Newsletter Jan – Feb 2019
January Orientation
It was a magical start to 2019, beginning with an orientation for new students, spanning over the course of 3 days. The theme of this orientation was fantasy and magic, inspired by ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,’ from the famous Harry Potter films. The orientation began with student dance performances and brief introductions from the department heads and staff of BERJAYA University College. The next day encouraged healthy competition between 10 groups of students, with the name of each group being based on various aspects of Harry Potter, such as the house groups, competing against each other in a race to collect the highest amount of points by completing a number of games. The final day saw students expressing their more creative side through magic tricks, dancing, singing, fashion shows, and drama performances in the campus lobby. The orientation brought about a cheerful atmosphere to symbolise a happy start to the academic year!
David Rocco Launches 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner
Celebrity chef David Rocco was invited to BERJAYA University College to launch the University College’s 10th anniversary celebration. Chef Rocco conducted a culinary demonstration for students from the Faculty of Culinary Arts. To acquaint the students with an Italian style of cooking, he prepared a risotto dish with a beet juice reduction, garnished with Parmigiano cheese and olive oil, a dish which would feature later that evening. While preparing this meal, Chef Rocco stressed the need to have the exact ingredients required to cook any dish, insisting on the best quality possible, especially when it comes to Italian cuisine; if even a single ingredient was either missing or of a lower quality, the flavour of the overall dish would change. The students were enthralled by his confident technique, some perhaps even star-struck as they watched their idol cooking mere metres away from them. They did not hesitate to ask Chef Rocco about his experiences and his background, curious to know what inspired the chef to become a television personality. It was evident to the students that a passion for food, be it cooking it or eating it, and an eagerness to convey his love for Italian culture were Chef Rocco’s motivators.
That evening, guests were given the opportunity to sample Chef Rocco’s dishes in more detail at an exclusive sit-down dinner, consisting of a decadent five-course meal. The menu comprised of traditional Italian dishes, but were prepared with Chef Rocco’s personal twist. The meal was prepared meticulously by students from the Faculty of Culinary Arts, and served diligently by students from the School of Hospitality. Guests took the opportunity to have small chats and take selfies with the visiting chef.
Alce Nero Cooking Competition
Bloggers from around Kuala Lumpur were invited to take part in the Alce Nero Cooking Competition, sponsored by Alce Nero and Ayam Brand. Our very own Chef Athira carried out a demonstration for the participants to replicate, which involved a tri-coloured Asian pasta salad, an Italian seafood laksa, and Chinese strawberry jam cakes. The bloggers were given an opportunity to express their own creativity with how the dishes were plated, with one cutting bell peppers to appear like a small bowl with jagged edges.
BUC Lion Dance
As part of the Chinese New Year festivities, “ong” was spread throughout the campus. The lions made their way from the entrance, greeting our CEO, Madam Mae Ho, and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Walter Wong before dancing through the office areas, receiving ang paus and oranges from various heads of departments. They then headed for the classrooms and study areas, spreading joy and prosperity to the students, before finally ending in the lounge area.
CNY Staff Party
BERJAYA University College celebrated our Chinese New Year staff party with inspirational speeches from our CEO, Madam Mae Ho, and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Walter Wong, encouraging us to be prepared for the challenges in the year ahead with a positive outlook. Following this, the BUC Dance Club gave an amazing performance in the spirit of CNY, to which everyone cheered on enthusiastically! Lastly, as per CNY tradition, all were treated to a feast prepared by students from the Faculty of Culinary Arts, including plenty of Yee Sang for all to toss! Truly it was a celebration filled with ong!
Marketplace of Sustainability
As part of their Team Development Skills coursework, students created items out of recyclable materials to be sold at a “Marketplace of Sustainability” session. Their creativity was shown through the way they compiled simple recycled materials to create something more sustainable and useful; for example, one student used wrapping paper and cardboard to make photo frames, while another used plastic bottles to make a timer.
Honour’s Seminar Series – Ms. June Lau
Ms. June Lau gave a special seminar to promote tourism in Korea as a key travel destination for Malaysians! She explained how Korea became a notable location, which she attributes to the “K-Wave,” a name referring to the increasing global popularity of South Korean culture, primarily focusing on popular culture, food, film, and music. To demonstrate this, a video by KTO featuring EXO, a South Korean boy-band, was displayed to show the different aspects of Korean living and tourism.
Honour’s Seminar Series – Shaun Liew
Shaun Liew returned to BERJAYA University College to give a seminar to our students about his journey towards becoming Malaysia Brewer’s Cup Champion for 2019. In this seminar, he focused on specific traits that he believe contributed to his success as a renowned barista: balance and maturity. He argued that a good balance of work and one’s private life ensured stability to attain one’s goals, and that maturity would enable one to be able to calmly take criticism and use it as a means of improving oneself. He also advised the students to not undervalue teamwork because it would be near impossible to complete every single task alone; thus he concluded that in a productive day’s work, the victory belongs to the team rather than a single person.
Australian High Commission Workshops featuring Australian MasterChef Diana Chan and Master Butcher Shaun Francis
The Australian High Commission hosted a workshop in collaboration with BERJAYA University College for our students studying under the Faculty of Culinary Arts. We were proud to have Shaun Francis, an Australian Master Butcher representing Meat and Livestock Australia, and MasterChef Australia 2017 winner, Diana Chan.
Shaun explained to the students that butchery should not be underestimated because how meat is cut and processed to essential to cooking it right. He presented the different types of meat that fall under beef and sheep meat, using images and infographics. He then did a cooking demonstration of a lamb leg, marinating it in a number of spices, and tying it all together with string, showing the different types of knots that can be used in cooking. The students were delighted when they got to taste the lamb!
Diana Chan, on the other hand, demonstrated how to combine one’s Malaysian heritage with Western methods of cooking. She first prepared a local favourite, otak-otak, but avoided a traditional route, instead presenting it on its own without being wrapped with banana leaf. She then cooked lamb cutlets covered in dukkah, a condiment native to Egypt, set upon some couscous and pesto; she even got a bit of help from one of our students!
The students were enthralled by this workshop, and learned much about the culinary world from a more Western perspective.
Honours Seminar Series – Irvine Quek
BERJAYA University College was proud to host the World Latte Art Champion 2018, Irvine Quek, to give a workshop to our students about his journey as a latte artist. Irvine spoke of his humble origins working in a tea shop, where he first discovered his passion for latte art, which he began to pursue. Irvine began to compete in global competitions, where his own character developed while he learned from his failures, eventually using these to his advantage to become an international champion. He advised the students, “Smiling is the most important thing you can do.” He presented several slides of him with his mentor and with fellow champion from a different year in order to convince those attending the seminar to smile more because it makes a different in the kind of service given to customers. He also counselled the students to be humble: “Don’t think you are better than other people.” He noted that humility is essential to improving oneself because one can learn more from those who have more experience.
Honours Seminar Series – Chef Zaidi
Chef Zaidi, a veteran of our military, came to BERJAYA University College to give a talk to our students on what life is like as a military chef. He first explained the various divisions of the army, exploring more than what we as the public know of, such as the medical corps and the engineer corps. He noted that life in the military as a chef is far more demanding and gruelling than the average chef, as he was required to work for 24 hours straight, preparing several meals for a large amount of people over those hours, and without air-conditioning! He spoke of one of his greatest accomplishments, which turned out to be one of his biggest challenges as well: preparing and serving a meal for the opening of the Jalan Duta palace. His story was one to be remembered by the students, and will inspire them to persevere as aspiring chefs.
