This event will take place live via Zoom on Friday, December 4 at 7pm PST/10pm EST. Not in PST or EST? Check your time zone.

Join Columbia SoCal, CAA Northern California, CAA Taiwan, and CAA Singapore for this virtual holiday cooking show experience! This virtual event will be a cook-off between Asia and California for our alums to enjoy and learn how to prepare Beef Wellington and Curry Puffs.

REGISTER TODAY

Voting will be involved, so we encourage you to watch and vote!

Rounds of Competition:

1. Professional Chef vs. Home Cook: Beef Wellington

Background of the chefs

• • Alex Hsu, SEAS 1993, SIPA 1994
    • Former I-banking slave turned professional chef
    • Trained at Le Cordon Bleu (Paris) & Gastronomicom (Provence), where he learnt the most salient parts of the French vocabulary from being yelled at by chefs half his age
    • Chef / owner of the most authentic French Bistro in Taipei (“Best Bouillabaisse in town”, not self-proclaimed), luckily closed before COVID
    • Currently a newbie YouTuber bit.ly/unclealexjeremy (please subscribe & watch to help fund newborn son’s formula, as well as future tuition at Columbia)
    • Frequently made Beef Wellington for Christmas Special Menu
  • Dan Li,  SEAS 1991, VP, CAA NorCal
    • Serial entrepreneur/commercial real estate financier
    • “Naturally talented” foodie/home cook (self-proclaimed)
    • Has been cooking since 14 (teenager in NYC)!
    • Immense experience turning every single cut of beef into stunning, restaurant-quality dishes for the holidays!!! 
    • Prior to entering into the Lion Chef competition, had never made Beef Wellington before

1. CAA Asia vs. California: Empanadas vs. Curry Puffs

Background of the chefs

• • Mark Clemente, CC 2008, VP, CAA Singapore

• Former Co-Captain and #1 tennis player for Columbia Men's Varsity Men's Tennis Team (2004-2008) 
• Sports Marketing/Events Manager by day and private-dinning home cook by night! 
• Native New Yorker, but have been living in Singapore since end-2013 (7 years now). 
• Filipino-American, enjoys experimenting cooking with various cuisines, but loves to serve authentic Filipino food at home for friends in Singapore 
• Highly competitive and excited for this upcoming competition - so will do everything possible to get the W! ;p 

• • Christian Loredo, SEAS 1993, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, CAA NorCal
    • Seasoned “eater” and admirer of fine food, though questionable chef
    • Trained by watching Food Network shows; then ordering DoorDash
    • Consumer Software techie by day, Consumer of food by night
    • Argentine by birth,  loves English Premier League (Chelsea!) and all well-played soccer, coaches and referees Youth Soccer 

Additional Event Details:     

• Participants will be asked to vote on the winner of each round at the end of the event.
• Judging criteria:   

• • Technique 
  • Creativity
  • Use of secret ingredients 
  • Chef’s explanation on dish background/variation/preparation 
  • Presentation/plating 

• Recipes will be distributed to event participants one week prior to the event
• "Lessons learned by a home cook" will be distributed to all event participants
• Q&A/Social session at conclusion of the event