by KT Leong
After three days of heated competition, The Pro Chef 2025 Culinary Competition, organised by the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Ipoh, finally came to a close and out of 30 contestants, 4 stood at the top of the competition.
This cooking competition was a crucible for young chefs to test their skills, mental fortitude and creativity, while showcasing their talents, as they had to work with mystery ingredients, all while under strict time limits. It was unfamiliar ground for some of the younger chefs, especially on the first day.
The competition crowned Rajeskumar, a chef from Purest Hotel, Sungai Petani, as the champion. He walked away with a RM6,000 cash prize.
The first runner-up was Chef Show Liew from Asado Restaurant, Ipoh, who received RM3,000, while the second and third runners-up were Chef Siti Rabiah from Sunway Hospital, Ipoh, and Chef Mohamad Muzaini from Shah Alam, each winning RM1,000.
The awards ceremony, held at Exquisite Seafoood Restaurant Ipoh, also served as a fundraising dinner in aid of the Kingdomcity Church Ipoh building expansion fund.
The ceremony was officiated by YMCA Ipoh President, Dato’ Daniel Tay, accompanied by Malaysia Culinary United Associations President and Head Judge, Arthur Lim .
During the event, Dato’ Daniel Tay presented a mock cheque representing the funds successfully raised, worth RM50,000 to Kingdomcity Church’s Senior Pastor, Pastor Matthew.
Organising Chairperson Ceylyn Tay said that this year’s Pro Chef competition aimed to create a platform for talented chefs to showcase their culinary skills.
She added that the event witnessed chefs from Perak, Melaka, Kedah, and Selangor and Syria, who impressed judges with their remarkable techniques, bold creativity, fusion of flavors, and innovative use of technology, taking the art of gastronomy to a new level.
Thanks were also expressed to Canning Machinery Solutions, who provided the venue for the cooking competition.
