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Sunil Menon, 32, of Leigh, Lancashire, won the 2002 International Indian Chef of the year title in Edinburgh by what judges said was the narrowest margin in the competitions 11-year history.
Menon was our unanimous choice, said acting chairman of judges Cyrus Todiwala. But the difference in points awarded each of the eight finalists was smaller than ever before.
The winner, who works as a development chef for Pataks Food, took the title and #1,000 prize with his ideal four-dish Indian meal Lamb Bhuna, Regional Prawn Curry with tamarind, Vegetable Biriyani, and Potato and Green Pepper melange. He formerly worked in Bombay for the prestigious Taj Hotel group.
I came to England just over a year ago, Menon said, and entered the competition to find out how I fared against already established chefs.
Menon also said he was drawn to enter the competition by the simple entry procedure.
Many competitions have several heats on the way to the final, he said. You have to take all your ingredients and cooking equipment from one place to the next. And the more you progress, the more you have to take.
For this competition, you just need to send in a good original menu to have a chance of reaching the final.
Menon told a professional magazine he had no plans to start his own restaurant --- If I wanted my own restaurant, I could have done that in Bombay -- or enter any more competitions. He said one attraction of the International Indian Chef Competition was the #1,000 That cleared my #750 bank overdraft.
Second place went to Vasudev Vaidya, 39. a chef from Crawley in Sussex, who works for a firm preparing meals for airline passengers.
A 38-year-old Thai woman studying in Birmingham,Maneerat Phokasem, was third.
Six men and two women were selected from a worldwide entry of around 5,000 expert cooks for Friday's culinary battle at Queen Margaret University College. Entries in the competition started by Edinburgh entrepeneur Tommy Miah to promote innovation and quality in Indian cuisine have risen steadily to the present level from an initial 400 in 1991.
Prizes and diplomas were presented on Friday evening at Edinburgh's annual Curry Ball in the Roxburghe Hotel, which raises money for the Dhaka orphanage founded by former British Airways hostess Pat Kerr.
© The Indian Chef Of The Year 2002