Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the winner of The Good Taste Series competition, an annual global contest that cultivates emerging chefs and celebrates cultural diversity. The Good Taste Series is open to anyone from line cooks to executive sous chefs in Hyatt hotels globally.
Jonathan Pasion, Chef de Cuisine at Andaz Maui Wailea Resort was named the winner by a panel of judges comprised of acclaimed chefs including Margarita Forés, Dylan Jones, Bruno Menard, Dave Pynt, Stefan Stiller, Bo Songvisava and Tetsuya Wakuda.
“Our purpose is to care for people so they can be their best, which includes helping our colleagues grow and realize their potential,” said Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer, Hyatt. “The Good Taste Series enhances the strong foundation that Hyatt has built for career development – from having inspiring mentors to providing an international platform to showcase our food and beverage talent – that will in turn enable our chefs to create unparalleled experiences for our guests.”
More than 220 chefs from Hyatt hotels and resorts in over 40 countries competed in the rigorous regional contests for the coveted opportunity to showcase their culinary chops on a global stage. The six chefs who won a place in the global final competition include Lily Liu of Park Hyatt Hangzhou, Leandro Minelli of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Sebong Oh of Grand Hyatt Seoul, Jonathan Pasion of Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Thomas Progeas of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and Robert Schielke of Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa.
“Hyatt has always enjoyed the reputation of being a leader in food and beverage. Our secret to success is to foster a nurturing environment where we develop and recognize our chefs and provide a stimulating platform to spark their creativity,” said Andreas Stalder, senior vice president, food and beverage operations and product development, Asia Pacific at Hyatt. “We are delighted to host this year’s global final of The Good Taste Series in Singapore, a city known for its diverse heritage, rich culinary traditions and vibrant food and beverage sector.”
The global final took place on Thursday, March 28, 2019 at Grand Hyatt Singapore. The six contestants received a mystery black box containing items required to be included within their dishes, which consisted of Australian grass-fed cow, sustainably farmed barramundi, home-grown herbs from the rooftop of Grand Hyatt Singapore, and organic vegetables from Malaysia. Each chef was required to prepare an appetizer and a main dish using these ingredients.
Jonathan Pasion of Andaz Maui Wailea Resort won top marks from the judges with his two creations: Barramundi Tataki “Kilawin” and Filipino Adobo Australian Grass-Fed Beef Cheeks (see photo above). Leandro Minelli of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and Thomas Progeas of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme were the first runner-up and second runner-up respectively in this tightly contested finale.
“Winning the Good Taste Series is the highlight of my culinary career. It made me realize that my hard work, dedication, and staying true to myself have paid off,” said Jonathan Pasion. “I feel truly blessed to have competed in the global finals, and that I have an incredible support system. I hope winning the Good Taste Series will inspire young culinarians in Hawaii to know it’s possible to be a locally-raised kid on a small island, and still be able to compete with the top chefs of the culinary world.”
