A delightful culinary journey

If you make your way to Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa and you head down to the Steak and Kebab restaurant you are bound to bump into the bubbly and ever pleasant Executive Chef Julinda Pushpakumara. He creates some fantastic dishes at the restaurant which, as the name itself indicates, includes steaks and kebabs.

His cheerful natures aside, he is a fantastic chef, which was proved recently when he was awarded two Gold Medals at the East Coast International Culinary Event 2014. The event, which took place on June 6, saw chefs from all corners of the United Arab Emirates as well as Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Croatia and Oman participating. There were around 400 participants, which included more than 100 senior chefs and 2,000 visitors along with more than 50 suppliers from the region.

Sri Lanka was represented by Chef W K Ganesh from the Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo as well as Chef Julinda. The chefs were nominated by the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka under the management of Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe, Skills Development Chef and Chairman of the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka.

Chef Julinda competed in two competitions that of the Three Course Dinner Set Menu and the Australian Beef Live Cooking.  The set menu included a Japanese starter, while the main course was Slow Roast Beef accompanied with Beans Ragout, Sautéed Assorted Mushroom and Asparagus in Port Wine Gravy. The dessert for the set menu was a Chocolate Parfait with Passion Fruit Jelly.  The Australian Beef Live Cooking was that of Cinnamon Smoked Beef Tender with a Pumpkin Well stuffed Beef Ragout and Oven Roasted Tomato with Port Wine Gravy. Just hearing about these made my mouth water and it looks like the feeling was mutual for the judges as he won Gold for these amazing dishes. Chef Julinda scored a 192 points in the competition, which saw him being award the Best Gastronomist at the competition as well.

The day I interviewed Chef Julinda I was able to savour some of his delightful dishes that of his amazingly tender and juicy lamb kebab dressed with yoghurt and mint and a side of fresh crunchy salad, savoury rice and noodles. “Japanese is one of my favourite styles of cooking,” Chef Julinda says and this comes through with his creation Prawn Tempura with a Lemon Shot. The soft prawn in its crunchy tempura batter washed down with the shot of lemon juice is a lovely treat. He also served up an amazingly chocolaty Chocolate Mousse slice that was delectable.

Chef Julinda’s culinary journey started in 1997 when he enrolled in the NAB Hotel Course. His experience in the hotel industry started at Hotel Sigiriya. He then moved on to Pegasus Reef Hotel and the Taj Samudra in Colombo. He worked at the Hilton in Oman for nearly 12 years. Upon returning to Sri Lanka, in 2011, he joined the Cinnamon Hotel chain where he started work at Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa.

“I learned so much from this (the East Coast International Culinary Event 2014) competition and therefore gained a lot of experience,” he says adding, “With every competition you learn something new.” He adds that competition in the culinary world is very high and says that it in order to stand out among the rest it is important to always present the best.

The most challenging aspect of the competition, Chef Julinda says was competing with so many, “It was tough... It was not easy – They know new things and it is not just about me doing my best because everyone out there is also giving it their best,” he says adding, “I am very happy and proud of myself for what I have achieved and I couldn’t have done well if not for the support I received from Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe, the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka and my company.”

“Cooking is something I liked from a young age – When my family would go out, I would cook dhal curry and surprise my mother and received positive feedback,” Chef Julinda who grew up in Matale and now resides in Homagama says adding, “I never planned to become a chef but somehow things turned out this way and I really enjoy what I do and my family continues to support me and they always say, whatever you do come home!”

By Natasha Fernandopulle
Photos by Kanishke Ganewatte