Hilton South East Asia & India F&B Masters 2017/2018

World-class food & beverage product and service delivery is a cornerstone of Hilton. Through skill, creativity and innovation, Team Members at our hotels bring this to life every day by providing guests with exceptional and memorable dining experiences that foster loyalty. The F&B Masters aims to discover, recognize and celebrate the talent and contribution of Team Members, spotlighting their hard work, passion and commitment.

Running in its fourth year in South East Asia and India, Hilton South East Asia & India F&B Masters (ISEA F&B Masters) is a multi-faceted competition that discovers, develops and distinguishes the best F&B talents across Hilton’s portfolio of properties in the region, providing property staff with an opportunity to develop skills, creativity and gain real-world experience.

25 finalists out of 802 participants across more than 40 Hilton properties in South East Asia and India have been shortlisted to compete in this year’s F&B Masters finals. Finalists will prepare and serve their signature F&B creations to the judges, who will assess the taste, innovation, originality, and presentation of these creations, amongst other criteria, across five F&B disciplines: Bar, Barista, Culinary, Dessert, and Sommelier. One winner will be selected across each discipline, and they will receive an exclusive training experience in a city and venue renowned for quality and innovation related to their craft.

The competition kicked off last year, and finalists have emerged victorious following two rounds of hotel level and clustered countries level competitions. They will represent their countries – India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand – as well as their respective hotels within the region.

In last year’s ISEA F&B Masters, over 1,600 new and innovative food, cocktail and coffee recipes were created by contestants in South East Asia & India, and some of these creations have been featured in the hotels’ menus as well as during promotions.

Bar Cup
Finalists will answer 30 multiple choice questions that test their product knowledge. They will then prepare three cocktails – one being their own signature cocktail, and two drawn from a hat containing options for Short Drinks and Long Drinks.
Barista Cup
Finalists will answer 30 multiple choice questions that test their product knowledge. They will then prepare three coffees – one espresso, one cappuccino, and one free-style specialty coffee – and five latte art options.
Culinary Cup
Finalists will create and prepare a three-course menu based on a list of black box ingredients. The menu will comprise two portions each of one starter course, one main course, and one dessert course. They will then present and serve the dishes to the judges.
Dessert Cup
Finalists will create and prepare a three-course menu based on a list of black box ingredients. The menu will comprise two portions each of a chocolate dessert, a mousse-type dessert, and a warm dessert. They will then present and serve the dishes to the judges.
Sommelier Cup
Finalists will proof read, classify and make appropriate corrections to a wine list based on their product knowledge, followed by answering 50 multiple choice and short essay questions. They will then blind taste five still wines and two sparkling wines, and present their findings to the judges. They will next pair ten food and wines by choosing the most suitable wines for a series of courses selected by the judges. Finally, their service techniques will be put to the test, as they decant and serve wine using a wine basket, and serve sparkling wine to the judges.

Judging Criteria
The winner of each Cup will be selected based on:
 Taste and presentation of food
 Overall technique
 Creative use of common work space and list of black box ingredients
 Cleanliness of work environment
 Professionalism when using shared equipment