Ministry of Education and Culture: Students from Varna with the most prizes at the National Competitions for Professions in Tourism

Photo: Ministry of Education and Science

Students from Varna won the most prizes in the National competitions for the best young chef, bartender, waiter, baker-confectioner, hotelier and animator. For two days, 185 students from 48 high schools from all over the country demonstrated their skills in different professions in the Golden Sands resort complex.

The competitions are organized by the Ministry of Education and Science together with the Association of Restaurant and Hospitality Schools in Bulgaria.

“Dear students, your participation in these competitions proves the good professional training you have acquired in your schools, the responsibility and professionalism of your teachers and principals. Don’t stop looking for new knowledge, develop your skills and follow your dreams. May each of you receive more knowledge and inspiration to continue your successful life and professional realization in Bulgaria”, the Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, stated in his congratulations to the participants.

In the “Best Young Chef” competition, the first place was won by Stiliyan Georgiev from the Professional High School for Tourism “Dr. Asen Zlatarov” in Varna. He excelled at the task of preparing a starter with Rhodope bronze cheese and a main course of lamb and lamb and managed to impress the jury of master chefs chaired by Chef Petar Yorgov. The students’ dishes were tasted and highly appreciated by two French chefs, Christophe Dauvern and Laure Talon.

A student from Varna High School also won first place in the “Best Young Baker-Confectioner” competition. The chocolate millefeuille and donuts prepared by Stefania Gospodinova were rated the highest by the authoritative jury of master confectioners, chaired by Chef Borislav Ekzarkhov.

Another student from Varna – Yolina Georgieva won the “Best Young Bartender” award. The participants in the competition had to prepare and present a non-alcoholic cocktail in six minutes, and their other task was to successfully make a flair – bottle juggling – within a minute. Everyone’s performance was highly praised by the jury, who described this year’s edition of the competition as one of the strongest yet. The chairman of the commission was Vasil Kolev – multiple world champion in various international competitions for bartenders.

A representative of the Vocational High School of Tourism in Varna also won the “Best Young Waiter” competition. Elena Mileva did the best with the assigned tasks related to professional serving and presentation of the dishes prepared by the chefs and decanting of wine. The work of the young waiters was evaluated by a jury chaired by Nikolay Nikolov – winner of many prestigious awards and FMB manager of Grifid hotels, which were also the hosts of the competition.

Nikol Andreeva from the Vocational High School of Agriculture and Economics in Svilengrad won first place in the “Best Young Hotelier” competition. She and the other participants had to welcome guests at the reception and deal with various case studies, also using excellent English. Their skills were evaluated by a jury chaired by Nikoleta Hristova, manager of the Metropol Hotel in Golden Sands.

The competition for “Best Young Animator” was held in two categories – daytime and evening animation. The jury chaired by Bistra Boeva, a member of the Management Board of the “Events and Animation” Association, rated the daily animation of the team of the “Pencho Semov” Vocational High School of Tourism in Gabrovo the highest. In the evening animation category, the first place went to the Professional High School of Economics and Tourism “Aleko Konstantinov” in Velingrad.

The winners and other participants received many material and cash prizes from the sponsors of the competitions from the tourism industry. The Minister of Tourism Evtim Miloshev, the Deputy Minister Irena Georgieva and the Secretary of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria for Education, Culture and Tourism Ilin Dimitrov took part in the awarding ceremony for the winners. The mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, the deputy mayor, Pavel Popov, the heads of the regional departments of education in Varna and Blagoevgrad, Dr. Irena Radeva and Ivaylo Zlatanov, representatives of the tourism business, university professors, etc. took part in the opening of the competitions.