NEW YORK—Times Square was filled with delicious-smelling aromas Thursday as 29 top chefs from all around the world fired up their woks in an ancient Chinese-style kitchen stadium. They were competing to be named the best chef of five Chinese cuisines.
Guests were able to taste the finest of Chinese food preparations at the Emperor’s Banquet, while passersby were mesmerized by the setting as well as the excitement of New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television’s Fifth International Chinese Culinary Competition.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing,” said Abie Maltz, owner of Nu Cafe 47 in Brooklyn who was one of the first to compete Thursday morning. “I heard the judges compliment my fish.” Maltz was educated at New York Restaurant School.
The competition requires participating chefs to prepare a self-selected dish and a required dish. On Friday, chefs who advance from Thursday’s preliminary round will join 14 others who advanced from another preliminary round held in Asia to a final round on Times Square. The lucky winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000.
