It's DEFINITELY the season to be jolly ...

... as more and more start to celebrate the countdown. One such is a group of unsung heroes, the people who work very hard behind the scenes, literally, but don't really take nor are given much credit for it. I'm talking about the chefs, the people to whom you can't say, "Don't sweat it!" because they really do. It's a tough life in the kitchens, and they, especially the sous chefs, act like the conductor of an orchestra, keeping everything running smoothly, orders going out hot and on time. It's like working in a desert except it's about 1/1000th the size and there's grease and stuff under your feet so if you're not careful you're quite liable to slip and have a vat of hot oil over you .. that's if you haven't been pierced by a sharp skewer or knife already.So the more I've come to work with these professionals of the culinary world, the more respect I have for them. But they probably come under fire the most as what we see is only the end result, and if the taste isn't what we expect or the presentation isn't as pretty as it should be, we complain! I know I do. But then it's my job ... !!

HOWEVER these people also find time to PARTY, and last night the Chefs Association of Malaysia, Penang Chapter, had their annual Christmas Bash at the Grand Ballroom of the g Hotel in Gurney Drive.

They really put a LOTTTTT of effort into it, and it showed. The camaraderie and organisational skills of these people leave many other associations behind - they really do it extremely well. It must be as a result of their training; after all, this must be child's play to running a hectic kitchen! Last night was no exception. The event started with a mock casino when every guest was given "CAM Dollars" to play at various tables which had been set up with croupiers behind (some pretty professional I might add - signs of a misspent youth?!!). From the shouts and cheers of excitement and triumph coming from some of the tables, it must have been a lot of fun!

This year's theme was "CUISINE ROYALE" (a take on James Bond's Casino Royale of course) and the chefs all dressed up in bow ties and the women "to kill". The ballroom was splendidly done up in black and red - looked fantastic. After that, when everyone was sat down, the dinner proper started with Chris Gan MCing (he's been doing this for them for years). Guest of Honour was CM but he couldn't make it so sent a representative. Not sure if the dancers were female members of CAM (there are very few) but they were very professional and looked gorgeous. In between the buffet dinner, various awards and trophies were handed out, all pretty well-deserved. The raffle was a triumph: there must have been dozens of prizes.

Mention must go to g Hotel who delivered the goodies: ie the food. With 400 people to cater for, all professionals in the industry, it must have been quite a daunting task. However, they did it. The food was hot, plentiful and quite tasty.

Hats off to the organising committee, who did a fantastic job, and to AUDEE CHEAH Chairman of CAM Pg, and Peter Chan who plans everything with such aplomb. Well done guys, and thank you for inviting me. Here's to 2010.