A grand prize of 2 Air Tickets to Thailand with full board accommodation 

The grand finale of the P&S ‘2013 Creative Cooks Calendar’ Competition took place on 24th February 2014 amidst great excitement from all participants. The overall winner of the 2013 Creative Cooks Competition was Ms. Cheryl Thenuwera for her dish, ‘Thai Green Curry with Prawn & Vegetables’, while the winner of the impromptu Eclair Challenge was Ms. Achini Perera. Amidst the heat of the competition, P&S introduced a spontaneous éclair decorating challenge with the ingredients available in the kitchen. P&S ‘Creative Cooks Calendar’ is a competition organized to international standards which was adjudged by Chef Srijith Dolage, Chef Rohan Nakandala and the Guest Chef Tyrell Wasalathanththri who counts 37 years in the realm of F&B.

The visibly excited winner, Ms. Cheryl Thenuwera, commented on her win, “I am extremely grateful to P&S for organizing such a wonderful competition. I had a lot of fun participating in it and learned amazing new cooking tips. I have always been an admirer of the sumptuous cuisine that P&S has been providing over the years. It was a privilege for me to take part in this competition and to be selected the winner!”

The winners of the four quarters during the year were Mr. Lahiru Jayarathne, Ms. Achini Perera, Ms. Cheryl Thenuwara and Ms. Shamila Barsith respectively.

The brief for the participants at the finals of the ‘Creative Cooks Calendar’ Competition allocated 2 hours of cooking time per contestant; while the judging criteria was uniqueness of the dish, taste, appearance, originality, personal appearance and hygiene. The main ingredients at the competition were chicken, prawn, cuttlefish, sole fillet, seer slices and modha cubes.

Competitors were requested to make one dish using the same to serve the three judges. Of all the ingredients at the competition, P&S highlighted 10 key ingredients featured in the 2013 calendar and marked them as bonus points. Each competitor was given 10 points per ingredient for using the following dry ingredients in their dish: spinach, nelum ala, pani kaju, jujubes, basil, star anise, rosemary and bay leaf.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Ruvini Kariyawasan, Business Development Manager of P&S, said, “P&S has been at the forefront of providing nutritious and tasty snacks and meals to generations of Sri Lankans. We devised the ‘Creative Cooks Calendar’ Competition to engage more closely with our customers and to encourage them to experiment and gain confidence in their culinary skills. This inaugural competition has witnessed some touching moments of skill, resilience, creativity and togetherness. Quarterly winners were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 and a P&S voucher for the value of Rs. 5000. We are delighted to award the winner of the Grand Finale, Ms. Cheryl Thenuwera, 2 Air tickets to Thailand with full board accommodation.

As Sri Lanka’s foremost baker and caterer with over a century of tradition behind them, P&S takes pride in producing every great tasting item of food on its list with care, and with a strong commitment to quality ensuring there are no added preservatives to any of the food items prepared. Today, the Company has moved beyond being just a family baker to being a leader in the food and beverage industry with a diverse range of products from custom cake making to outdoor catering. Testimonies to the fact are the many accolades the company has received over the years.

Photo caption: (Top) Ms. Cheryl Thenuwera (3rd from right) with the other contestants and the PnS team and (bottom) Gihan Perera (right) handing over the air ticket to Mrs. Thenuwera