Ambarish Lulay Earns Culinary Olympic Medal

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Ahwahnee chef accepts Delaware North’s fourth Olympic prize

ERFURT, GERMANY (October 23, 2008) – Ambarish Lulay, chef de cuisine at The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park, earned a silver medal yesterday at the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. Lulay won the medal in category “A” of the individual competition, which requires chefs to present a platter of cold food for eight people and six appetizers.

Lulay was in Germany representing Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and food service. The company selected and sponsored five of its chefs and their coach, Roland Henin, Delaware North’s corporate chef and chief culinary ambassador and a world-famous certified master chef, educator and coach.
Lulay’s platter was entitled “Tasting of Popular Asian Flavors.” It featured Peking-Style Duck Galantine, Thai Coconut Mushroom Terrine with Cilantro and Spiced Vegetable Raita and other specialties. His appetizers were based on common Asian street food such as samosas, octopus and quail lollipops.

The victory was especially sweet for Lulay. His parents came from India and his wife, from their home in Yosemite, to see the president of the German Chefs Association place a medal around the 30-year-old chef’s neck.

“I’m not here to win a medal,” Lulay said earlier in the day. “I’m here to do the best I can.”
As it turns out, he achieved both.

“He’s someone to watch out for,” said Henin, who first met Lulay when the Indian-born chef was a student at Kendall College near Chicago.
“I was preparing a dinner at the home of Christian DeVos, who at the time was dean of Kendall’s culinary school,” Lulay said. [De Vos is now vice president of food and beverage for Delaware North’s parks and resorts.]

“A Frenchman came into the kitchen and asked if I would like him to chop some parsley or something,” Lulay recalled. “Then he extended his hand and introduced himself as Roland Henin.”

According to Lulay, the name didn’t mean anything, but when he later told others what happened, he began to get the picture.

“With jaws dropped, they said, ‘the Roland Henin?’ And then were relieved to learn I didn’t let one of the best chefs on Earth chop my parsley.”

Lulay has since learned his colleagues and instructors were right about Henin, save for one exception. He would gladly have chopped parsley that night.

“He cares so much,” Lulay said. “Even when he’s tough with us, it’s because he wants us to be better. And how can we not try when we see what he puts into it?”

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the world’s leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Banknorth Garden. Delaware North is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 50,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit http://www.delawarenorth.com/.

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