Excited faces congregated from different parts of the Barisal region. They all gathered on the morning of 4th November at Barisal Club compound to join  Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef 2016.

Rinku Dutta, a second year student of Govt. B.M College came to join the contest. `I learned  traditional cooking from my mother. I try to cook some traditional item in contest,' he said. 

Roksana, a housewife came from Barisal city and she said cooking was her hobby so she was here to present some different items for the judges' perusal.

Farjana Nasrin, another house wife from Barisal city said, `Cooking is not a general daily work. It is a creative work. I want to present cooking as the work of a creative mind'

In the Barisal region, Barisal Club was the second location where Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef 2016 kicked off its journey for the 3rd year. 

Around 150 people of all ages registered for the competition which started with 36 people taking an MCQ Test. Only 10 participants passed the MCQ test. From them, only two persons were elected the winners. Faisal Mahmud, marketing manager, BEOL, assigned to conduct the whole competition, briefed the cooking round participants with a smiling face and friendly gestures. Armin Sultana Jui and Nasrin Hossain of 1st and 2nd runner up of Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef-2014 competition joined the programme as judges

In a spacious hall cleared for the program, 10 small tables equipped with Gas stove burners and cooking paraphernalia were lined at both sides of the Amrita Lal Dey hallroom. Two other tables were kept at one corner to provide the participants with necessary utensils, platters, spices and some essential ingredients including potatoes, onions, garlic etc. A big canvas set at the front showed the program logo of Super Chef-2016. The tables were also covered with decorated banner of the competition. 

As the cooking round started, participants scurried to collect their necessary utensils and ingredients from the tables and the smell of spices filled the hall as busy hands started to mix spicy ingredients in heating pans. With great gusto, the aspirant chefs focused on the recipes. Two judges, 2014 Super Chef runners up, went round the tables to check the cooking proceedings. Volunteers and managing staff shuffled to and from the hall room to maintain discipline and give necessary guidelines for the competition.

Appetising smell of different delicious dishes wafted up to fill the spacious hall. Curious eyes peered into the pans and bowls to guess what delicious and succulent food stuff were there.

Each participant was allowed only thirty minutes to finish their cooking. As the bell rang, one batch of ten participants wound up their cooking session producing platters decorated with different cooked items. Hearts pounding and hands shaking, the participants offered their dishes to Nasrin Hossain and Armin Sultana who, like the true connoisseur of food, tasted every bit from each item on the plate.

At around 2.30 the whole session came to a close with participants still awaiting the declaration of winner's names

All the participants for the cooking round were awarded certificates.

Winners 

Finally, the judges selected two as “Yes Card” winners. 

They are Sonia Haque,Moriom Akhter from Barisal.

Faisal Mahmud, Marketing Manager of Bangladesh Edible Oil Limited conducted the events. Sharafatur Rahman Irak, Deputy 

Manager of Market Access and Jahid Mahamud were present at the event.

By Sushanta Ghosh 
Photo: Sushanta Ghosh