Children from the 2 Way Centre walked hand in hand with some of the region’s best-known chefs at the opening ceremony of this year’s Battle of the Chefs in Penang on 22 October.
The Little Chefs, as the group is known, were led onto the stage by FC Chong, president of SKAL Penang and a founding member of the Penang Chef’s Association. Their parade across the platform came directly after an address by YB Wong Hon Wai, Penang’s state Executive councillor for Tourism And Creative Economy, and the hall stayed full for the walk that followed his speech.
A row of Big Chefs walked with them. Among those accompanying the children were Worldchefs vice president Rick Stephen and Chef Jeremy Clark, who is a member of both the Penang Chef’s Association and SKAL Penang. The children wore numbered aprons and paper hats, and they crossed the stage between chefs in full white.
The opening ceremony carried the backing of three organisations. Battle of the Chefs is supported by the Penang Chef’s Association, SKAL Penang and the Penang Mental Health Association.
The children came from the 2 Way Centre in Penang, a privately run operation that focuses on the needs of children with learning difficulties and helps them cope with their challenges. Placing the centre at the front of the ceremony put its work in front of the event’s guests and the wider culinary trade gathered for the opening.
Fundraising followed the ceremony. Cookies baked in aid of the charity were offered at RM50 per bag, and the entire stock was taken almost as soon as the sale opened. Demand ran past supply, so a further batch is now being prepared, with the centre confirming that the first offering had been over-sold.
