REPORT

Prize-winning menu

The dishes prepared by five cooks from Poznań restaurants won recognition of the international jury during a cooking contest which was held in Riva del Garda in Italy. It was for the first time that young followers of the culinary art came back home with a gold medal. The contest was marked by fierce competition since amongst its participants were Germans, the Dutch, Austrians, Hungarians, Russians, Slovaks and Italians. Culinary specialities prepared by the gold medallists were to be tasted during a formal dinner given in the Park Hotel. Among the personages who accepted the invitation were Tomasz Keyser, vice president of Poznań and Tomasz Wiktor, director of the Department of Physical Education and Tourism at the Marshal's Office in Poznań. The menu featured vegetable pate with green asparagus, white trout in vegetable mousse with tomatoes and olives, hare saddle with ragout and baked vegetables and chocolate mousse with a drop of amber for dessert. This delicious menu was prepared by Tomasz Purol from the restaurant of the Park Hotel, Marcin Piasecki from the Edison Hotel, Sławomir Wnuk from the Batory Hotel, Piotr Markowski from the Merkury Hotel and Michał Masztalerz from the Rzymski Hotel. The whole trick is not to send professionals to enter a contest but to prepare young cooks in such a way that they could return home with a gold medal, said Ryszard Józefiak, chef of the restaurant in the Edison Hotel. It was under his close supervision that young men had trained for several months prior to the cooking contest. They are the cream of Polish culinary art. They stand a great chance which should not be wasted, added Ryszard Józefiak.

Beata Zagrodzka-Blok