Pound-for-pound maria's a winner

One of Hong Kong's biggest personalities, entertainer/chef Maria Cordero, kicked off Lan Kwai Fong's Food Festival. Cooking up her speciality, beef roll with oyster sauce, Maria worked alongside a character named The Fat Chef. Ironically, Maria has recently dropped a staggering 26kg in three months.

'I am being paid $1 million to do it and all I have to do is walk on a hi-tech treadmill two to three times a week for half an hour each time. I have no diets to follow, I can eat carbs, meat, but just less oil and sugar - which is easy,' says Maria, who is being sponsored by new fat-loss clinic Be a Lady. Her target is to lose 32kg in nine months, but she is confident she can do it sooner.

Her taste in food has changed since she began her weight-loss crusade. Maria says she is working on her first diet cookbook, which is due out in a few months.

The LKF Food Festival will see four celebrity chefs give cooking classes and wine tastings from May 3-9.

Joan Ida, of GoodFellows in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be at Baci teaching pastry and dessert, while Supreeda Khemkhang, from the Amanpuri resort, will give lessons in Thai cuisine at Thai Lemongrass. Francois Mermilliod, of Dou in Singapore, will be at Cafe Des Artistes, and Greg Malouf, from Melbourne's Momos, will instruct at Lux. Classes are $200 each. Call 2867-8882 for more information.