In an effort to bolster its presence in the Asian market, Shucks Maine Lobster of Richmond, Maine, is sponsoring its first-ever Lobster Chef of the Year competition at the second annual Asian Seafood Exposition at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre early next month. The cook-off has been dubbed the “Lobster World Series.”
Five chefs will compete in three rounds, the first taking place at the three-day Asian Seafood Exposition. The chefs will compete on 6 and 7 September, with the winner being announced on 7 September.
The six chefs are Andrew Lee, executive chef of the Novotel Hong Kong Century Hotel; Daniel Tam, executive sous chef at Aqua Restaurant Group; Patrick Goubier, executive chef of Chez Patrick; Kelvin Pun, executive sous chef at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers; and Mak Kam Kui, executive sous chef at Hong Kong Disneyland. Click here to meet the chefs.
The chefs must use whole Maine lobster from Shucks in their dishes, which will be judged on serving methods and presentation; creativity, menu and ingredients compatibility; flavor, texture, taste and doneness; portion size; and inclusion of the entire lobster. Shucks offers a full line of Maine lobster products, including frozen whole lobster, fresh raw lobster meat and value-added products such as lobster mac and cheese, ceviche and carpaccio.
The winner of the Hong Kong competition will be flown to Portland, Maine, in August 2012 to compete in the final round. The second and third rounds will take place at the International Boston Seafood Show in March 2012 and the European Seafood Exposition in April 2012. The fourth finalist will be the winner of the Maine Lobster Council’s Lobster Chef annual competition.
According to Shucks’ Caitlin Hathaway, who’s organizing the event, the competition is getting a lot of positive reaction from the industry.
“We’re finding that the chefs are also really, really excited about it,” said Hathaway. “It’s a fun and creative way to see what people can do with Maine lobster.”
The Asian Seafood Exposition is organized by Diversified Business Communications of Portland, Maine, which also runs the International Boston Seafood Show and European Seafood Exposition and publishes SeafoodSource.com and SeaFood Business magazine. Click here for a preview of the Asian Seafood Exposition.
