New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS): Abhijeet Dua, a Culinary Arts Programme student at the Indian School of Hospitality, a premier hospitality education institution, was accorded with the winners' title at the 'Culinary Student of the Year' awards.

Organised by the Chefs Table Studio, 450 students from across the country participated in the 2020 edition of the awards. The selection process involved three qualification rounds and participants were assessed by a jury comprising of highly respected veteran chefs including Vijaya Bhaskaran and Shaju Zacharia, among others.

The final round of the competition had 15 young chefs competing for the title award. Students cooked live from their college and home kitchens to a virtual audience of more than 2,000 viewers, including the jury members who closely watched their preparation, technique and presentation to decide on a winning candidate. Abhijeet chose to compete with progressive cuisine - a Carolina Rubbed Sous Vide Chicken and a Flexible Aciduated Chocolate Ganache.

Kanishk Dawar made it to the Gold category, Tanveer Narwani was placed in the Silver category and Anousha Anupam secured a place in the Bronze category.

Dilip Puri, Founder & CEO at the Indian School of Hospitality congratulated all winners and complimented the organisers on the monumental effort put in to bring together an event of this scale. "It's been a thrilling experience, I'm happy to see students compete so passionately at such a young age. It goes to show that we have really talented young chefs in the making and they'll be joining the industry soon. Perhaps they will lead some of the best hotel and restaurant kitchens across the world, or maybe set up one of their own. At ISH, our approach to education espouses the importance of hospitality as a building block and I am confident that our students will be stellar at whatever they choose to do."

Kunal Vasudeva, Chief Operating Officer at the Indian School of Hospitality, said, "The students have all done very well. I'm happy to see ISH students compete with others from across the country. It's been a tremendous learning experience for everyone I'm sure. Our students will soon be entering the industry and participating in competitions of this stature will help them gain real-world experience. I was observing Abhijeet Dua prepare the Chocolate Ganache that took him to the podium, and I was impressed just watching the technique he used. I also congratulate our entire culinary team for guiding and mentoring the students. It is this effort of the mentors that teaches students to persevere and achieve perfection in all they do. I'm confident that they're ready for global opportunities."

Chef Jugesh Arora, Honorary President, South India Culinary Association (SICA) and Founder at the Chefs Table Studio was quoted as saying, "We're so happy to see such strong participation from colleges and institutes across India. We conceptualized the awards as a platform for young aspirants to learn, share knowledge, compete and prepare for future opportunities. The students have shown a lot camaraderie throughout the competition. I am certain that our young chefs will make us proud. I congratulate all winners. The performance by students from ISH has been phenomenal, Abhijeet Dua secured the top position and three other students won in the Gold, Silver and Bronze category."