Star Cruises announced that the chefs from SuperStar Libra, currently home-ported in Penang, were honored with 14 medals and 13 diplomas at the sizzling culinary battle, the Battle of the Chefs 2013, held from 12-14 June at Straits Quay Convention Centre, Penang, Malaysia.

Led by Executive Chef, Saifol Iskandar Ikhsan, the chef team from SuperStar Libra was awarded one gold, two silvers, 11 bronze medals and 13 diploma awards in the three-day event.

Mr. Pradeep Mohan, the 29-year-old 1st cook from SuperStar Libra, debuted at the Battle of the Chefs with a gold medal. He impressed the judges with his innovative and mouth-watering dishes including Brown Rice Chicken Briyani served with Onion Raita and Lijad Papad, Brown Rice Kofta with Makhani Sauce and Spinach Mashed Sweet Potato.

Sous Chef Mr. Shah Irwan Omar, 33, snatched a silver medal under Practical cooking Seafood Category, with Symphony of Seafood Mousse Primura with shimeji mushroom and crustacean bisque. Another silver medal won by 20-year-old steward, Mr. Pande Komang Bayu with his innovative cocktail named “Spice Nojito” under Flair King Category.

Bronze medal winners include Mr. Shah Irwan Omar (Plated Dish Display), Mr. Muhammad Quzair (Practical Hot Cooking Beef / Lamb), Mr. Zulkifly Akhir (Practical Hot Cooking Poultry/Game), Mr. Nurul Amir (Practical Hot Cooking Poultry/Game), Mr. Bryan Tay Cheak Sin (Practical Hot Cooking Seafood), Mr. Zulkily Akhir (Practical Hot Cooking Seafood), Mr. Tahrim Minhad (Practical Hot Cooking Malay Traditional), Mr. Nurul Amir (Practical Hot Cooking Malay Traditional), Mr. Zulkifly Akhir (Practical Hot Cooking Char Keow Teow), Mr. Liu Xing (Practical Carving Fruits & Vegetable) and Mr. Miko (Flair King). 

In addition, the SuperStar Libra’s chef team also collected 13 diplomas – Mr. Husni Hamidi (Practical Hot Cooking Malay Traditional, Practical Hot Cooking Seafood and Hot Cooking Poultry categories), Mr. Tahrim Minhad (Practical Hot Cooking Seafood and Hot Cooking Poultry categories), Mr. Cruben Pillay (Plated Dish Display and Flair King categories), Mr. Juraimi Mohd (Practical Hot Cooking Malay Traditional category), Mr. Shah Irwan Omar (Practical Hot Cooking Beef/Lamb category), Mr Algene Garcia (Bread Show Piece category) and Mr. Saiful Affandi and Mr. Sulla Ferdinand (Plated Dish Display category). 

Mr. Cheng Foong Sim, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations, Star Cruises said, “We are very proud of our chefs’ outstanding performance at the Battle of the Chefs. We will stay on course to nurture the growth of Asian culinary talents and provide opportunities for them to showcase their creativity to Star Cruises guests from around the world. Our award-winning chef team’s culinary dedication and brilliance will continue to power Star Cruises’ various restaurants, which offer a wide range of cuisines from international to Southeast Asian.”

Organized by Chefs Association of Malaysia (Penang Chapter), the Battle of the Chefs 2013, is held once every two year to unearth new talents and provide a platform for Malaysian chefs to create and challenge others in showing heritage cuisine. The event was endorsed by World Association of Chefs Societies as a Continental Level Competition and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Penang State Government. It attracted 850 participants, of which 100 were from Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Ukraine and Slovenia, just to name a few, to vie for the highest accolades in 60 categories.