ALOR STAR: A boy proved that age is no barrier when he won two bronze medals at the World Chefs Championship (based on Kedah products) at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium here yesterday.
Syahzan Imran Putra Khairil Anuar Hisham, 13, won the medals in the Chicken Main Course and Salmon categories, as well as the Jury Award for a promising young participant.
The SMK Syed Mohamed Al-Bukhary student said the win was significant to him as he had competed against more experienced participants from around the world.
Syahzan said he took part in the competition on the encouragement of his father, who is a chef.
“I assist him when he does cooking demonstrations, but I have never cooked before. I was only trained for two weeks for the tournament. My father taught me how to handle the equipment and cooking basics,” said the boy from Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah, here.
Khairil Anuar Hisham Mahmud, 42, said he would continue to help his eldest son boost his culinary knowledge and skills.
Khairil, a culinary lecturer at an academy here, however, said he would not force Syahzan to follow in his footsteps.
“I hope he can pick up and master the skill as much as possible.
“But if he decides to pursue his dream to become an engineer, I will support him too.”