INNOCENT Sena of Golden Tulip Hotel emerged the best chef of this year?s National Cuisine Skills competition which came off at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel last Saturday.

Innocent scored 79 per cent points to lift the first prize of a four burner Bosch cooker, Domod cook ware, Maggi hamper and a plaque all valued at ?4.3million.

Francis Otoo of La Palm Royal Beach Hotel was named as the first runner-up with 71% points. He was given a ?4.2million prize which includes a refrigerator, Domod cook ware and a Maggi hamper.

The second runner-up was Leslie Kwame also of La Palm who received a microwave oven, Domod cook ware and Maggi Hamper all worth ?3.4million. A side attraction called Salon Culinaire saw Edwina Aryee of HCIMA emerging as first while Paul Hodasi (La Palm) and Olivia Narh (HCIMA) took the second and third positions respectively.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism Hon. Nana Akomeah who gave the keynote address at the function called on stakeholders in the beverage industry to take a cue from the efforts of those in the food industry so as to stimulate the refinement and packaging of some of Ghana?s locally made beverages. ?We definitely should be able to take refined and properly packaged asana, palm wine, and pito to go along with our well packaged bankus, waakyes, and yoke gari?, Hon. Akomeah said.

He said, the enhancement of our recipes so as to make them attractive to ourselves and international visitors, ?give us one more distinct cultural product that surely would increase our attractiveness as a tourist destination of authentic culture?.

The Deputy Minister asked the organisers to sustain and improve on the momentum of the contest and pledged the full support and collaboration of the Ministry of Tourism to ensure the success of Cuisine Skills 2002 and subsequent ones. The National Cuisine Competition was organised by the Ghana branch of HCIMA which is the professional body for managers and proprietors in the international hospitality business.

In a welcome address the National Chairperson of HCIMA Mrs. Fati Dakubu said food is like fashion which changes all the time as such professionals have to move with current trends in the world.

?The competition is therefore aimed at motivating and enhancing the talents of our food managers to be more innovative and to polish their skills artistically to improve Ghana?s standing as a competitive tourist destination?, she said. She also stated that the competition is aimed at bringing out new and improved dishes, ?which would be most suitably accepted at the international level?. Mrs. Dakubu thanked Nestle Ghana Ltd., Bosch, Domod, Belshaw and La Palm for sponsoring the contest.