Chef Fazalina Ismail from Segamat and her teammate Muhammad Saufie Ab Rashid from Tangkak impressed the judges with their appetiser “cucur udang kuah kacang” (prawn fritters with peanut sauce) and stuffed crab with chilli garlic sauce, followed by a main course of fish seaweed roulade with tangerine salad.

With over 30 years of experience in the culinary industry and currently serving as Malaysia Bersatu Culinary Association chairperson, Fazalina, 55, said the biggest challenge they faced was ensuring all ingredients used were halal.

“We had to be very selective and decided to focus on seafood after checking for halal ingredients at Dongmun Market in Jeju. Communication was another challenge since most of them don’t speak English fluently,” she told Bernama.

Organised by the Korea Chefs Association and recognised by Worldchefs, the competition drew participants from seven countries including Nepal, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Malaysia was represented by five chefs led by Awang Razali Hussin.

Despite the hurdles, Fazalina said she was proud to fly the Johor and Malaysian flags on the international stage.

“This was my first time competing overseas, so I felt nervous and emotional. When Malaysia was announced as the third-place winner, I couldn’t hold back my tears. It was such a proud moment to represent Johor and Malaysia on the world stage,” said the mother of four.

Fazalina, who has authored 26 cookbooks, said Taiwan won the gold medal, South Korea took silver, and Malaysia earned bronze.

Starting her journey as a kitchen helper before working her way up to executive chef, Fazalina began participating in competitions in 2004.

“In 2022, I became active in the chefs’ association scene and now work as a freelance chef. I’m often invited by culinary colleges across the country for talks, and have also served as a competition judge locally and abroad.

“This time, I decided to return as a contestant for the first time since 2011 to fulfil a personal dream,” she said.

Sharing that this trip was fully funded by her husband, she expressed hope that the state government would extend more support and sponsorship to local chefs with the potential to compete internationally.