Cream of the cooks rewarded

TEENAGE heart-throb Julian Cheung Chi-lam stole the limelight from the young winners at the prize presentation of the 19th Towngas Inter-school Cooking Contest.

Arriving nearly 20 minutes late for the event, held recently at a Central hotel, Cheung sent the mainly female audience into a barely suppressed frenzy of squealing and autograph-hunting - much to the judges' bemusement.

In all the commotion, thoughts of cooking were nearly cast aside. But how did our two competitors from last week fare? Kennie Ko of the Good Hope School was placed third in the junior category of the Chinese section.

She told Young Post: ''Now I would like to learn more and, if given the opportunity, compete again.'' Pierre Chan Kam-pong's efforts earned him second prize in the senior category of the Chinese section.

Pierre was also a member of the Lai King Catholic Secondary School team which clinched second place in the schools' competition, behind the winners from SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School.

The winner of Pierre's section was Suen Wai-man, a Form Four student at Ho Fung College. Having cooked since Form One, she was quite confident but did not think that she would win. ''Now that I've won, if I'm asked to cook something I'll be less frightened to do so.'' Lau Ming-wai, also of Lai King Catholic Secondary School, won the senior category of the non-Chinese section.