HCM CITY — Two students from Hà Nội on Thursday won the Taste of Australia culinary competition after beating three other teams at the final of the first nationwide culinary contest.

The winners Nguyễn Phương Diệu and Nguyễn Hồng Quân are from the social enterprise KOTO (Know One, Teach One).

The winners will receive a free trip to Sydney courtesy of leading Australian culinary institutions, William Blue College of Hospitality Management and Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School under Torrens University.

They will also receive scholarships paying for half of their tuition to study culinary arts in Sydney.

On April 18, 17 teams in Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang took part in the competition, including challenging skills tests and an intriguing mystery box full of premium Australian ingredients.

Teams from KOTO in Hà Nội and HCM City, Sunflower School in Nha Trang and Việt-Úc Vocational College in Đà Nẵng won the competition and went on to compete in the final at the Intercontinental Sun Peninsula Đà Nẵng.

Speaking at the competition, Australian Consul-General Karen Lanyon said: “Australian culinary education is world-class. The winners of this competition will have a life-changing opportunity to experience some of the best international culinary training environments, taking their skills and knowledge to the next level.”

This was the competition’s second year in Việt Nam, but the first year it was held nationally.

Judges and coaches for the final were Taste of Australia Ambassador Celebrity Chef Luke Nguyễn, MasterChef Việt Nam Ngô Thanh Hòa, MasterChef Korea Sid Choi, Australian Consul-General Karen Lanyon and Madame Ánh Tuyết.

Taste of Australia is a celebration of Australian food, beverages, cuisine, fashion and design, held throughout Việt Nam every April.

Taste of Australia encompasses a wide range of exciting and delicious events and activities in Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, and Nha Trang.

It aims to promote Australia’s high-quality food, premium wine and beverages, and delicious cuisine, as well as the country’ creative film, education and world-class fashion and design. — VNS