announcement will be made on July 16, 2019, during a symposium co-hosted by three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn.”
