Hyatt Announces the Asia Pacific Winner of The Good Taste Series Annual Culinary Challenge

Eight talented chefs from Hyatt hotels across the region competed at Grand Hyatt Macau in the third edition of Hyatt�s global cooking competition

 

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 13 November 2019 - Hyatt today announced that Vernon Rego,
Chef de Partie — Events at
Grand Hyatt Melbourne
has emerged champion in the Asia Pacific edition of The Good Taste Series competition. Vernon Rego, together with runners-up
Daichi Kondo, Chef de Partie at The Grill in Hyatt Regency Kyoto and Mark
Zaragoza, Chef de Cuisine at The Cellar in Grand Hyatt Manila, will represent
the company’s Asia Pacific region in the global final held in Abu Dhabi in
March 2020. A
testament to Hyatt’s commitment to culinary excellence and creativity, The
Good Taste Series is open to anyone from line cooks to executive sous
chefs in Hyatt hotels globally.

All dish in TGTS Asia Pacific Final

Vernon REGO – Winner of TGTS Asia Pacific Final

All contestants in TGTS Asia Pacific Final with Hyatt Executives

 

“Hyatt
has enjoyed the reputation of being a leader in food and beverage. Our secret sauce
to success is to foster a nurturing environment where we develop and recognize
our chefs through a stimulating platform that sparks their creativity,” said
Andreas Stalder, senior vice president, food and beverage operations and
product development, Asia Pacific at Hyatt. “More than 630 chefs — an 85% increase
from last year, competed in The Good Taste Series competition this year. This strengthens
the foundation that Hyatt has built for career
development, enabling our chefs to create unparalleled experiences for our
guests.” 

 

Vernon
Rego was named the winner by a panel of judges comprised of acclaimed chefs
including
Daniel Calvert, Margarita Forés, Nicolas Le Bec, Shane Osborn, Stefan
Stiller and Sze Man Sui; food
critic Evelyn Chen; Li Shu Tim, executive Chinese chef at Grand Hyatt Hong
Kong; and Andreas Stalder.

 

631 chefs
from 72 Hyatt hotels and resorts in 12 countries in Asia Pacific competed in
the rigorous regional contests for the coveted opportunity to showcase their
culinary chops on an international stage. This year’s Asia Pacific final
featured eight contestants, an increase from previous years, as there were three
contestants representing mainland China — which accounts for almost half of
Hyatt’s portfolio in the fast-growing region.

 

The
eight chefs who won a place in the Asia Pacific final include Gavin Fan of
Hyatt Regency Tianjin East, Jang Byung-Duk of Grand Hyatt Seoul, Daichi Kondo
of Hyatt Regency Kyoto, Nguyen Thi Truc Linh of Park Hyatt Saigon, Vernon Rego
of Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Annie Wang of Hyatt Regency Jinan, Wilson Xu of Grand
Hyatt Shenzhen and Mark Zaragoza of Grand Hyatt Manila.

 

The
night before the Asia Pacific final, the finalists received a mystery black box
— which consisted of sustainable salmon, free-range chicken, cage-free eggs and
young kailan and young fennel from Eco Farm, a certified organic farm in
Jiangxi, China. These ingredients embody Hyatt’s food and beverage philosophy, Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully
Served, in order to better care for guests and communities in which Hyatt
hotels operate. Each chef was required to prepare an appetizer and a main dish
using these ingredients.

 

Vernon
Rego won top marks from the judges with his two creations: An appetizer of confit
salmon, soffritto, fennel and orange and a main course of chicken,
apricot, hazelnut and spice carrot. “This
has been an incredible experience where I have been able to challenge myself
and play with my ideas for new dishes and flavors. Coming this far in this
highly regarded competition has been an amazing journey and a career highlight
for me,” said Vernon Rego. “I look forward to the next stage in the global
final, meeting my fellow Hyatt competitors and seeing how we all challenge each
other in this supportive environment.”

 

Daichi
Kondon prepared marinated salmon with citrus flavor, écailler-style fennel with
yogurt cream, pickled zucchini and three-pepper basil sauce (appetizer) and
steamed chicken breast with lemongrass sauce, Chinese kale and mushroom
duxelles and exotic hollandaise sauce (main course). Mark Zaragoza’s appetizer
was salmon, egg yolk confit, caper and raisin fennel and the main course was
chicken roulade, mushroom, kailan, Jerusalem artichoke puree, jus.

 

Vernon
Rego, Daichi Kondo and Mark Zaragoza will travel to Abu Dhabi in March 2020 where
nine talented chefs from Hyatt hotels around the world will face off in the
third global final of The Good Taste Series competition.

 

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience
to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt
Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality
company with a portfolio of 20 premier brands. As of September 30, 2019, the
Company’s portfolio included more than 875 properties in over 60
countries across six continents. The Company’s purpose to care for people so
they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and
is intended to attract and retain top colleagues, build relationships with
guests and create value for shareholders. The Company’s subsidiaries develop,
own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels,
resorts, branded residences, vacation ownership properties, and fitness and spa
locations, including under the Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand
Hyatt®, Alila®, Andaz®, The
Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination®, Hyatt
Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt
Zilara™, Thompson Hotels®, Hyatt Centric®, Caption
by Hyatt, Joie de Vivre®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt
Place®, tommie™, Hyatt Residence Club® and Exhale® brand
names, and operates the World of Hyatt® loyalty program that
provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its valued
members. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.