Thanks to an invitation from the most generous Souris, I attended the taping of the Kumai Harvest Japanese Rice Cooking Contest Semi-Finals, sponsored by NHK Television, to be broadcast in Japan. There were over 300 entrants in the contest, and three were chosen to compete in the semi-finals yesterday in New York City. The winner of the semi-finals will be flown to Japan to compete in the finals. The contestants had a limited amount of time to each prepare a cold dish, hot dish, and dessert which were judged by three professional chefs -- Mark Miller, Ming Tsai, and Michel Nischan.
Audience participation was encouraged and enthusiastic. We all were given samples of the contestants' hot dishes, and members of the audiences were selected to taste the contestants' desserts (including me!). I was impressed by all of the competitors and their creativity; each was dish imbued with the chef's unique personality. Best of luck to yesterday's winner in the Finals!
The Chefs, from left to right:Mark Miller, Ming Tsai, and Michel Nischan.
The Fans, from left to right: Jane, Robin, Souris, Me
