Ready, Set, Cook! Café Mulia Hati’s 2nd Annual Cooking Competition

The competition was fierce as Meulaboh’s finest chefs competed for the prize of “Best Team Cooking” Wednesday afternoon at Café Mulia Hati. Two “junior” groups (students at Café Mulia Hati) and two “senior” groups (graduates of Café Mulia Hati) went head to head preparing chicken burritos, salads, smoothies, muffins, meatballs, carrot cake, and, of course, everyone’s favorite menu item – thin crust pizza. The teams arrived Wednesday morning, not knowing what they would be required to cook and with only three hours to prepare their assigned menu. Yes, on Wednesday morning the kitchen at Café Mulia Hati heated up quickly.

Not only were the cooks nervous, but the judges also felt the pressure. Faisal (UNDP) and Erwin, two of the judges, discussed pre-taste testing strategies. For Erwin, it was all about “finding his focus,” while Faisal reminded Erwin not to forget about the style. The two other judges, Beth Parker (Café Mulia Hati Volunteer) and Ibu Wati (Café Mulia Hati Cooking Supervisor) discussed the difficulties of being a judge as they work side by side these women. “It’s all good,” Beth said admiring the many dishes carefully displayed on the competing tables.

The junior groups shared that the carrot cake was the most time consuming dish they had to prepare. Typically, it takes about an hour and a half to make a carrot cake from start to finish. Although the senior teams were not required to prepare the well-loved carrot cake, they were given a new challenge – to make a chocolate heart especially for Valentine’s Day. It seems they mastered this challenge as Judge Erwin kept going back for more, “just to make sure,” Erwin said.

At long last the taste testing winded down, the trophy pans and recipe books were displayed and the winning teams were announced. Teams B and C screamed with delight as Ibu Wati declared their teams to be the 2007 winners. For Team C, their secret to success was, “Careful preparation, working well together, and having a clean table.”

Delicious food was enjoyed by all Wednesday afternoon at Café Mulia Hati, but the true spirit of the event was evident in the laughter shared and the joyful smiles of the chefs. Not only is this café is a special place for its loyal patrons, but also for the women who work there. As graduate Ibu Zubeda said, “I love and miss Café Mulia Hati.”